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. 76, Grove City
Qualification
Four players from Grove City have been listed on 12 Ohio State rosters. Lou Willard was the first Greyhound to be listed on an Ohio State roster. The running back was on the team for the 1992 and 1993 seasons.
Four years later, Derek Combs (1997-2000) became the second player from Grove City to find a spot on the Buckeyes. Before his senior season, coach Tim Spencer called Combs, "...one of the quickest guys I've ever seen in my life." That speed did not translate to much playing time for Combs during his first three years in Columbus. He had his carries almost double during his last year with the Buckeyes. During his senior campaign, Combs carried the ball 175 times for 888 yards and 5 touchdowns. He finished his Ohio State career with 274 carries for 1,231 yards and 9 scores.
Combs was named earned Ohio's Mr. Football Award and was named USA Today's Ohio Player of the Year and the Associated Press Division I Offensive Player of the Year in 1996. During his senior season, Combs had 214 carries for 2,149 yards (9.5 ypc) and 24 touchdowns.
The Raiders selected Combs in the 7th round of the 2001 NFL Draft.
Long snapper Garrett Chappelear (2009) and wide receiver Dan Potokar (2005-09) were the last players from Grove City to make an Ohio State roster.
Back To School
Grove City is located in Franklin County and is a member of the Ohio Capital Conference (OCC). The team currently competes in Division I, Region 3. Recently, the Greyhounds have hit some rough times. The team has had only one victory in the last three seasons. 0-10 last year, 1-10 in 2017 and 0-10 in 2016.
The program's last winning season was 2013 when the team went 6-4. 2008 was the last time Grove City made the playoffs. The Greyhounds traveled to Hilliard Davidson and lost 38-7.
Notable
The Grove City Marching Band has played in The Pasadena Tournament of Roses Parade (2017, 2000, 1990), Phoenix Fiesta Bowl Parade (2012, 2008) and the London New Year's Day Parade (2005) .
The high school was built in 1970 and currently has 69 teachers and 69 classified staff members.
Famous Alumni
Some famous names you may know: NFL player Gary Burley, tennis player Ann Grossman, author Craig McDonald, MLB pitcher Mike Mayers, soccer player Ben Swanson and politician and Jeopardy! contestant Richard Cordray.
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 |
2,757 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
168 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.
