Buckeye Pipelines puts the spotlight each week on a high school program who has had numerous and notable alumni go on to play for the Scarlet and Gray.
This week, we take a look at a school that has produced seven Ohio State football players since 1970: St. Henry.
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| ST. HENRY |
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LOCATION: ST. HENRY, OH CONFERENCE: MIDWEST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE 2021 RECORD 10–4 |
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8 MAC CHAMPIONSHIPS 6 STATE FOOTBALL TITLES MADE PLAYOFFS IN 4 OF LAST 6 SEASONS |
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30TH-MOST PLAYERS ON OHIO STATE'S ROSTER (7) 26TH-MOST ROSTER APPEARANCES (24) (1970-2021) |
All-American offensive lineman Jim Lachey and a pair of Ohio State starting quarterbacks, Bobby Hoying and Todd Boeckman, are the most recognized Redskins to make a Buckeye roster.
Hoying shared with Eleven Warriors that playing for St. Henry made a lifelong impact on him.
"I am grounded in my roots in St. Henry and still have lots of family and friends there,” Hoying said. “I was taught the value of hard work and commitment to my teammates. I learned how to be a ‘leader,’ how to compete, how to win and how to respond to adversity."
Notable Buckeyes from St. Henry
OL Jim Lachey (1981-84)
Lachey was an All-American and All-Big Ten left guard in 1984, when he helped lead the Buckeyes to a Big Ten title.
Even though he was only a full-time starter at Ohio State for one year, the San Diego Chargers selected Lachey with the 12th overall pick of the 1985 NFL Draft. The talented lineman played in three Pro Bowls and was a three-time All-Pro in the league. Lachey and the Washington Redskins defeated the Buffalo Bills in Super Bowl XXVI.
Today, Lachey can be heard on 97.1 The Fan as the color analyst for Ohio State football games and a co-host of Buckeye Roundtable and The Ryan Day Show.
At St. Henry, Lachey was a two-time All-Ohioan. He earned 11 high school letters and was captain of the football, basketball and track teams as a senior. He was the starting center on the 1979 state championship basketball team.
QB Bobby Hoying (1992-95)
At the time he graduated, Hoying owned the following Ohio State records for a single season:
- passing efficiency (163.4)
- games with at least 200 yards passing (11)
- most completions (498)
- total offense (3,290)
Hoying's 57 career touchdown passes were also a program record.
During his record-breaking senior season in 1995, Hoying was captain of the team, earned All-Big Ten honors and won the Draddy Award as the top student-athlete in college football.
He was named to the Ohio State Football All-Century Team in 2000 and was inducted into the Ohio State Athletics Hall of Fame in 2008.
Hoying was selected by the Philadelphia Eagles in the third round of the 1996 NFL draft and played five years in the league with the Eagles and Oakland Raiders. He started 13 games and threw for 2,544 yards and 11 touchdowns during his NFL career.
Hoying led St. Henry to its first state title during his senior season. The star quarterback was also named Ohio's Mr. Football that year.
During the title run, he defeated his future Ohio State teammate Rob Kelly and Newark Catholic to earn a spot in the championship game. The title game against Sandusky St. Mary’s did not start out as planned for Hoying and the Redskins. However, it set the stage for a memorable comeback.
"We were down 0-17 heading into the fourth quarter and scored 20 points to win 20-17,” Hoying recalled.
Hoying was also All-State in basketball and led the Redskins to two state titles on the hardwood, winning both the football and basketball state championships during his senior year.
QB Todd Boeckman (2004-08)
Boeckman completed 255 passes for 3,085 yards and 31 touchdowns during his four years in Columbus. He was the starting quarterback for the Buckeyes during his junior year in 2007. That season, he led the Big Ten in passing efficiency and guided Ohio State to the BCS National Championship Game against LSU.
