Every weekend in the fall, thousands of high school football teams line up and take their shot at prep glory. The morning Prep Tracker is your final stop for the names, numbers and scores that mattered to Ohio State's recruiting efforts.
BIG-TIME PLAYERS STEPPING UP IN BIG-TIME GAMES
With the game on the line, Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Ga.) called upon running back Steele Chambers. The Ohio State commit answered in a resounding way.
Leading 10-7 over Marist in a regional championship bout, Chambers took the football and ran it down the throat of Marist's defense ... time and time again.
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution:
McFarlin and his staff put the game on the shoulders of that line and senior running back/linebacker Steele Chambers.
In the game-deciding march, 15 of the 16 plays were power runs by Chambers. The only other play was key offside penalty on fourth-and-one at the Marist 24-yard line. And of those 15 runs, nearly half were power plays to the right, with Burns pulling from his left guard spot.
“I knew I just had to do my part for the team,” said Burns, who declined a request for the name of the play. “It’s the same play call, but I don’t think I’m allowed to give it out.”
What he, Filipowicz and Chambers did give out was punishment on the drive, which was an ode to old school, smash-mouth football.
Elsewhere, St. Thomas Aquinas safety Jordan Battle helped his Raiders jump ahead early and stay there ...
From the Sun-Sentinel:
After recording a safety on the Tigers’ second possession, Aquinas (8-1, 2-0) made it 16-0 as Jordan Battle returned the ensuing free kick 68 yards for a touchdown.
“I kinda looked at my mom before the play and when they kicked it to me, I took it back to the house,” said Battle, who has committed to Ohio State.
The Raiders ran away with a 58-0 win, improving to 8-1 and pitching a sixth shutout this season. You can see Battle talk about St. Thomas Aquinas' win here.
With Ohio State linebackers coach Bill Davis on hand, Lexington's Cade Stover ran wild. The four-star 2019 commit had 25 carries for 239 yards and three touchdowns in a 35-6 win over South Canton. He also made 14 tackles on the defensive side of the ball.
Quite the impressive show for Stover, but that's nothing new.
From the Mansfield News-Journal:
Leading Lexington to victory and a big reason for the turnaround was senior Ohio State commit Cade Stover. Stover carried the ball 25 times for 239 yards against Canton South and scored three touchdowns.
"He is one of the best players in the nation," Gerhardt said of Stover. "Not only is the talent there, his leadership has really grown this year. He and the other captains, Jacob Depperschmidt and Michael Dwyer got together a lot when we were struggling. Those guys took the team and kept it together and Cade's leadership has been a key all year."
Oak Park (Mich.) quarterback Dwan Mathis also had a big night. The signal caller threw for a 13-yard touchdown and ran for an 8-yard score in a 40-20 playoff win over Ferndale. The win allows Oak Park to advance into the second round of the playoffs for just the second time in the past eight seasons.
The Buckeyes' future offensive linemen were also hard at work Friday night.
Spring Valley (Huntington, W. Va.) guard Doug Nester helped his team score 44 consecutive points, erasing a 13-point deficit, to win 58-34. With Ohio State offensive coordinator Ryan Day on hand, Buford (Ga.) center Harry Miller aided his crew to a 61-0 blowout victory and, shortly after visiting with Urban Meyer, Mentor's Ryan Jacoby caught a touchdown pass ... yes, you read that right ... in a 48-0 win over Elyria.
Jacoby's teammate Noah Potter, a commit at defensive end, also helped out as the Cardinals put up their second shutout this fall. Fort Wayne (Ind.) athlete Craig Young also enjoyed a win, a 53-14 victory over New Haven in the playoffs, as he accounted for 30 total yards and made four tackles, two for a loss.
In the 2020 class, Cincinnati St. Xavier will be playing in Week 11 after tackle Paris Johnson Jr. and crew handed St. Xavier (Louisville, Ky.) a 34-7 loss. St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, N.J.) and guard Luke Wypler won their seventh game this season in a 16-7 decision over a stout St. Peter's Prep team while Marietta (Ga.) tackle Jake Wray and his Blue Devils fell to Hillgrove by a 48-24 final.
THE WALKING WOUNDED
If you've been paying attention this week, unfortunately, you know about Ohio State's injury troubles with recruits. Four commits didn't suit up Friday night due to ailments.
In Texas, 2019 receiver Garrett Wilson sat out with a back injury while his Cavaliers beat Del Valle 55-23. However, Wilson expects to be back this season. That's not the case for the other three.
