Ohio State Football Forum

Ohio State Football Forum

Ohio State football fan talk.

Countdown: 39 Days Until Ohio State Football

Matt Gutridge's picture
July 23, 2019 at 9:30am
12 Comments
Sandusky

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. 39, Sandusky

Qualification

Seven players from Sandusky have been listed on 20 Ohio State rosters. The first Blue Streak to play in Columbus was running back Elmer Lippert. He played between 1971 and 1973 and amassed 135 carries for 688 yards (5.1 ypc) and 4 touchdowns. 

DT Craig Nemitz was on the Buckeyes for one season, 1973, and defensive back Robert Gentry and offensive tackle Thomas Swank were on the roster for the 1973 and 1974 campaigns. Nemitz had unusual strength and quickness was considered one of the top high school tackles in Ohio in 1972. Swank and Gentry were only listed on the rosters.

DT/OT Luther Henson (1977-80) was an All-Big Ten defensive tackle in 1979, however, the coaching staff moved him to offensive right tackle in the spring of 1980. At Sandusky, Henson went 24–1 as a heavyweight wrestler his senior year.

HB Kelvin Lindsey (1979-83) Did not see much action during his first years at Ohio State. He only played 10 games between his freshman and sophomore years because of an ankle injury. He missed the 1981 season due to academic issues. In 1983, he competed with Keith Byars for the starting tailback job.

At Sandusky he rushed for 1,666 yards his senior year and was named the A.P. Back of the Year in 1978. 

OT Orlando Pace (1994-96) earned a lot of awards during his career. An All-Ohioan and Parade All-American as senior at Sandusky, Pace was named the Big Ten Freshman of the year at Ohio State in 1994. He then won the Lombardi Award in 1995 and 1996, was the Football News Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1995 and 1996, was an All American and All-Big Ten player in 1995 and 1996, won the Outland Trophy in 1996 and was the Chicago Tribune's Offensive Lineman of the Year in 1996. 

Pace's Awards didn't stop after college. He was the No. 1 overall pick by the Rams in the 1997 NFL Draft. He made seven Pro Bowl teams and named to the NFL's All-Decade Team for the 2000s. The Big Ten's Offensive Lineman of the Year Award is named after Pace. He also won Super Bowl XXXIV.

When playing for Sandusky, Pace was also an outstanding basketball player and was selected to play in the Ohio All-Star Game.

Back To School

Sandusky is located in Erie County and is a member of the Sandusky Bay Conference. The team competes in Division III, Region 10. The Blue Streaks went 5–4 in the regular season last year and made the playoffs. The team traveled to and defeated Bay 34-14. Sandusky then beat Lexington 56-12 in the second round. The title hopes ended when Norwalk edged out Sandusky 20-17 in the regional final. 

Notable

Sandusky has three state championships, one each in boys' golf (1947), boys' swimming (1946) and boys' track and field (1937). 

The football team has a historic rivalry with Fremont Ross. The schools have Ohio's second-oldest rivalry and have played each other since 1895. 

A little amusement park called Cedar Point has been in Sandusky for about 150 years.

Famous Alumni

Famous names you may know: NFL players Ed Bettridge, John Bettridge, Corey Croom and Thom Darden, NBA player, Olympic gold medalist and NCAA champion Scott May, founder of Harvard Law Review John Jay McKelvey, Miss Ohio and Miss America Jackie Mayer, two-time NCAA wrestling champ and Buckeye Kevin Randleman.             

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. 

Top 100 Ohio High Schools
100...LOUISVILLE  99...URBANA 98...CAMBRIDGE 97...WARRENSVILLE HEIGHTS 96...COLUMBIAN 95...NEWARK CATHOLIC 94...VILLA ANGELA-ST. JOSEPH  93...AVON LAKE 92...DAYTON DUNBAR 91...STRONGSVILLE
90...PORTSMOUTH  89...MASSILLON PERRY 88...LAKEWOOD 87...AMHERST/MARION L. STEELE 86...WAPAKONETA 85...ROGER BACON 84...BEREA 83...WESTLAKE 82...COLDWATER 81...HOOVER
HOOVER (80) 79...READY 78...LAKE CATHOLIC 77...OLENTANGY 76...GROVE CITY 75...INDEPENDENCE 74...WESTERN RESERVE 73...GARFIELD 72...LAKOTA WEST 71...LOGAN
70...SOUTH 69...NORTHMONT 68...WESTERVILLE CENTRAL 67...MENTOR 66...FREMONT ROSS 65...HOWLAND 64...TOLEDO CENTRAL CATHOLIC 63...VALLEY FORGE 62..MEADOWDALE 61...MAUMEE
60...MARION PLEASANT 59...BRUSH 58...MIAMI TRACE 57...KENT ROOSEVELT 56...MARION FRANKLIN 55...LA SALLE 54...PIQUA 53...HAMILTON 52..TROTWOOD-MADISON 51...AKRON CENTRAL-HOWER
50...STEUBENVILLE 49...WALSH JESUIT 48...KENSTON 47...BEECHCROFT 46...MAYFIELD 45...BROOKHAVEN 44...PERKINS 43...ELYRIA 42...WOOSTER 41...ORVILLE
40...Euclid 39...Sandusky 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

2,795 days since Ohio State has not defeated That Team.
131 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.

This is a forum post from a site member. It does not represent the views of Eleven Warriors unless otherwise noted.

View 12 Comments