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.
JUST ANOTHER NIGHT AT THE OFFICE
Lexington's Cade Stover continues to prove he's a man among boys. In a 31-21 postseason win over Tiffin Columbian Friday night, Stover ran wild (again) and played exceptional defense (again). The senior carried the ball 29 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns and picked off Columbian quarterback Chase Frankhauser twice.
From the Mansfield News-Journal:
"Our whole plan was to wear them down," Stover said. "We knew we were not going to bust any big ones in the beginning, but we got the job done."
While he was the focal point on offense, he played an even sounder defensive game with two interceptions and multiple tackles. While his presence was felt on the football field, Gerhardt admits it is his impact off the field which has Lex in the middle of a six-game winning streak and on to the regional semifinal.
"He is a man and a tremendous leader," Gerhardt said. "The thing that no one sees outside of our team is a kid who gets his brothers together and leads them in a way with that never-say-die attitude. I cannot say enough about him. He is one of the best players in the nation."
As a whole, the Minutemen tallied five interceptions on the night. They advance into a Division III, Region 10 semifinal where they'll face Sandusky.
Speaking of big nights, Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Ga.) running back Steele Chambers had one of his own Friday. The 6-foot-2, 215-pound back needed just eight rushed to pick up 110 yards and two touchdowns. Those numbers came in a 42-7 win.
Jameson Williams, one of Ohio State's two wide receiver commits in the 2019 class, followed suit. In a 61-12 win over Miller Career Academy, Williams helped Cardinal Ritter Prep (St. Louis, Mo.) with six catches for 116 yards and two scores.
On the offensive line, Ohio State's commits saw more success ... specifically within the 2019 class.
Buford's (Ga.) Harry Miller helped his team score 40 or more points for the eighth time this season in a 45-3 win, Spring Valley's (W. Va.) Doug Nester made history as his Highlanders finished 10-0 for the first time in school history with a 28-16 victory, and Ryan Jacoby aided Mentor to a 38-7 postseason win over Strongsville.
In the case of Mentor, Jacoby's teammate and defensive end Noah Potter helped the Cardinals' defense force three interceptions with pressure on the quarterback, two of which resulted in touchdowns. In total, the defense forced four turnovers and allowed 222 yards.
Pressure by the @MentorRedline front flushes Tyler Wolters from the pocket and hes pick-sixed by Noah Gladish. @MentorAthletics leads, 21-0, with 10:55 left in the first half. pic.twitter.com/Kb8tEMi86f
— Nate Barnes (@NateBarnes_) November 2, 2018
Elsewhere, Jordan Battle made two tackles for St. Thomas Aquinas (For Lauderdale, Fla.) in a 48-6 victory and both The Bullis School (Potomac, Md.) safety Bryson Shaw and Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.) tight end Cormontae Hamilton helped out in wins.
Things, however, didn't go so well for Oak Park (Michigan) quarterback Dwan Mathis and Wayne (Fort Wayne, Ind.) receiver Craig Young. Mathis and his teammates fell in a postseason battle by a 35-7 final, one where the future Buckeye went just 6-for-18 with 115 yards, a touchdowns and two interceptions under center. Young played well but his team fell short in a 14-13 playoff loss, one where he caught four passes for 77 yards and tallied eight tackles, 2 1/2 for a loss.
Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) wide receiver Garrett Wilson and DePaul Catholic (Wayne, N.J.) safety Ronnie Hickman both cheered from the sidelines with injuries but did see their teammates enjoy wins, a 44-28 victory for Lake Travis and a 49-0 win for DePaul Catholic.
A MIXED BAG
As for the six members of Ohio State's 2020 recruiting class, Friday yielded a mixed bag of results. Chaparral (Az.) quarterback Jack Miller and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) safety Lejond Cavazos, of course, were held out of the action with injuries.
Without Miller, the Firebirds fell to Desert Vista by a 40-14 final ... although teammate and future Buckeye Darvon Hubbard did score on an eight-yard touchdown run. Cavazos' Ascenders earned a 48-7 win over Hoover.
In Cincinnati, Paris Johnson Jr. and St. Xavier fell to Colerain by a 35-9 final, ending their season. However, his other two offensive line counterparts in the class enjoyed wins.