2019 DePaul Catholic (Wayne, N.J.) athlete Ronnie Hickman, 2020 IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) safety Lejond Cavazos and 2020 Chaparral (Az.) quarterback Jack Miller have all shut it down for the season.
Hickman and Miller are sidelined with knee injuries while Cavazos is out with a hip injury.
| NAME | POS | HIGH SCHOOL | OPPONENT | SCORE | stats/news |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GARRETT WILSON | WR | LAKE TRAVIS (AUSTIN, TX) | DEL VALLE (DEL VALLE TEXAS) | Won 55-23. | DNP (back injury) |
| STEELE CHAMBERS | RB | BLESSED TRINITY CATHOLIC (ROSWELL, GA) | MARIST (ATLANTA, GA) | Won 10-7. | Helped put game on ice on final drive. |
| HARRY MILLER | OL | BUFORD (BUFORD, GA) | WALNUT GROVE (WALNUT GROVE, GA) | Won 61-0. | N/A |
| DOUG NESTER | OL | SPRING VALLEY (HUNTINGTON, WV) | POINT PLEASANT (POINT PLEASANT, WV) | Won 58-34. | Aided offense to 44 consecutive points. |
| JORDAN BATTLE | S | ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (FORT LAUDERDALE, FL) | BLACHE ELY (POMPANO BEACH, FL) | Won 58-0. | 68-yard kickoff return TD |
| RONNIE HICKMAN | ATH | DEPAUL CATHOLIC (WAYNE, NJ) | BERGEN CATHOLIC (ORADELL, NJ) | Lost 42-7. | DNP (ACL injury) |
| CADE STOVER | OLB | LEXINGTON (MANSFIELD, OH) | CANTON SOUTH (CANTON, OH) | Won 35-6. | 25 carries, 239 yards, 3 TD, 14 tackles |
| DWAN MATHIS | QB | OAK PARK (OAK PARK, MI) | FERNDALE (FERNDALE, MI) | Won 40-20. | 13-yard TD pass, 8-yard TD run |
| RYAN JACOBY | OT | MENTOR (MENTOR, OH) | ELYRIA (ELYRIA, OH) | Won 48-0. | TD reception |
| NOAH POTTER | DE | MENTOR (MENTOR, OH) | ELYRIA (ELYRIA, OH) | Won 48-0. | Helped defense pitch shutout as team finishes 9-1. |
| CRAIG YOUNG | ATH | WAYNE (FORT WAYNE, IN) | NEW HAVEN (NEW HAVEN, IN) | Won 53-14. | 30 total yards, 4 tackles, 2 TFL |
| CORMONTAE HAMILTON | TE | WHITEHAVEN (MEMPHIS, TN) | GERMANTOWN (GERMANTOWN, TN) | Lost 37-19. | N/A |
| BRYSON SHAW | S | THE BULLIS SCHOOL (POTOMAC, MD) | ST. ALBANS (WASHINGTON DC) | Won 35-7. | N/A |
| JAMESON WILLIAMS | WR | CARDINAL RITTER PREP (ST. LOUIS, MO) | CONFLUENCE PREP ACADEMY (ST. LOUIS, MO) | Lost by forfeit. | N/A |
| NAME | POS | HIGH SCHOOL | OPPONENT | SCORE | STATS/NEWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JACK MILLER | QB | CHAPARRAL (SCOTTSDALE, AZ | LIBERTY (PEORIA, AZ) | Lost 51-21. | DNP (knee injury) |
| DARVON HUBBARD | RB | CHAPARRAL (SCOTTSDALE, AZ) | LIBERTY (PEORIA, AZ) | Lost 51-21. | N/A |
| PARIS JOHNSON JR. | OL | ST. XAVIER (CINCINNATI, OH) | ST. XAVIER (LOUISVILLE, KY) | Won 34-7. | Helped St. Xavier clinch playoff spot. |
| LUKE WYPLER | OL | ST. JOSEPH REGIONAL (MONTVALE, NJ) | ST. PETER'S PREP (JERSEY CITY, NJ) | Won 16-7. | Helped team win seventh game of season. |
| JAKE WRAY | OL | MARIETTA (MARIETTA, GA) | HILLGROVE (POWDER SPRINGS, GA) | Lost 48-24. | Marietta had just 69 yards on the ground and 210 through the air. |
| LEJOND CAVAZOS | S | IMG ACADEMY (BRADENTON, FL) | BYE | N/A | DNP (season-ending hip injury) |
