Topic: Ohio High School Football: General News & Discussion

[Hts121]

Maybe Rotsky made a phone call

[E Rocc]

Maybe Rotsky made a phone call

LOL!   

A few years ago, Rotsky told the middle school coaches not to play a certain kid who he didn't like (personally).  The kid ended up going to Glenville.  He came back to Maple for his junior year.  You may have heard of him, his name is Shaq Washington.

[jam40jeff]

Kareem Hunt, the Jr. running back at Willoughby South, is the real deal. 

Yeah, I thought he was going to be something special when I watched him play last year (what an offense that was).  I just saw he put up video game numbers last night.

[Hts121]

... in the slop.  485 yards.  He had 300 in the 1st half.  Best Cle area RB since Robert Smith?  (I'm not counting Wells or Clarrett, because they played in Akron and Warren, respectively)

[jam40jeff]

Best Cle area RB since Robert Smith?

I'll have to wait and see what he does next year, but it looks like he very well may be.

[E Rocc]

We had a kid at Maple named Devonte Ransom who was seriously underrated because of Shaq Washington.  He had 210 yards one game....in seven carries.   If he ever decides he wants to sufficiently hit the books, he'll make a mark in college.  Last I heard he was at a junior college in Erie.

[Clevelander17]

FWIW, I played in the LEL in the mid to late 1990's and it was before the GCC teams merged.  IIRC, the teams were:

Heights
Shaker
Shaw
Mentor
Garfield Hts
Normandy
Valley Forge
Lakewood
Elyria

Elyria was new to the league and had just consolidated their two high schools which was supposed to result in a 'super team' my senoir year.  But we upset them on opening weekend.

I don't think this is right.  I'm fairly certain that Elyria didn't join the LEL until 1997.  They played in a league with Admiral King and other Lorain County schools (of various sizes) before that.  Heights and Elyria did however play a few times before the Panthers joined the LEL.

[Hts121]

Elyria joined in 1996, the year Elyria and Elyria West merged.  Trust me, I was on the field for their first game and probably still have the PD cover story from the day after.  Euclid did not join until after I had graduated.

[MyTwoSense]

I'm shocked the Heights Vs. Maple game isnt getting more play.  The CH family members are all smack talking and ready for a win.  Take me back to the 80s

[E Rocc]

I'm shocked the Heights Vs. Maple game isnt getting more play.  The CH family members are all smack talking and ready for a win.  Take me back to the 80s

I doubt they will get far in the playoffs, win or lose tonight.  Jeff Rotsky has several 9-1 seasons and one 10-0 at Maple, but he was 2-5 in the playoffs and never got past the second round.  You need a disciplined and well conditioned team at that level.

[MyTwoSense]

I'm shocked the Heights Vs. Maple game isnt getting more play.  The CH family members are all smack talking and ready for a win.  Take me back to the 80s

I doubt they will get far in the playoffs, win or lose tonight.  Jeff Rotsky has several 9-1 seasons and one 10-0 at Maple, but he was 2-5 in the playoffs and never got past the second round.  You need a disciplined and well conditioned team at that level.

I could care less.  Its just weird that two undefeated teams this late in the season are getting no love.  I guess when you aren't SI or SE, you get lost in the shuffle.

[Hts121]

MH will be CH's first playoff caliber challenge.  For better or worse, most of their games have essentially been over by halftime.  But I will say, fwiw, this is the best conditioned and disciplined team Heights has had that I have seen play.  Just like players, coaches improve as well over the years.  From watching practices and the games, Rotsky is on their a$$es non stop if someone doesn't cover their assignment.  Last week, in the midst of a shutout and just after scoring a TD, he chewed out one of the players.  That type of accountability has alway been missing at Heights.  They always had the athletes, as displayed through success in basketball and track, but they never had a great football "program" due to lack of discipline and accountability. 

[MyTwoSense]

MH will be CH's first playoff caliber challenge.  For better or worse, most of their games have essentially been over by halftime.  But I will say, fwiw, this is the best conditioned and disciplined team Heights has had that I have seen play.  Just like players, coaches improve as well over the years.  From watching practices and the games, Rotsky is on their a$$es non stop if someone doesn't cover their assignment.  Last week, in the midst of a shutout and just after scoring a TD, he chewed out one of the players.  That type of accountability has alway been missing at Heights.  They always had the athletes, as displayed through success in basketball and track, but they never had a great football "program" due to lack of discipline and accountability. 

From my cousins' mouths, Heights football program was always the step child to the track program.  Not the other way around as it is at most HS and Colleges/Universities.

[E Rocc]

I'm shocked the Heights Vs. Maple game isnt getting more play.  The CH family members are all smack talking and ready for a win.  Take me back to the 80s

I doubt they will get far in the playoffs, win or lose tonight.  Jeff Rotsky has several 9-1 seasons and one 10-0 at Maple, but he was 2-5 in the playoffs and never got past the second round.  You need a disciplined and well conditioned team at that level.

