In Kirk Herbstreit’s third installment of the Varsity Football Classic, the most intriguing game arguably comes from Central Ohio. Showcasing two differing styles of offense, the spread oriented Dublin Coffman Shamrocks face off against the Westerville South Wildcats, who will run it down your throat with RB Jayshon Jackson.

Coming off a loss at Groveport, the Wildcats are poised to down Coffman in Ohio Stadium, the same place where Hilliard Davidson squeaked out a one point win vs South just a year ago. The job at hand is a tough one though. South has lost their last two games dating back to last season which was against these same Rocks.

Running out of the spread, Coffman had a very balanced attack last week in a 24-10 victory against rival Olentangy Liberty. Bilal Williamson, the sophomore tailback for the Rocks was superb from the jump. Williamson broke through the Patriot defense early on in the first quarter en route to a 68 yard touchdown score. Williamson would total 163 yards on the day, to help Coffman rack up 390 yards of total offense. Cole Stoudt was effective in the pocket, completing 20 of 31 attempts for 217 yards. A 51 yard strike to Connor Lucas was Stoudt’s only touchdown of the night but was easily enough to defeat Liberty.

South on the otherhand, had trouble all night with the Groveport defense. Aside from the first quarter of play, where South would score ten points, the Wildcats couldn’t muster a point. Although Westerville outgained the Cruisers in total yards (301-282), it was Groveport who made the biggest plays. Even during a night where reigning district player of the year Jayshon Jackson ran for 136 yards, the game was ultimately in Groveport’s hands.

In order to beat Coffman on Sunday, South is going to have to take care of the ball. What cost the Wildcats the game last Saturday were two interceptions thrown by Marcus Ball which allowed the Cruisers to run the ball and control the clock. If Rocky Pentello’s team can get the ball to Jackson at least 25 times on Sunday, they have a chance to beat the top team in Central Ohio, according to Cap City Preps’ Power Rankings. If not, we could very well see South dropping to 0-2 for the second straight season in a row.

For Coffman, they need to keep doing what they do. For the past three seasons, opponents have had a very tough time stopping Stoudt and that seems like it’s very unlikely to stop any time in the near future. With the combination of Williamson thrown into the offense, Westerville is going to have  a very tough task on their hands. A week removed from giving up 231 yards on the ground, I expect Coach Crabtree and Coffman to get the ball to his sophomore star early and often. In order to give first year starter Ball managable situations, Jayshon Jackson is going to have to get 5-6 yards on every carry. If not, we could see Coffman pulling away from the Wildcats en route to a 2-0 start.

PREDICTION- Coffman over Westerville South 24-13

Jimmy Ros, the 6’1″ 285 lb defensive tackle from Franklin Heights decided on Wednesday to return to Columbus West, the school he had a stellar junior season with after the failure of the South-Western City School operating levy. After racking up 73 tackles, 30 for a loss and four sacks in 2009, it had been rumored to return to Franklin Heights all summer long, the school where he played his first two seasons with. Garnering Honorable Mention All-District in ’09 with West, the decision was made to return to the Cowboys when it became known that Franklin Heights coach Rodney Hopkins wouldn’t let him back on the team. Hopkins decision made Ros’ even easier to make.

After receiving an offer from Ohio State over the summer, Ros was very adamant when talking about what he needs to improve on to make it to the Division I level and excel. “First, I need to improve on my grades. I need at least an 18 or higher to go D1.” Outside the classroom, Ros reflected on what he excels at on the field. Ros, a very strong pass rusher, admitted that he needs to, “stay lower on the ball, and get out of blocks easier.” What was clear to see throughout the entire ’09 season was the way Ros was able to get to the quarterback, sometimes at ease. But for the defensive front to truly be effective, they must stop the run gain and Ros was key to West’s run defense last season. “I’m very good with my pursuit angles and good with my hands once I get off a block.”

