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. 67, Mentor
Qualification
Four players from Mentor have been listed on 13 Ohio State rosters. Richard Galbos was the first and most decorated Cardinal to play in Columbus. The running back carried the ball 197 times for 859 yards and four touchdowns for the Buckeyes. Galbos led the team in rushing with 540 yards in 1971 and because of those efforts, he was named a captain of the '72 team.
At Mentor, Galbos played quarterback and was known as being an outstanding swimmer and pole vaulter.
Joel Payton continued the Mentor pipeline of running backs to Columbus. Payton carried the ball 111 times for 420 yards and 14 touchdowns between 1977 and 1978. During his freshman season (1977) he led the Big Ten in scoring, despite not being a starter and missing one conference game. At 6-1, 221 pounds, he was considered the hardest hitting running back on the team. Earned All-Ohio honors at Mentor and scored 69 touchdowns during his high school career.
The last players from Mentor were Larry Chesbrough, a guard listed on the 1983 roster, and tight end Jason Caldwell (2000-04). Caldwell was a blocking tight end and did not have a reception during his five years in Columbus. At Mentor, he had 20 receptions for 210 and five touchdowns as a senior. Caldwell excelled at track as he won the state title in the shot put and discus.
Back To School
Mentor is located in Lake County and is a member of the Greater Cleveland Conference. The team currently competes in Division I, Region 1. The Cardinals went 9-1 in the 2018 regular season and won two playoff games. The season ended with 24-14 loss to St. Edward in the regional final. Since 2010, Mentor has made the playoffs eight times. In 2017, the Cardinals lost to Pickerington Central in the state title game.
Notable
Mentor has 4 state titles, one each in boys' basketball (2013), boys' soccer (1994), boys' cross country (1985) and boys track and field (1933). The Science Olympiad team won the Ohio State Tournament in 2017.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Mitchell Trubisky, Tom Barndt, Dan Ryczek, Paul Ryczek and Bob Hallen, MLS players Dustin Kirby and Sinisa Ubiparipovic, author Michael Salinger and photographer Johnny Joo.
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 |
2,768 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
158 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.
