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. 83, Berea
Qualification
Three players from Berea have been listed on 11 Ohio State rosters. Judd Groza was the first Brave to make an Ohio State roster. Heading into his senior season (1984), he was known as the "hard luck" member of the team because of his various injuries and illnesses. During his time on the team, Groza had a spinal disc problem and knee surgery. The tight end is the the son of the famous Lou Groza. Judd finished his Buckeye career with 2 receptions for 20 yards.
Jim Carroll (1984-85) was on the team during one season with Groza. Carroll was listed as a tight end, but was also the back-up punter to Tom Tupa.
Alex Stepanovich (2000-03) is the most decorated player from Berea. When he arrived in Columbus, he was listed as a guard, played center his junior season and finished his career back at guard. Stepanvoich was the starting center for the 2002 national championship team. He was a 4-year varsity player for Ohio State and was earned All-Big Ten honors in 2003. Stepanovich was selected by the Arizona Cardinals in the fourth round of the 2004 NFL Draft.
Back To School
Berea is located in Cuyahoga County and is a member of the Southwestern Conference. The team currently competes in Division I, Region 1. The last time the Titans made the playoffs was 2014. They hosted GlenOak, but lost 14-28 in the first round.
At the start of the 2013-14 school year, Berea High School and Midpark High School consolidated to become Berea-Midpark. Before 2013, the students who attended Berea were known as Braves. Today, the school's colors are blue and orange with the team name being Titans. Midpark alum, Blair Conway, was the starting kicker for the Buckeyes in 1973.
Notable
The school has one state championship. The gymnastics team took the title in 1983.
Famous Alumni
Former Ohio State coach, Jim Tressel, graduated from Berea in 1971, former Illinois head coach Tim Beckman, International Tennis Hall of Fame television commentator Bud Collins, NFL player Chris Scott and NASA astronaut Charles Bassett.
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 |
2,751 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
174 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.