Clearly, Ros has something going good for him at the moment. Already in a system that he has excelled in historically, the 2010 season should only continue his ascent to the top of recruiting boards. Ros, who plans on racking up 100 tackles this season, had bigger goals when asked about what he wants to accomplish this season, “I want to be first team All-City and All-State.” If he can stay on the field and increase his level of production from last season, there’s no reason why we won’t see Ros in scarlet and gray down the road.

Ros will begin his senior season on the road as West takes on Centennial, a team who currently has a 31 game losing streak. For more on Ros, contact him at http://www.scoutingohio.com/index.php/view-profile.html?task=userProfile&user=3673&name=jroc76

In City Leage action, the Northland Vikings upset Eastmoor in an interleague matchup between two of the best teams in Columbus. Kevin Tooson’s team was led all night by Myles Taylor-Hicks, the dual threat Northland quarterback who scored twice on Friday. The Vikings took an early first quarter lead as Taylor-Hicks hooked up with Trey Bias for a 25 yard strike. Eastmoor would tie the game in the second quarter as Ron Tanner, who is headed to Ohio State, and Jalen Crosby connected for a 45 yard score. Going into halftime tied, Northland took a six point lead in the third behind Jarell Jones’ 3 yard touchdown run. Jones would score again in the fourth but was shortsighted as Ron Tanner led the EA Warriors to consecutive touchdowns in the final quarter, the last coming with a little over a minute remaining. Going into overtime tied, the second City League matchup to do so on Friday, as Briggs and Whetstone also went into the extra period, Northland would come out on top 25-19. Jones scored once again for Northland and an interception on Eastmoor’s first possession of overtime guaranteed the Vikings the victory. For Northland, this is a promising start to what many think will be a successful season. Behind Taylor-Hicks, who was one of the top quarterbacks at the Next Level Football Combine held at Grove City Christian early this month, Northland looks to take the north by storm this season. Traditionally, Brookhaven and Beechcroft have been the major powers but after the Bearcats were downed by Marion-Franklin 27-2 on Friday, a power shift seems to be coming into effect. The Vikings visit Central Crossing on Friday and hope to continue their early season success.

Fresh off a Rose Bowl victory and arguably his best performance thus far in his career at Ohio State, Terrelle Pryor has fans around the Buckeye State confident in his performance. Initially coming out of Jeanette High School in Pennsylvania, Pryor looked as if he was the best QB commit the Buckeyes had received in recent memory. With the signing of Braxton Miller, who according to ESPN is the no.2 signal caller in the nation, it’s clear to see that Jim Tressel found his replacement to TP, or did he upgrade? For Pryor, his running ability is what set him apart from the rest of the quarterbacks in his class. But for Miller, his legs are only an add on to an already superb passing game. And what makes Miller a more intriguing prospect is the fact that he has been clocked various times in the 40 running 4.4′s. Scary. It has been expected since he came onto campus that Pryor would be gone after his junior season, and if this does happen, it will clearly open the window for Miller to come in and take the job, with Kenny Guiton being the only reasonable competition for the spot. The thing Miller has over Pryor in this situation, is that Miller is well advanced for his age when it comes to the passing game. This is what ESPN Scouts had to say about Miller.

“ He has a big arm and can make every single throw. This offense provides him opportunities to stretch the field both outside of the numbers and between the hashes. Shows good velocity on his deeper throws. Can fit the ball into a lot of tight spots. He does a very nice job surveying the field and goes through his progressions.”

“Shows ability to change velocities and throw catchable balls underneath. He also shows good accuracy and touch in the short-to-intermediate passing game. Release mechanics are compact, but can be about 3/4. He is in the shotgun most of the time and needs more reps from under center to develop as a drop-back passer reading on the move. Possesses good lateral movement and shows the ability to slip pressure and create second-chance opportunities. He has very good speed for the position. He is elusive and quick for his size and displays some start and stop ability.”

For all of Buckeye nation, this scouting report is very promising. Not since the days of Troy Smith have the Buckeye had a consistent passing game. But with Miller, it seems that the Ohio State offense will be able to expand the spread offense, as this is what he has ran in all three years at Huber Heights Wayne. Dangerous once he is in open field, it’s very clear that the Buckeyes won’t lose anything in the ground game from their quarterbacks once Pryor is gone.

