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. 78, Lake Catholic
Qualification
Five players from Lake Catholic have been listed on 12 Ohio State rosters. Defensive tackle Mark Sullivan was the first Cougar on an Ohio State roster. With the Buckeyes, the defensive linemen played in 24 games and returned one interception for a 13-yard touchdown. Sullivan suffered an injury his senior season at Lake Catholic that prevented him from getting an Ohio State scholarship offer. He walked-on and eventually earned the scholarship.
John Sullivan and Mike Sullivan were twins who played at Ohio State from 1985 through 1988. John Sullivan started the Citrus Bowl as a freshman and became a fan favorite because of his aggressiveness on special teams. John played linebacker and injured his knee against Minnesota during his junior season. He missed the the rest of that year and was questionable heading into his senior campaign.
Mike Sullivan played nose guard and led the Buckeyes with 141 tackles as a junior. At Lake Catholic he was a two-time All-Ohioan in football and won the state championship as a heavyweight wrestler.
Jim McNulty (1986) and Chase Hounshell (2016) were each on an Ohio State's roster for one season. McNulty was listed as a cornerback and Hounshell as a tight end. Hounshell started his career at Notre Dame and was a graduate transfer to the Buckeyes in '16. He did not see the field for Ohio State. At Lake Catholic, Hounshell was was named the Associated Press co-defensive player of the year for Division II in 2010.
Back To School
Lake Catholic is located in Lake County and is a member of the North Coast League. The team currently competes in Division III, Region 9. The Cougars' last playoff appearance was 2011. Lake Catholic hosted and defeated Benedictine, 47-21, in round one, but lost to Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, 14-31, the next week.
The football program has won three state titles with the latest in 2001. The Cougars won back-to-back championships in 1991 and 1992.
Notable
Girls' volleyball (2010) and wrestling (1989) have also won state titles. In all, Lake Catholic has five state championships.
Famous Alumni
Some famous names you may know: NFL players Joe Jurevicius, Ben Kelly and Ricky Stanzi.
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 |
2,755 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
170 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.
