As November marches on fewer and fewer Ohio State commits are still in-season, but those that are still playing are fighting for the highest glories possible at the high school level -- state championships.
Some moved on in their state’s playoffs, some gave valiant losing efforts. Here’s this week’s prep report:
Reid Carrico: It was a tough grind-it-out type of game for Carrico as he handled the bulk of Ironton’s rushing attack against Roger Bacon on Saturday. The borderline Rivals100 linebacker had 206 yards on 30 carries, which was about 6.9 yards per rush. Carrico also hit paydirt a couple of times, including a 78-yard rushing touchdown. Ironton is now slated to clash against Kirtland in the OHSAA Division V State Championship this weekend.
Jayden Ballard: Washington squeezed out a narrow victory over La Salle on Friday as the Tigers won 14-10. In this matchup, Ballard was not able to contribute too much on offense as he had just one catch for five yards on a trio of targets. His school has advanced to the Division II OHSAA State Championship game, where they will face off against the undefeated Archbishop Hoban Knights on Friday.
Jaylen Johnson: Unfortunately, in order for one future Buckeye to move on, another one had to see their season end a couple of days ago. Jaylen Johnson, who has been a tackling machine this year, and his Lancers teammates lost against Washington, ending their 2020 campaign with an 8-3 record. Johnson did have a sack in this game and led a defense that held the Tigers to just 14 points, but it wasn’t enough to advance further in the postseason.
Jakailin Johnson: De Smet Jesuit is on to Missouri’s final four in Class 6 after beating Howell 28-7. Johnson and the Spartans’ defense put on a show, holding the Vikings’ offense to a first half shutout while its own offense sputtered out of the gate. It took until midway through the third quarter for De Smet to score its second touchdown, going ahead 14-0, and from there they kept Howell at arm’s length.
CJ Hicks: While he gave all he could to will Archbishop Alter into a state championship game, untimely mistakes by Hicks and the Knights ultimately cost them against St. Francis DeSales in Ohio’s Final Four and they lost 23-13. Hicks hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass at the end of the first half to put Alter ahead, but it was canceled out by a holding penalty. He dominated the first half with five tackles and an extra point block, but fumbled a kick return to set up the Stallions’ final touchdown.
Dasan McCullough: For the third straight playoff game, Blue Valley North was able to secure a double-digit win in the playoffs. Dasan McCullough, the fourth-ranked outside linebacker on Rivals, made a play in the secondary with an interception in the second quarter. The Mustangs will now take on Olathe North in the Division VI KSHSAA Final Four on Friday.
Bennett Christian: Allatoona high school is rattling off wins at a blistering pace in Georgia right now, with Gosnell’s team off to an 8-0 start following a 44-9 beating of Lassiter. I was unable to find the tight end’s stats from the game, but Allatoona’s passing game was electric in the 35-point victory.
Sam Hart: Cherokee Trail continued their hot streak on Friday as they won their fourth straight game. The Cougars have improved their record to 4-2 following a dominating 34-0 victory over Overland this week. No stats from Hart were available following this matchup.