What will hurt Miller once he is on campus is the expectations that will be waiting for him. In two very solid seasons under center, Pryor has been criticized heavily, despite winning 18 of 21 games as a starter, including wins over Oregon in the Rose Bowl, at Penn State and home against Iowa, the defending Orange Bowl champions. Compiling 3405 yards and 30 TD’s through the air, the job Pryor has done thus far in his career is quite astounding. Considering the pressure that was thrust upon him upon arrival, there isn’t much to knock on Pryor. Going into the last three games of ’09, the inability to win “the big one” is what hurt Pryor the most. But after defeating the aforementioned Penn State and Iowa, and winning on the road against Michigan, the Rose Bowl victory only put those notions to rest. When Miller comes into the starting role, I expect his expectations to be much higher, as only two days after he committed to Ohio State, most analysts and fans are concluding that he will be better than Pryor. For now, I see him as a mere replacement to Pryor, but not yet an upgrade. For that to happen, Miller must improve the passing offense his freshman year, along with equaling the things Pryor has done on the ground. Either way, the quarterback position for the Buckeyes has been solidified for the next five years.

FINAL SCORES:Hilliard Davidson 62, Thomas Worthington 0

Hilliard Darby 49, Hilliard Bradley 7

New Albany 37, Watkins Memorial 10

Olentangy 21, Marysville 7

Pickerington Central 7, Pickerington North 6

Westerville Central 27, Westerville North 7

East Knox 33, Centerburg 7

Reynoldsburg 47, Newark 0

Big Walnut 31, Olentangy Orange 15

Jonathan Alder 20, London 12

Westerville South 34, Dublin Scioto 9

Dublin Jerome 23, Olentangy Liberty 13

Delaware 35, Mount Vernon 16

Dublin Coffman 51, Groveport 7

Northland 28, East 0

Walnut Ridge 21, Marion-Franklin 14

Upper Arlington 22, Worthington Kilbourne 21

FINAL SCORES:

Hilliard Davidson 38, Delaware Hayes 7

New Albany 47, Hilliard Bradley 14

Olentangy Orange 35, Mount Vernon 0

Big Walnut 27, Watkins Memorial 7

Thomas Worthington 17, Upper Arlington 9

Worthington Kilbourne 34, Hilliard Darby 20

Olentangy Liberty 17, Marysville 6

Dublin Scioto 14, Olentangy 12

London 55, Greenfield McClain 28

Brookhaven 14, Northland 6

Dublin Coffman 37, Reynoldsburg 0

Westerville South 28, Westerville Central 7

Dublin Jerome 49, Westerville North 7

UPSET OF THE NIGHT: Lancaster 17, Pickerington Central 14

East 22, Mifflin 12

Groveport 14, Pickerington North 10

Eastmoor 48, West 25

Recently, a HS athlete from Hamilton, Ohio was put on trial for felonious assault. Dwayne “Deejay” Hunter, a 19-year old track and football star at Middletown HS, shot a 15-year-old kid twice with a BB gun in the face from a car; with one of those BBs hit the victim in the eyelid. “You’re 19 years old. And you are standing right here, six inches away from a prison number and the potential to go away to prison for eight years — that’s two presidential terms. You are right there,” Judge Andrew Nasloff said to the people huddled inside the Hamilton courthouse.

But his ruling wasn’t finished. Even though he stayed out of jail, the star athlete will not get to play team sports for 5 years, as terms of his probation. Also included in the fine is a $500 fine; 500 hours of community service, and 180 days in Butler Country Jail. “We’re going to see who Dwayne Hunter the person is, not who Dwayne Hunter the star athlete is,” Nasloff said.

Hunter was number 26 on the football team last season for the Middies, and also ran a 10.2 100-yard dash, but could not participate in states because he violated the terms of his bond. “Find out who you really are without this whole aura of the athletics around you, because quite frankly in some ways it’s made you a Frankenstein monster. It’s made you think you’re owed certain things,” Nastoff said. The emotions inside of Hunter’s family were mixed. “I’m kind of happy and sad at the same time,” Hunter’s aunt said. “It’s kind of strict, but the judge had to do what he had to do.”

