Recruiting is said to be the lifeblood of college football. This series will countdown the top 100 high schools in Ohio that have provided the Buckeyes with football players. The rankings are based on how many times a player from each high school has been listed on Ohio State's roster between 1970 and 2018.
No. 89, Massillon Perry
Qualification
Four players from Massillon Perry have been listed on 11 Ohio State rosters. The Panthers had their first Buckeye in punter Joel Kessel. He was on the Buckeyes' roster for the 1991 and '92 seasons. Right behind Kessel was guard Ray Harris.
Harris, a 6-3, 320 pound offensive lineman played in one game during his junior season at Ohio State. During his senior season, Harris was the back up to Jamie Sumner. He was on the Buckeyes' roster from 1993-1995. At Massillon Perry, Harris earned All-Ohio and All-American honors. He also led the team to a 10–0 record and the school's first playoff appearance his senior season.
The most recognizable Ohio State player from Massillon Perry is Kirk Barton. The Buckeyes were 53–11 with Barton on the team, won 3 Big Ten titles and went 4–1 against Michigan. He was a captain for the 2007 team and earned All-American and All-Big Ten honors that season. Barton was selected by the Bears with in the 7th round of the 2008 NFL Draft. He also played for the Dolphins, 49ers, Bengals and Broncos during his pro career.
Running back Caleb Laps was the last Panther to make it on an Ohio State roster. Laps walked on to the team in the winter of 2014. He ran for a Massillon Perry single-game record 277 yards against Austintown Fitch in 2009.
Back To School
Massillon Perry is located in Stark County and is a member of the Federal League. The team currently competes in Division I, Region 1. The Panthers went 8–2 last year and made the playoffs in 2017. They lost to host St. Ignatius, 7-24, in the first round. The program made it to the Division II State Championship game in 2016, but fell to La Salle 7-14 in Ohio Stadium.
Notable
Massillon Perry has three state championships. The softball team has won twice (2018, 2010) and the wrestling team took the dual team title in 2014.
Off of the field, Massillon Perry's Forensic's team has won the Ohio Speech and Debate Association State Title five times (2004, 2005, 2007, 2008 and 2018).
Famous Alumni
Some names you may know: Iowa State head coach Matt Campbell, wrestling champions Steve Luke and Dustin Schlatter and golfer Tyler Light.
Explanation of the Rankings
School "A" had 14 players appear 16 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" had 11 players appear 20 times on Ohio State's roster. School "B" will have the higher ranking. Why? Even though school "B" has less players, those players played for more years.
If two or more schools have the same number of appearances, the tie will be broken by the school with the highest average of roster appearances per player. If there is a tie in the average, the tie breaker will be the school with the most prominent Ohio State player.
| 100 | 99 | 98 | 97 | 96 | 95 | 94 | 93 | 92 | 91 |
| 90 | 89 | 88 | 87 | 86 | 85 | 84 | 83 | 82 | 81 |
| 80 | 79 | 78 | 77 | 76 | 75 | 74 | 73 | 72 | 71 |
| 70 | 69 | 68 | 67 | 66 | 65 | 64 | 63 | 62 | 61 |
| 60 | 59 | 58 | 57 | 56 | 55 | 54 | 53 | 52 | 51 |
| 50 | 49 | 48 | 47 | 46 | 45 | 44 | 43 | 42 | 41 |
| 40 | 39 | 38 | 37 | 36 | 35 | 34 | 33 | 32 | 31 |
| 30 | 29 | 28 | 27 | 26 | 25 | 24 | 23 | 22 | 21 |
| 20 | 19 | 18 | 17 | 16 | 15 | 14 | 13 | 12 | 11 |
| 10 | 9 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 1 |
2,746 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
179 days until The Game.
Are you a former player, graduate, live near or have something to add about today's featured high school? Please share your story with us in the comments. What makes the 11W community unique is the amount of great information everybody is willing to share.
