Four Ohio State commits are onto the Ohio High School Final Four after playoff victories Friday, with a collection of great performances against the state’s top competition.
Here’s our report of how they performed this week:
Jayden Ballard: Probably one of the most under-the-radar prospects in the country, Ballard had a massive game in Massillon Washington’s playoff victory on Friday. He hauled in 7 catches for 150 yards and three touchdown receptions, including a 72-yard TD catch. Washington now will play in the State Semifinals against future teammate Jaylen Johnson and the La Salle Lancers.
Jaylen Johnson: As mentioned above, La Salle is heading to the State Semifinals to take on Washington this upcoming week. Johnson led the Lancers’ defense in their 35-10 win over Winton Woods in the Regional Final.
Reid Carrico: Ironton stayed undefeated and clawed its way to a regional title with a 17-7 victory over Ridgewood. Carrico, a consistent 150-yard+ rusher for the Fighting Tigers, was called upon to block after Ironton rolled out a Maryland I against a stiff rushing defense and the move paid dividends. A stagnant 7-7 game was opened by 148 team rushing yards, giving Carrico’s squad the victory. The four star linebacker finished with 66 rushing yards and his team’s two scores.
CJ Hicks: Archbishop Alter is now a regional champion, and yet another future Buckeye is heading to Ohio’s final four for his division after a 35-21 win for the Knights over Ross. Following injuries at the running back position, Hicks was asked to take a far heavier workload on offense, and he didn’t disappoint. He scored a key third-quarter touchdown on a 56-yard run, stiff-arming a defender to the ground after taking a toss.
Marvin Harrison Jr.: The son of NFL legend Marvin Harrison is continuing to show why he should be due for a rankings bump in our next update. On Saturday, Harrison Jr. hauled in three total touchdown catches against Roman Catholic.
Kyle McCord: Another game, another multi-touchdown day for borderline five-star quarterback Kyle McCord. Along with the trio of TD passes to Harrison Jr. (one of those was for 37 yards), McCord added a six-yard TD toss in the second quarter. St. Joe’s maintained their perfect record (4-0) with a 42-0 victory.
Sam Hart: Make that three straight victories for Cherokee Trail High School after beginning the fall with back-to-back losses. We could not find stats for Hart, but the Cougars squeaked out a narrow victory by a score of 28-23.
Bennett Christian: Allatoona is now 7-0 after a 30-15 regional win over Kell this week. Christian’s full stats were not available, but he did have a key third down conversion near the end of the fourth quarter.
Dasan McCullough: Blue Valley North secured their second playoff victory on Friday with a 33-21 win over Olathe East. McCullough’s stats also weren’t available, but it was reported that he has 50 total tackles and a pair of interceptions in his seven games this season.
Donovan Jackson: Jackson’s Episcopal squad closed its regular season at 2-4 after a 27-14 loss to undefeated Kinkaid.
Jordan Hancock: The four star cornerback led North Gwinnett’s defense to a shutout win against Peachtree Ridge, securing a 7-3 record for the Bulldogs on the season. The Lions found no traction on offense, consistently ending their drives with punts.
Jakailin Johnson: Johnson is yet another future Buckeye moving on in his state’s football playoffs, with De Smet knocking off Christian Brothers in Missouri. The four star cornerback not only played his part stifling Christian Brothers on defense, he also hauled in a key 68-yard touchdown reception, with 50 of those yards coming after the catch.
Andre Turrentine: A rough season of injuries and team falterings came to a close for Turrentine Friday, with Ensworth finishing 2-7 after a loss to now 5-4 Knoxville Catholic. The Fighting Irish cruised away from the Tigers 43-20.
