Prep Tracker: Noah Potter Sparks Mentor's Big Defensive Effort, Wayne's Craig Young Makes Impact On Both Sides And Cade Stover Rushes For 141 Yards

"THE BEST DEFENSE IN THE STATE"

Coming into this past Friday's matchup against Euclid, Mentor was ranked No. 4 in Ohio's Division I. The Cardinals' opponent was ranked No. 5 ... so you can imagine the hype surrounding the matchup.

But turns out, there's actually a significant gap between the state's fourth and fifth-ranked teams. Mentor handed Euclid a 29-7 loss, bouncing back from last week's 29-28 loss to Solon in overtime.

Of course, 2019 Ohio State commits Noah Potter and Ryan Jacoby played big roles in the win ... and Potter made quite the statement after the game, saying that Mentor's defense was "the best in the state."

Mentor DE Noah Potter: "We're the best defense in the state" @Mentorredline https://t.co/js0FpSIuT8 via @YouTube

— News-Herald preps (@NHPreps) October 20, 2018

He may have a point. While allowing seven points to a team that came in averaging 36.9, the Cardinals also picked off two passes, racked up five sacks and held Michigan State running back commit Brandon Wright to 118 yards on 42 carries (or 2.8 per attempt).

From the News-Herald:

A week after losing a heartbreaking 29-28 overtime game to visiting Solon, a loss that challenged the pride of the proud Mentor defense, the Cardinals' defense had all the answers against a Euclid offense that came into the game averaging just shy of 40 points per game.

"We've got the best defense in the state," Mentor defensive end Noah Potter said. "We proved that tonight."

That claim is still up for debate, as there are a lot of games yet to be played before a Division I state champion is crowned, but Mentor certainly showed it has a defense good enough to put them in the conversation.

EASY WINS

Many in Ohio State's '19 Dynasty recruiting class enjoyed wins Friday night.

In a 50-12 win, Wayne's (Fort Wayne, Ind.) Craig Young made an impact on both sides of the football. The 6-foot-4, 200-pound athlete had two catches for 46 yards and a touchdown and made three tackles, recovered a fumble and had an interception on the opposite side.

The victory catapults Wayne into the second round of the Indiana High School Athletic Association's state playoffs, where it'll meet with New Haven, and improves its overall record to 8-2.

Elsewhere, Lexington's Cade Stover continued to put up big numbers on the ground. Stover, who has committed to Ohio State as a linebacker, ran for 141 yards and two touchdowns in a 42-16 win over Madison Comprehensive. The Minutemen had a 42-0 lead at halftime.

From the Richland Source:

Ohio State bound senior Cade Stover rumbled for 141 yards and two touchdowns, and got things rolling with a 56-yard run on the first snap.

"We're really starting to put it together," Stover said. "We're running the ball very effectively. When you run the ball effectively and control the clock it demoralizes the other team." 

Blessed Trinity Catholic (Roswell, Ga.) also enjoyed a big win, to the tune of 42-0, while running back Steele Chambers rushed for 68 yards on just two carries and made four tackles. The Titans stay undefeated at 8-0 with a game against Marist next week.

Chambers now has 813 rushing yards on 94 carries, 8.6 yards per pop, and 15 scores.

You're probably getting used to seeing Cardinal Ritter Prep's (St. Louis, Mo.) Jameson Williams' name next to big numbers. The 6-foot-2, 170-pound wideout didn't stray from his torrid pace Friday, catching two passes for 66 yards and a score and returning a kickoff 94 yards in a 52-9 win over Althoff Catholic.

A regular night at the office for Williams.

Also in the class of 2019, St. Thomas Aquinas (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) and safety Jordan Battle won their third straight game. Battle's Raiders beat Boyd Anderson 54-6. The victory is St. Thomas Aquinas' third straight after falling to Miami Central on Sept. 21.

Whitehaven (Memphis, Tenn.) and tight end Cormontae Hamilton also earned a win, a 41-24 decision over White Station, to improve to 7-2 overall.

Oak Park (Mich.) quarterback Dwan Mathis and The Bullis School (Potomac, Md.) safety Bryson Shaw both helped their teams to victory but at smaller margins. Mathis threw and ran for a touchdown in a 21-14 win over defending state champion Clarkston while Shaw aided his defense to surrendering just 176 pass yards in a 21-12 win over Episcopal.

Lake Travis (Austin, Texas) receiver Garrett Wilson, Buford (Ga.) lineman Harry Miller and Spring Valley (Huntington, W. Va.) lineman Doug Nester all had bye weeks. DePaul Catholic (Wayne, N.J.) running back Ronnie Hickman sat out with a leg injury in a 59-28 loss.

BANGED UP

As for the 2020 class, it wasn't all rainbows and smiles in Week 9.

Two of the class' top players in Chaparral (Az.) quarterback Jack Miller and IMG Academy (Bradenton, Fla.) safety Lejond Cavazos sat out with injuries while Miller's teammate Darvon Hubbard played, but wasn't his usual self, according to reports.

Hubbard and the Firebirds suffered a second straight loss, this time coming in a 23-7 decision at the hands of Phoenix Pinnacle.

From azcentral.com:

With Ohio State-committed junior tailback Darvon Hubbard not at 100 percent with an ankle issue, the Firebirds (5-4) struggled to run the ball.

Twice on fourth-and-short, Hubbard was stuffed for no gain.

Cincinnati St. Xavier offensive tackle Paris Johnson Jr. played well in a close game but saw his Bombers fall to Cleveland St. Ignatius by a 27-20 final while fellow linemen Luke Wypler (Montvale, N.J.) and Jake Wray (Marietta, Ga.) were the only two 2020 commits to win.

Wypler and the Green Knights piled up 301 yards on the ground while Wray's Blue Devils earned a win that will allow them to play for their first regional championship since 2005