FINALS:

Mount Vernon 41, Mansfield Madison 12

Olentangy 17, Big Walnut 0

Bishop Watterson 16, Reynoldsburg 14

Worthington Kilbourne 9, Dublin Scioto 7 (Battle For Hard Road)

DeSales 13, New Albany 6

Logan 49, Hamilton Township 7

Dublin Coffman 33, Brookhaven 0

Bellefontaine 21, Marysville 19

Olentangy Liberty 31, Delaware 0

Thomas Worthington 32, Hilliard Bradley 0

Watkins Memorial 54, Medway (CAN) 20

Westerville South 17, Clayton Northmont 7

London 39, Springfield Northeastern 34

Olentangy Orange 24, Clear Fork 21

Findlay 24, Upper Arlington 7

Pickerington Central 28, Westerville North 0

Westerville Central 17, Canal Winchester 13

St. Charles 15, Beechcroft 13

Pickerington North 43, Mifflin 0

Lancaster 48, Independence 33

Groveport 35, Dublin Jerome 20

Marion Franklin 34, Northland 14

Hilliard Darby 33, Newark 0

Eastmoor Academy 54, Harvest Prep 0

5. Rico Butler-Hilliard Davidson- Bursting onto the scene for the Wildcats as a sophomore in 2008, Butler a native of south Columbus, rushed for over 600 yards and seven touchdowns last season in route to becoming one of the fastest players in the area. Showcasing a 40 time that has been clocked numerous times around 4.3, Buter is a prize prospect who at the ripe old age of 16, will only continue to get better and add to his 5’9″ frame. As the big back is fading in college football, we could see Butler going to a MAC school if not a small BCS school. Dueling against one of the top backs last week in the Herbstreit Classic, Butler gained 70 yards on the ground along with two long kick returns that nearly broke open the game. Butler is evolving into one of the best backs in Ohio, and the production this year will show. With Davidson, blowouts are common, so don’t put him down if his yards aren’t as high as the others, he gets the job done when it matters. If Rico can stay healthy and continue to produce, his name will move up on this list.

4. Carl Washington-Eastmoor Academy- Showing a rare combination of size and speed, Washington will be key in Eastmoor’s rise back to the top of Division II football. Going down with a broken leg last season, Washington unfortunately put an end to a spectacular four games of the ’08 season. With over 600 yards and eight touchdowns in only four contests, Washington set forth the precedent for the Warriors season. Although missing the rest of the season besides the state title loss to Aurora, Touche Hopkins stepped in just fine. This season, it’s Carl’s time to shine as Eastmoor returns West Virginia recruit Ronald Turner at quarterback and looks to wreak havoc in the Columbus City League yet again. Look for a solid 1,200 yard season out of #2 as the Warriors are the top team inside I-270 for the second year in a row.

3. Speedy Hammond- Pickerington Central- In an epic battle against the Orange Lutheran Lancers, Hammond came up big shaking off tackles and getting into the end zone. Rushing for 88 yards and two touchdowns, Hammond was arguably the key player in the Tigers’ win as the senior was the toughest player to bring down in a game involving a Lutheran team that had players at college size. Accumulating around 800 yards last season, Hammond is a key component to an explosive offense ran by the Tigers. Looking to rock the OCC, Pick Central is a sure bet as long as Hammond is getting multiple carries a game. To put him here is a gamble, but after the performance on Sunday, Hammond bills up to his nickname as he ran around the Orange Lutheran defense all day and should only improve throughout the season.

2. Shaun Jones-Dublin Coffman- Jones, who is the 211th ranked running back in all of America according to ESPN, showed his prime time talent in a rout of Olentangy Liberty. Scoring four touchdowns, Jones showed the ability to run between the tackles, make defenders miss in space, and catch passes out of the backfield. Gaining over 1,000 yards last season behind a stellar Rocks line, Jones should up his production this season. With an improved squad led by D-I prospect Cole Stoudt, Jones will be the balance that this offense needs. Bigger than most of the running backs on this list, Jones is likely to continue to rise in the prospect rankings and put Coffman on the map with a state title this season.

