It's Ohio's state championship weekend in my backyard here in Columbus. Ohio Stadium (aka the Horseshoe, Ohio State's field) will be host to seven state championship games from Thursday through Saturday. Here are the games I'll be watching and the games that matter for you guys:
Thursday night, 7:30 PM: Cincinnati La Salle and Jarell White are coming to the Horseshoe. White is a four-star running back/safety/linebacker who's been flirting with Pitt for months, but still hasn't been offered. He's one of the state's most productive runners and he'll be looking to three-peat on Division II state championships, an incredible feat, when his Lancers play Massillon Perry. Pitt is looking more likely to take a second running back in this 2017 class and if they do decide to go that route and are unable to secure Lakeland (Fla.)'s Rivals250 RB Anthony Davis, White would be a hell of a consolation prize. I've seen White play two high school games (this will be the third) and I've seen him at two camps, but this will be my first time watching him as a senior.
Friday afternoon, 3 PM: The Steubenville Big Red and Pitt tight end commit Charles Reeves are looking for revenge after falling in this game last year. Reeves and his teammates have the chance to defeat the same Columbus Bishop Hartley team that beat them in the state title game last year to win Division IV's ring. Reeves has recorded at least 50 yards or a touchdown in five straight weeks (which is every week since I've been tracking his stats following his commitment). This will be my third time seeing Reeves this year and he's always impressive on both sides of the football. If anyone lives in the Steubenville area, I'm doing a couple local radio hits pre-game.
Friday night, 8 PM: I haven't decided for sure if I'll be staying for this game or not, but the largest division in Ohio is almost always worth watching. Cincinnati St. Xavier and Cleveland St. Ignatius, two of the state's most dominant private schools, will be going at it for a state championship on Friday night. St. X is led by Penn State commit Sean Clifford at quarterback, but both teams always have Division I talent. Iggy has been down in that regard, but this could be a fun one.
Saturday afternoon, 3 PM: While Reeves will be looking to capture his first state championship ring, his future teammate and standout Akron Archbishop Hoban running back Todd Sibley will be looking to repeat as a senior. Sibley has been on the warpath as of late, going for exactly 187 yards and 2 TDs each of the last two weeks (what are the odds of that?), and moving into the top five career rushers in Ohio high school history. Sibley, Kentucky QB commit Danny Clark, 2018 ATH Nate Bauer, and the rest of Hoban will be ready to go. They'll run into an impressive, up-star Trotwood-Madison team that's been on fire in the playoffs. Trotwood is led by first-team all-state junior Raveion Hargrove, a three-star running back who probably fits into a slot-back role in college. They just destroyed a very talented Toledo Central Catholic team 36-0 in the semi-finals and have put up five touchdowns or more in all but one game since the month of September started. Hoban's first-team defense hasn't let up a second-half TD all season, so something will have to give here. This will be my second time seeing Sibley this season and what feels like the 100th time overall haha. He's a great, great kid and he's been a joy to cover for three years now.
Thursday night, 7:30 PM: Cincinnati La Salle and Jarell White are coming to the Horseshoe. White is a four-star running back/safety/linebacker who's been flirting with Pitt for months, but still hasn't been offered. He's one of the state's most productive runners and he'll be looking to three-peat on Division II state championships, an incredible feat, when his Lancers play Massillon Perry. Pitt is looking more likely to take a second running back in this 2017 class and if they do decide to go that route and are unable to secure Lakeland (Fla.)'s Rivals250 RB Anthony Davis, White would be a hell of a consolation prize. I've seen White play two high school games (this will be the third) and I've seen him at two camps, but this will be my first time watching him as a senior.
Friday afternoon, 3 PM: The Steubenville Big Red and Pitt tight end commit Charles Reeves are looking for revenge after falling in this game last year. Reeves and his teammates have the chance to defeat the same Columbus Bishop Hartley team that beat them in the state title game last year to win Division IV's ring. Reeves has recorded at least 50 yards or a touchdown in five straight weeks (which is every week since I've been tracking his stats following his commitment). This will be my third time seeing Reeves this year and he's always impressive on both sides of the football. If anyone lives in the Steubenville area, I'm doing a couple local radio hits pre-game.
Friday night, 8 PM: I haven't decided for sure if I'll be staying for this game or not, but the largest division in Ohio is almost always worth watching. Cincinnati St. Xavier and Cleveland St. Ignatius, two of the state's most dominant private schools, will be going at it for a state championship on Friday night. St. X is led by Penn State commit Sean Clifford at quarterback, but both teams always have Division I talent. Iggy has been down in that regard, but this could be a fun one.
Saturday afternoon, 3 PM: While Reeves will be looking to capture his first state championship ring, his future teammate and standout Akron Archbishop Hoban running back Todd Sibley will be looking to repeat as a senior. Sibley has been on the warpath as of late, going for exactly 187 yards and 2 TDs each of the last two weeks (what are the odds of that?), and moving into the top five career rushers in Ohio high school history. Sibley, Kentucky QB commit Danny Clark, 2018 ATH Nate Bauer, and the rest of Hoban will be ready to go. They'll run into an impressive, up-star Trotwood-Madison team that's been on fire in the playoffs. Trotwood is led by first-team all-state junior Raveion Hargrove, a three-star running back who probably fits into a slot-back role in college. They just destroyed a very talented Toledo Central Catholic team 36-0 in the semi-finals and have put up five touchdowns or more in all but one game since the month of September started. Hoban's first-team defense hasn't let up a second-half TD all season, so something will have to give here. This will be my second time seeing Sibley this season and what feels like the 100th time overall haha. He's a great, great kid and he's been a joy to cover for three years now.
