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. 44, Perkins
Qualification
Four players from Perkins have been listed on 18 Ohio State rosters. Brad Dwelle was the first Pirate to make an Ohio State roster. The tight end was listed on the roster between 1979 and 1982 and earned four varsity letters. Dwelle was considered the best blocker of the tight end unit and caught two touchdowns against Stanford in 1981. He finished his Buckeye career with 18 receptions for 198 yards and 5 touchdowns. At Perkins, Dwelle earned 10 varsity letters in three sports and cleared 6' 6.5" in the high jump.
FB Brandon Schnittker (2001-05) was primarily used as a blocking back, Schnittker finished his days in Columbus with 23 carries for 60 yards and 2 touchdowns. He also had 8 receptions for 72 yards. He won the national title with the Buckeyes in 2002.
Schnittker was the Associated Press Co-Defensive Player of the Year as a senior at Perkins. He had 105 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, three sacks and five interceptions that season. Schnittker returned two of the interceptions for touchdowns and also rushed for 900 yards. Perkins won the state title during his junior season. His cousins, Max (1945-46) and Dirk (1949) also played for Ohio State.
P Tyson Gentry (2004-08) never made the stat sheet during his days with the Buckeyes. At a practice during his sophomore season, Gentry was playing wide receiver for the scout team. At one point, he was tackled and suffered a severe neck injury that paralyzed him. He never let the injury hold him back and remained on the team through through the 2008 season. Gentry was a captain for the 2009 Fiesta Bowl.
In 2011, he married his wife and was living in St. Petersburg, FL. Gentry started a non-profit organization called, New Perspective Foundation in 2015. His organization helps individuals and families with spinal cord injuries.
LB/FB/LS Aaron Mawhirter (2013-16) started his Buckeye career as an invited walk-on at linebacker. During the 2014 national championship season, Mawhirter was the scout team fullback and started working on his long snapping skills. His dedication panned out as Mawhirter was the long snapper for the 2016 Buckeyes.
As a senior at Perkins, he was a second-team All-Ohioan in Division II and was named the outstanding player of the Sandusky Bay Conference. Mawhirter also placed second in the shot put and fifth in the discus at the state track and field championships.
Back To School
Perkins is located in Erie County and is a member of the Sandusky Bay Conference. The team competes in Division III, Region 10. The Pirates went 2–8 last season. The last time Perkins made the playoffs was 2015. The team traveled to Clyde in the first round and lost, 17-21.
The football team won its only state title in 1999. Perkins went 15–0 and defeated Ironton, 16-14, in the championship game.
Notable
Perkins has 8 titles in five different sports. The boys' cross country team has three titles (1989, 1988, 1987), boys' track and field has two (2008, 1984) and girls' golf (2012), girls' track and field (1993) and the football team each have one.
In 2006, The Perkins Pirate Band Program had the largest student-to-band member ratio in the state of Ohio. More than one-third of the school population was involved in the band program.
Famous Alumni
Famous names you may know: MLB player Brian Bixler and former 10tv (Columbus) and ESPN sports anchor Jay Crawford.
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 |
2,791 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
135 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.
