Next weekend brings the beginning of another exciting high school football season in the Cincinnati area. In the top 10 preseason poll according to maxpreps.com, Cincinnati has two teams in the top 10 (7. Colerain and 9. Elder). This is more than the state of Texas and Florida each have and it is the same amount as California has. Ohio is a high school football powerhouse that too often gets overlooked. Everyone always hears about how high school football is basically a religion in Texas and how Florida has all the speed and how California produces the receivers. Where is Ohio's credit? Ohio takes high school football very seriously. Friday nights (and sometimes Saturdays) are a ritual here in Ohio. People come and support their schools, whether they are current students or alumni, in full force.
However, the last few years, the crosstown shootout has turned into Ohio vs. USA type matchup. This year Elder High School will face East St. Louis to kick off the 2009 season. Ohio is starting to get some of the respect it deserves. ESPN even aired a few games last year or two years ago of the shootout. More and more high schools in Ohio are producing NFL players now too.
And if you want to get really specific about high school football talent in Ohio, you can find it in Cincinnati. Cincinnati alone has three very dominant programs as of late (Elder, Colerain and St. Xavier) and has always had a rich history of dominant football programs (including Moeller and Princeton). So my question to all you fans (and hopefully I can hear from those out in Texas, California, and Florida), do you think Ohio is a powerhouse for high school football and where do you think it ranks among Texas, Cali, and Florida? Let me know! Peace!
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I don't know where I'd rank Ohio but they're definitely a powerhouse for football. You can go way back to Paul Brown (yes, THE Paul Brown). In his early days he coached high school ball at Massillon (whom also has the most recognized national championships in high school football with 9). Moeller and Cleveland-St. Ignatius also have won many state titles.
ReplyDeleteToday with the Cincinnati-area teams still on the rise nationally, Ohio football can only get better.