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. 63, Valley Forge
Qualification
Five players from Valley Forge have been listed on 14 Ohio State rosters. The first Patriot to play for the Buckeyes was Richard Simon. The offensive tackle missed his freshman season due to a broken ankle. Overcame the injury and became a starter and All-Big Ten player in 1971. Simon was a captain at Valley Forge.
The other four Patriots that made an Ohio State roster were all reserve players. Receiver Scott Jones (1971-72), defensive back Larry Molls (1973-76), long snapper Scott Lynch (1992-94) and linebacker Jim Hastings (2009-11). At Valley Forge, Jones was a Parade All-American, Molls rushed for 198 yards and four touchdowns in a rivalry game against Lakewood and Hastings was an all-conference defensive end who led the Patriots in sacks as a senior.
Back To School
Valley Forge is located in Cuyahoga County and is a member of the Northeast Ohio Conference. The team currently competes in Division II, Region 6. The Patriots went 6-5 in 2018. The last time the football program made the playoffs was 2008. Valley Forge traveled to St. Edward and lost 51-27 in the first round.
Notable
Valley Forge has one state championship. The wrestling team took the title in 1972.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: NFL players Andrew Gissinger, Jim Kovach and Jamie Meder, LPGA golfer Barb Mucha, co-founder of The Cars Benjamin Orr, improv actor Christopher Smith.
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 |
2,772 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
154 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.