1. Jayshon “P-Nut” Jackson-Westerville South-A victim of the failed SWCS levy, Jackson, a former Central Crossing Comet, has been an elite runner all three years of his high school career, but this season with the Wildcats, he will only improve his stock and give him D-I looks from all across the country. Only standing at 5’9″, “P-Nut” doesn’t let his size affect him, as he gained 1,000 yards and eight touchdowns last season behind a seemingly mediocre Comet offensive line. Now, in the spread oriented Westerville South offense, Jackson will only continue to improve on the start of the season he had last week in Ohio Stadium. Becoming only the third running back to rush for over 100 yards against Hilliard Davidson in the past four years, Jackson made defenders miss all day along with showing his deceptive power. Grounding up 105 yards and two touchdowns, Jackson showed his combo of speed and game breaking ability, easing Tevin Favor into the quarterback job along with causing the Davidson defenders to see medical attention for ankle injuries. Running similar to Oregon State’s Jacquizz Rodgers, who was the Pac-10′s Offensive Player of the Year as a true freshman, Jackson will undoubtedly receive much attention this season from schools around the area. Jayshon was the unanimous Player of the Game after conducting scoring drives when touching the ball more than five times each possession. Playing behind a talented Warrior offensive line, I see a 1,500 yard season in the near future from “P-Nut” as even the haters continue to build, nothing can break his 179 pound shell, as Jackson is unquestionably the best running back in Central Ohio if not the entire state.

Led by the rushing assault of Jayshon Jackson, the Westerville South Wildcats gambled but came up miserably short in a 21-20 loss against Hilliard Davidson in part of Kirk Herbstreit’s Varsity Football Series. Jackson, a transfer from Central Crossing, had a coming out party in Saturday’s contest. Having not been mentioned during the pregame, Jackson outperformed his former middle school teammate in Davidson’s Rico Butler, rushing for over 100 yards and two touchdowns. Jackson scored first on a 10 yard run where he nearly broke the ankles of two Davidson defenders. Using his size and strength, Jackson was essential to a passing offense that struggled for the most part.

 With former receiver Tevin Favor operating under center, the Wildcats stormed back from a 21-14 deficit with less than five minutes remaining. With 11 seconds left on the clock, Favor delivered a pass into the back of the end zone where Ball State commit Jack Tomlinson leaped over the Davidson defender to cut the game to one. Forced with a tough decision of either kicking the extra point to take the game into overtime or go for two, South head coach Rocky Pentello decided to pick the latter. On a play that had worked several times during the game, Favor faked a run to Jackson who looked to have a gaping hole if the ball would have been handed to him, then threw a quick pass across the middle to Tomlinson. Jumping the route, Jake Trupiano got his right arm into Tomlinson’s body to disrupt the pass and give Davidson the win.

 On a play that should have been called for pass interference, Davidson left the Shoe with a stolen win. On the opening kickoff, Tomlinson was credited with a fumble when he was clearly down, which resulted in a Davidson touchdown. With Watterson next on the schedule, this Westerville South bunch is one of the best in the OCC and should prove that statement with each game.

 As Favor is the favorite to land the starting job, this spread offense should flourish this season. Running read plays the entire game, Jackson weaved and ran circles are around the Davidson defense compiling nearly 200 yards of total offense. With Cincinnati, West Virginia and Ball State among his interests, Jackson looks to be one of the best backs in the city, as even a stout Davidson defense could hardly contain him. Only time will tell how far this team can go but with the performance today, the only thing the South players should do is hold their heads up high. With the officiating against them, the Wildcats proved to have the resiliency and tenacity I was expecting out of them in the pregame. Look for another possible matchup in the playoffs later this season, as both teams are very talented and the results were shown on the field today.