I could care less.  Its just weird that two undefeated teams this late in the season are getting no love.  I guess when you aren't SI or SE, you get lost in the shuffle.

It's one of the great ironies of area high school sports that St. Ed supplanted Maple Heights as the state's premier wrestling program, yet Maple Heights won a state championship in football before St. Ed did (albeit by 24 hours).

Oh, something to watch for: I would not be surprised to see Jeremy Graves, who will be joining Shaq Washington as a UC WR next year, take some snaps tonight.

[MyTwoSense]

I'm shocked the Heights Vs. Maple game isnt getting more play.  The CH family members are all smack talking and ready for a win.  Take me back to the 80s

I doubt they will get far in the playoffs, win or lose tonight.  Jeff Rotsky has several 9-1 seasons and one 10-0 at Maple, but he was 2-5 in the playoffs and never got past the second round.  You need a disciplined and well conditioned team at that level.

I could care less.  Its just weird that two undefeated teams this late in the season are getting no love.  I guess when you aren't SI or SE, you get lost in the shuffle.

It's one of the great ironies of area high school sports that St. Ed supplanted Maple Heights as the state's premier wrestling program, yet Maple Heights won a state championship in football before St. Ed did (albeit by 24 hours).

Supplanted?  Has SE been a wrestling power since the 1970s?

[E Rocc]

I'm shocked the Heights Vs. Maple game isnt getting more play.  The CH family members are all smack talking and ready for a win.  Take me back to the 80s

I doubt they will get far in the playoffs, win or lose tonight.  Jeff Rotsky has several 9-1 seasons and one 10-0 at Maple, but he was 2-5 in the playoffs and never got past the second round.  You need a disciplined and well conditioned team at that level.

I could care less.  Its just weird that two undefeated teams this late in the season are getting no love.  I guess when you aren't SI or SE, you get lost in the shuffle.

It's one of the great ironies of area high school sports that St. Ed supplanted Maple Heights as the state's premier wrestling program, yet Maple Heights won a state championship in football before St. Ed did (albeit by 24 hours).

Supplanted?  Has SE been a wrestling power since the 1970s?

Yep, and the main one.  They won their first state title in 1978 and have been first or second pretty much every year since.

[Hts121]

MH will be CH's first playoff caliber challenge.  For better or worse, most of their games have essentially been over by halftime.  But I will say, fwiw, this is the best conditioned and disciplined team Heights has had that I have seen play.  Just like players, coaches improve as well over the years.  From watching practices and the games, Rotsky is on their a$$es non stop if someone doesn't cover their assignment.  Last week, in the midst of a shutout and just after scoring a TD, he chewed out one of the players.  That type of accountability has alway been missing at Heights.  They always had the athletes, as displayed through success in basketball and track, but they never had a great football "program" due to lack of discipline and accountability. 

From my cousins' mouths, Heights football program was always the step child to the track program.  Not the other way around as it is at most HS and Colleges/Universities.

Football and track never really conflicted.  Sure, the track program was superior, but many of us played both.  It was the basketball program which always made football take a back seat.  The coach wouldn't let, or at least highly discouraged, his players playing football.  I've always said that Theo Dixon passed up on a great opportunity to be great at football in order to be a very good basketball player.  He played 4 football games his junior year and was getting letters from all the major programs.  But he ended up not playing his senior year and wound up at CSU on a basketball scholly.... and then Europe.... and then as a bailiff at the Cleveland Municipal Court.

[MyTwoSense]

MH will be CH's first playoff caliber challenge.  For better or worse, most of their games have essentially been over by halftime.  But I will say, fwiw, this is the best conditioned and disciplined team Heights has had that I have seen play.  Just like players, coaches improve as well over the years.  From watching practices and the games, Rotsky is on their a$$es non stop if someone doesn't cover their assignment.  Last week, in the midst of a shutout and just after scoring a TD, he chewed out one of the players.  That type of accountability has alway been missing at Heights.  They always had the athletes, as displayed through success in basketball and track, but they never had a great football "program" due to lack of discipline and accountability. 

From my cousins' mouths, Heights football program was always the step child to the track program.  Not the other way around as it is at most HS and Colleges/Universities.

Football and track never really conflicted.  Sure, the track program was superior, but many of us played both.  It was the basketball program which always made football take a back seat.  The coach wouldn't let, or at least highly discouraged, his players playing football.  I've always said that Theo Dixon passed up on a great opportunity to be great at football in order to be a very good basketball player.  He played 4 football games his junior year and was getting letters from all the major programs.  But he ended up not playing his senior year and wound up at CSU on a basketball scholly.... and then Europe.... and then as a bailiff at the Cleveland Municipal Court.