St. Joseph Regional (Montvale, NJ) gained 208 yards of total offense in a hard-fought 16-7 win with the help of Luke Wypler and Marietta (Ga.) got its fifth win this year by a 42-22 final with the help of Jake Wray.
| NAME | POS | HIGH SCHOOL | OPPONENT | SCORE | stats/news |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GARRETT WILSON | WR | LAKE TRAVIS (AUSTIN, TX) | HAYS (BUDA, TX) | Won 44-28. | DNP (back injury) |
| STEELE CHAMBERS | RB | BLESSED TRINITY CATHOLIC (ROSWELL, GA) | WHITE COUNTY (CLEVELAND, GA) | Won 42-7. | 8 carries, 110 yards, 2 TD |
| HARRY MILLER | OL | BUFORD (BUFORD, GA) | CLARKE CENTRAL (ATHENS, GA) | Won 45-3. | Wolves' offense scores 40+ points for eighth time this season. |
| DOUG NESTER | OL | SPRING VALLEY (HUNTINGTON, WV) | HUNTINGTON (HUNTINGTON, WV) | Won 28-16. | Highlanders finish 10-0 first time in school history. |
| JORDAN BATTLE | S | ST. THOMAS AQUINAS (FORT LAUDERDALE, FL) | MIRAMAR (MIRAMAR, FL) | Won 48-6. | 2 tackles |
| RONNIE HICKMAN | ATH | DEPAUL CATHOLIC (WAYNE, NJ) | BISHOP AHR (EDISON, NJ) | Won 49-0. | DNP (ACL injury) |
| CADE STOVER | OLB | LEXINGTON (MANSFIELD, OH) | COLUMBIAN (TIFFIN, OH) | Won 31-21. | 29 carries, 170 yards, 2 TD; 2 INT |
| DWAN MATHIS | QB | OAK PARK (OAK PARK, MI) | DE LE SALLE COLLEGIATE (WARREN, MI) | Lost 35-7. | 6-18, 115 yards, TD, 2 INT; Oak Park gains just 90 yards of total offense in loss. |
| RYAN JACOBY | OT | MENTOR (MENTOR, OH) | STRONGSVILLE (STRONGSVILLE, OH) | Won 38-7. | Aided offense to 28 first half points. |
| NOAH POTTER | DE | MENTOR (MENTOR, OH) | STRONGSVILLE (STRONGSVILLE, OH) | Won 38-7. | Led a defensive front that forced three interceptions. |
| CRAIG YOUNG | ATH | WAYNE (FORT WAYNE, IN) | BISHOP DWENGER (FORT WAYNE, IN) | Lost 14-13. | 4 catches, 77 yards; 8 tackles, 2.5 TFL |
| CORMONTAE HAMILTON | TE | WHITEHAVEN (MEMPHIS, TN) | COLLIERVILLE (COLLIERVILLE, TN) | Won 40-7. | Tigers advance to second round of playoffs against Houston. |
| BRYSON SHAW | S | THE BULLIS SCHOOL (POTOMAC, MD) | ST. STEPHEN'S & ST. AGNES (ALEXANDRIA, VA) | Won 42-14. | The Bullis School improves to 7-2 on the year. |
| JAMESON WILLIAMS | WR | CARDINAL RITTER PREP (ST. LOUIS, MO) | MILLER CAREER (ST. LOUIS, MO) | Won 61-12. | 6 catches, 116 yards, 2 TD |
| NAME | POS | HIGH SCHOOL | OPPONENT | SCORE | STATS/NEWS |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| JACK MILLER | QB | CHAPARRAL (SCOTTSDALE, AZ | DESERT VISTA (PHOENIX, AZ) | Lost 40-14. | DNP (knee injury) |
| DARVON HUBBARD | RB | CHAPARRAL (SCOTTSDALE, AZ) | DESERT VISTA (PHOENIX, AZ) | Lost 40-14. | 8-yard TD run |
| PARIS JOHNSON JR. | OL | ST. XAVIER (CINCINNATI, OH) | COLERAIN (CINCINNATI, OH) | Lost 35-9. | Bombers end their season at 5-6 overall. |
| LUKE WYPLER | OL | ST. JOSEPH REGIONAL (MONTVALE, NJ) | ST. PETER'S PREP (JERSEY CITY, NJ) | Won 16-7. | Aided offense to 208 total yards. |
| JAKE WRAY | OL | MARIETTA (MARIETTA, GA) | KENNESAW MOUNTAIN (KENNESAW, GA) | Won 42-22. | Marietta gets fifth win this season. |
| LEJOND CAVAZOS | S | IMG ACADEMY (BRADENTON, FL) | HOOVER (HOOVER, AL) | Won 48-7. | DNP (season-ending hip injury) |
