JACKSON, Ohio -- Ohio State linebacker commit Reid Carrico and his Ironton (Ohio) team are still alive in the OHSAA state playoffs. The junior star does a little bit of everything, from linebacker, to running back, to kick returner, and he found the end zone through the air in his team's 31-7 win over Amanda-Clearcreek on Saturday night.

The Tigers will play in the Region 19 championship game this weekend against undefeated Ridgewood. Carrico is enjoying every minute of this playoff run. Like most big-time athletes, Carrico played with and against kids a year older than him growing up, which means he has a special bond with this group of seniors at Ironton.

"It feels great," said Carrico after the game. "A lot of my best friends in the world are some of the seniors on this team. I'm doing the most I can right now because I've been playing with some of these guys my whole life. I'm just giving my all for them, that's what it's all about."

The Ironton/Amanda-Clearcreek game was a bit of a look back in time. A packed house with seemingly everyone from the two small towns out to show support. In a landscape where crowds are shrinking, even at the big school levels, Carrico is part of a real throwback type of program.

"It can certainly play to your advantage if you have the support from your town, which we always do," he said. "It doesn't matter if we're playing here or in Canada, they're going to show up. It means the world to us, really."

As Carrico and Ironton continue to survive and advance, so do the Buckeyes. Watching Ohio State put itself right in the middle of the national championship discussion has been cool for the Rivals250 product and it just all means a little bit more to him being from Ohio and growing up a fan of the Buckeyes.

"It has been great watching them," Carrico explained. "I'm one-hundred percent (committed) and I'll be signing there. I just feel like I'm a part of it just being from the state of Ohio makes it even better. I just have a lot of family and friends that are diehard Buckeye fans and I grew up one too so it's just a big deal to be a part of that program."

One thing that has caught Carrico's eye is the way that first-year linebackers coach Al Washington has his group playing. The Buckeye linebackers are much improved from a year ago.

"Energy, mostly," Carrico said of what he sees from Washington. "I didn't really get to see them when the previous coach was there (Bill Davis), I never was on a visit with him, but from what I've heard it's just a big step up in energy. He's just constantly giving those guys positive energy. He's pushing them along, giving them a swift kick in the rear to keep them going."