You're right.  Neither of my cousins played football, they had to run cross country.  I kind of thought it was weird that more than half of Heights basketball team was on the cross country team.  Wow, that crazy track coach had a lot of power.  Ironically, the Heights basketball coach with the track teams HJ & PV coach.

[E Rocc]

Football and track never really conflicted.  Sure, the track program was superior, but many of us played both.  It was the basketball program which always made football take a back seat.  The coach wouldn't let, or at least highly discouraged, his players playing football.  I've always said that Theo Dixon passed up on a great opportunity to be great at football in order to be a very good basketball player.  He played 4 football games his junior year and was getting letters from all the major programs.  But he ended up not playing his senior year and wound up at CSU on a basketball scholly.... and then Europe.... and then as a bailiff at the Cleveland Municipal Court.

There was a guy named Sam Ware who played JV football my sophomore year and averaged about 12 yards a carry, but preferred to be a good basketball player (a starter, but not a superstar or anything).  While most of the bigger wrestlers also played football, a few opted out to focus on wrestling.

[E Rocc]

Off yappi:

"#4 will start at QB tonight. That is a fact. Someone started a rumor."

I really think Maple has this. 

[Clevelander17]

Elyria joined in 1996, the year Elyria and Elyria West merged.  Trust me, I was on the field for their first game and probably still have the PD cover story from the day after.  Euclid did not join until after I had graduated.

Were you there in 1997?  Just curious.

Anyways, you're wrong on Elyria.  I think the confusion comes from the fact that Heights and Elyria played in 1996.

http://web.archive.org/web/20000301130212/http://www.sunnews.com/

Also, your list of 1996 LEL members is missing Warrensville Heights and Parma. 

[Clevelander17]

Heights beats Maple 20-12 to win the LEL crown and likely host a first round playoff game next week.  Way to go Tigers!

[Hts121]

It is going to be interesting to see who they are mathced up against.  Beating Maple Hts will give them a bunch of computer points and either Eds or Iggy is going to take on a loss.  Mentor lost, but I think their #1 seed is locked.

I listened to the game on KNR while watching Game 7 of the WS.  The defense settled in after Maple bashed them early.  Same thing happened in the Shaw and Euclid games.  But they stepped it up and kept Maple out of the end zone after their first two drives.  Field conditions probably favored Hts.  Their depth at RB offers them options regardless of what they play on and they can always run behind Dodson if all else fails.  Maple Heights not having a kicking game, even for extra points, is really not excusable.  The punting game is terrible as well.  It's such a shame given how good their other two units are.  It doesn't take that much effort to teach a halfway decent athlete to kick a PAT.

^^Ah, now I remember.  We played Elyria in fall of 1996 for the first time.  What threw me off is the big lead up to that game because (a) Elyria and Elyria West had just merged and (b) they were coming to "take over the LEL".  The PD had them in their preseason top 5, iirc.  I guess it was that they were "coming".... next year. 

[Clevelander17]

Looks like Heights will be hosting Boardman (from out Youngstown way).  I think that South will host the loser of the Holy War (the winner gets to play/host Solon).  Cleveland JFK will come calling on Mentor.

The big question about Heights' first-round matchup is whether they'll play the game at Hosford Stadium or move it to a turf field, most likely Bedford.

[jam40jeff]

Actually, CH will have to play St. Eds since St. Ignatius passed them up to take the 2nd spot (and will play Boardman).  Willoughby South will play Solon.

I'd really like to see CH fare well, but I just don't see that happening.

[E Rocc]

It is going to be interesting to see who they are mathced up against.  Beating Maple Hts will give them a bunch of computer points and either Eds or Iggy is going to take on a loss.  Mentor lost, but I think their #1 seed is locked.

I listened to the game on KNR while watching Game 7 of the WS.  The defense settled in after Maple bashed them early.  Same thing happened in the Shaw and Euclid games.  But they stepped it up and kept Maple out of the end zone after their first two drives.  Field conditions probably favored Hts.  Their depth at RB offers them options regardless of what they play on and they can always run behind Dodson if all else fails.  Maple Heights not having a kicking game, even for extra points, is really not excusable.  The punting game is terrible as well.  It's such a shame given how good their other two units are.  It doesn't take that much effort to teach a halfway decent athlete to kick a PAT.

^^Ah, now I remember.  We played Elyria in fall of 1996 for the first time.  What threw me off is the big lead up to that game because (a) Elyria and Elyria West had just merged and (b) they were coming to "take over the LEL".  The PD had them in their preseason top 5, iirc.  I guess it was that they were "coming".... next year. 

They've never had a kicking game, not even last year when they won every game or the year before when they made the state finals.  I've half-kiddingly told Todd they need to find an exchange student from some soccer-playing country.

