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. 65, Howland
Qualification
Three players from Howland have been listed on 13 Ohio State rosters. Michael Datish was used as a reserve center for Ohio State between 1973 and 1976. The Team Guide stated that the honor student in the College of Education "...can make the long snap to punters." When Datish attended Howland, he played center, tackle and end.
Mike Datish was used as a reserve center for Ohio State between 1973 and 1976. The Team Guide stated that the honor student in the College of Education "...can make the long snap to punters." When Datish attended Howland, he played center, tackle and end.
Mark Hovecar sustained various injuries during his time with the Buckeyes. The center was on the team from 1980 to 1983. When he enrolled in 1980, he to a ligament in his knee that sidelined him for the entire season. Hovecar had surgery in early '81 and that cost him his sophomore season. He was an All-Ohio linebacker and offensive tackle at Howland, but the Ohio State staff switched him to defensive tackle in 1983.
Doug Datish is the son of Mike Datish. The younger Datish had the honor of replacing Nick Mangold at center in 2006. Prior to the switch, Datish played, and started, all three offensive line positions for the Buckeyes between 2002 and 2005. As a junior, he earned offensive linemen of the week honors against Iowa, Illinois and Michigan. Datish was named offensive player of the game after the win against Michigan State in 2005.
At Howland, Datish was an All-Ohioan and was named the Associated Press Division II Co-Defensive Player of the Year.
Back To School
Howland is located in Trumbull County and is a member of the All-American Conference. The team currently competes in Division III, Region 9. The Tigers went 1-9 in 2018. The have had three consecutive losing seasons. The last time the football team made the playoffs was 2016. Howland traveled to Archbishop Hoban and lost 37-0 in round one.
Notable
Howland's speech and debate team won the OHSSL state championships in 2009 and 2011.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: 1968 Olympic 110m hurdles gold medalist Willie Davenport, NFL players Filip Filipovic and De'Veon Smith, MLB pitcher Tanner Scott and actor Chris Zykla.
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 |
2,769 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
157 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.