As a senior, Boeckman entered the 2008 campaign as the Buckeyes' returning starter and an All-Big Ten player. However, he lost the starting quarterback job to Terrelle Pryor after the Buckeyes lost to USC, 35-3, in their third game of the season. Pryor remained the starter for the rest of the season.
At St. Henry, Boeckman was a four-year starter and took the team to the state title game as a freshman. He threw for 7,021 yards and 64 touchdowns during his high school career on the gridiron. In 2017, the Dayton Daily News ranked Boeckman as the best football player to ever play for St. Henry.
Boeckman earned All-Ohio honors in football, basketball and baseball. On the hardcourt, he led St. Henry in scoring and rebounding as a sophomore, junior and senior. The Redskins won two state basketball titles with Boeckman on the team.
Boeckman's dad, Tim, was Hoying's coach at St. Henry in 1990 and is in the Ohio High School Coaches Association Hall of Fame.
| POS | PLAYER | YEARS | OHIO STATE CAREER | HS CAREER |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL | JIM LACHEY | 1981-84 | All-American and All-Big Ten player, won two Big Ten titles and three bowl games. | Two-time All-Ohioan, captain of the football, basketball and track teams, won a state title in basketball. |
| C/LS | RON LACHEY | 1989-90 | Former walk-on who found his niche by becoming the long snapper. | All-Ohioan as a senior and three-year starter at center, made it to the state semifinals. |
| QB | BOBBY HOYING | 1992-95 | Captain, All-Big Ten and Draddy Award winner as a senior, Academic All-Big Ten four times. | Won a state title in football and two state titles in basketball, Ohio's Mr. Football as a senior. |
| TE | KEVIN NIEKAMP | 1991-92 | Did not see the field during his two years on the roster. | Won the state title in 1990. |
| QB/TE | TOM HOYING | 1993-97 | Played QB and TE for Ohio State, threw a TD pass against Boston College in 1995 to possibly make Bob and Tom the first brothers to throw a TD pass in the same game in college football history. | In his only year as the starting QB, he led St. Henry's to a state championship and a perfect 14–0 record. |
| OL | MATT ZAHN | 1999 | Only on the roster for his freshman season. | Honorable mention All-Midwest Team from the Detroit Free Press. |
| QB | TODD BOECKMAN | 2004-08 | All-Big Ten and led the team to the BCS Championship Game as a junior. | All-State in football, basketball and baseball; state runner-up in football as a freshman; won two state titles in basketball. |
More on St. Henry
St. Henry is located in Mercer County and is a member of the Midwest Athletic Conference. The team competes in Division VII, Region 28. The Redskins went 7-3 in the regular season last year and made the playoffs. They defeated Ansonia, Troy Christian and Tri-Village by a combined score of 110-9 before falling to Marion Local in the quarterfinal.
Buckeye Pipelines
The football program has won six state championships, all between 1990 and 2006. St. Henry won four state titles between 1990 and 1995.
The Redskins have also won eight MAC titles. St. Henry won state championships despite not winning the MAC in 1994, 2004 and 2006.
Across all sports, St. Henry has 20 state titles. The girls' volleyball team leads the way with seven. Football has six, boys’ basketball has four and baseball owns three.
The M-A-C
The Midwest Athletic Conference is unparalleled among small schools in the state of Ohio. It can be argued that the MAC is the best small-school conference in the nation.
In the 21st century, the MAC has won at least one state title in football every season except three: 2018, 2009 and 2002. Overall, football teams in the MAC have claimed 44 state titles since the establishment of the conference in 1972.
Across all sports, the MAC has won 127 state championships. Domination indeed.
Other famous alumni
In addition to the seven Redskins who have gone on to play football at Ohio State, Jeff Hartings played in the NFL and Wally Post played in MLB.
Why are Buckeyes prior to 1970 and some walk-on players not highlighted or included in the rankings? Ohio State's official rosters listed the hometown of players, but did not provide their high school on the roster before 1970. The official rosters released at the start of each season were used, due to this, some walk-on players may not be listed as they were not on the season opening official rosters.