The Eds - Heights game will be interesting.  Maple played Eds about the second year Rotsky was coach.  They hung with them the first half, got beat the second.   If he can even keep this close, I'd say he's gotten past the discipline issue.

Maple plays Shaw, who they expected to give them a good game the first time around but beat by 30 points.

[Clevelander17]

Actually, CH will have to play St. Eds since St. Ignatius passed them up to take the 2nd spot (and will play Boardman).  Willoughby South will play Solon.

I'd really like to see CH fare well, but I just don't see that happening.

Yeah when I wrote that the stat geeks on Yappi were saying that there was a 99% chance of Heights playing Boardman.  Obviously some things changed and Heights is going to have their hands full with a big, talented, well-coached St. Edward squad.  I knew that if they made the playoffs they were going to have a tough matchup regardless, so what the heck, they've got nothing to lose here, hopefully they can go out there and give the Eagles all they can handle!

[Hts121]

Its Region 1.  JFK is probably the only team that would be an easy matchup for anyone.  Imagine how tough the region would be if it wasn't a down year (relatively speaking) for Glenville

[E Rocc]

They say Ted Ginn isn't all that great of an in-game coach.  But it certainly seems like the year he misses some games for health reasons, Glenville has an off year.

I'd still rather have Chuck Kyle, Rick Finotti, or Todd Filtz while the game is underway.   But Ginn clearly makes a difference during the season as well as when kids are deciding when/if to play.

[Clevelander17]

Its Region 1.  JFK is probably the only team that would be an easy matchup for anyone.  Imagine how tough the region would be if it wasn't a down year (relatively speaking) for Glenville

True, but I would feel much better about Heights' chances if they were playing Boardman.  I mean heck, even my alma mater beat Boardman.

FYI, the Heights-Eds game will be on SportsTime Ohio on Saturday night at 7pm.

[shs96]

Glenville lost to Ignatius, Eds, and an out of state team.  They smoked JFK 40-0.  But for computer points purposes, they didn't make the playoffs.

They also didn't get to play a game because Rhodes had the majority of the team suspended the week they were supposed to play Glenville due to fighting the previous week.  The Senate also doesn't play each team in conference.  Had they played 6-4 John Marshall instead of 0-10 Collinwood, they would have made the playoffs.  JFK beat John Marshall 8-0. 

[jam40jeff]

Glenville lost to Ignatius, Eds, and an out of state team.  They smoked JFK 40-0.  But for computer points purposes, they didn't make the playoffs.

They also didn't get to play a game because Rhodes had the majority of the team suspended the week they were supposed to play Glenville due to fighting the previous week.  The Senate also doesn't play each team in conference.  Had they played 6-4 John Marshall instead of 0-10 Collinwood, they would have made the playoffs.  JFK beat John Marshall 8-0. 

The computer system isn't perfect, but I normally feel that allowing 8 teams in makes up for it.  The idea is that you may not end up with the truly 8 best teams, but the chance that a potential state qualifier (the #1 team in the region) doesn't end up at least in the top 8 in computer points is pretty slim.  This may be the closest I have seen to where a team you would say could have a realistic chance of winning the region didn't even make the playoffs, but after seeing Glenville play, I'm not so sure.  Although they were still a good team, they definitely weren't the same Glenville of the last 5-10 years and I think they would have been a long shot to come out of Region 1 this year.

[E Rocc]

Glenville lost to Ignatius, Eds, and an out of state team.  They smoked JFK 40-0.  But for computer points purposes, they didn't make the playoffs.

They also didn't get to play a game because Rhodes had the majority of the team suspended the week they were supposed to play Glenville due to fighting the previous week.  The Senate also doesn't play each team in conference.  Had they played 6-4 John Marshall instead of 0-10 Collinwood, they would have made the playoffs.  JFK beat John Marshall 8-0. 

Yeah, they got f-ed by the Senate getting that "no contest" instead of the forfeit win they deserved.  That hurt them a lot.  I was concerned that Maple might be in trouble, because they also played a nine game season.  Last year despite plowing through a weak schedule by ten points or more every game, it looked they might need every win to even make it.

Scheduling a powerhouse is always a crapshoot.  If you win you get big points, if you lose you get zilch.  I'm not sure how it could be done better though....

[shs96]

I don't really have a better solution - and I don't think the computer system is really all that bad.  I suppose I was just pointing out, given Ginn's health problems and who they lost to, they were still a top D1 R1 team.   But I agree, they likely weren't going to win the region - they traditionally don't play to their talent level anyway and they have fewer top recruits than usual.

[3231]

Ohio's playoff system is widely hailed as one of the best in the nation. I think that when they went from 4 to 8 teams per region that they did all they reasonably could do to make sure that all deserving teams made the playoffs.

Glenville was down this year.