With most graduation ceremonies complete, Southwest Ohio football fans are already looking forward to another season in August. Yet, the area received one final glimpse at some of the top players from the 2010 class late last week in suburban Cincinnati.
Playing near the famous amusement park Kings Island, the East squad defeated the West 21-13 in the 35th Southwest Ohio Football Coaches Association/Ron Woyan East-West High School All-Star Game at Kings High School.
East now leads the all-time series 18-17 after four consecutive wins, and that record was on the mind of coaches and players before and during the game, according to the Cincinnati Enquirer.
"We talked about that for all 10 days of practice," Madeira coach Mike Shafer told the publication. "We wanted to keep the streak alive."
Norwood running back Jeremy Scott, an Ohio Dominican commit, rushed 12 times for 62 yards and a touchdown to help lead the East, according to the Enquirer. Little Miami (Morrow) quarterback Kyle Cook (Morehead State) was 11-for-15 passing for 157 yards and a touchdown.
The West was led by Wyoming (Cincinnati) wide receiver Evan Aleshire, who had two touchdown receptions of 41 and 76 yards, respectively, according to the Enquirer. Aleshire, who is committed to the University of Cincinnati as a preferred walk-on, was named the West MVP.
The all-star game gave an unofficial ending for the 2009-10 school year in Cincinnati. However, the official start of practice for the 2010 season is less than two months away. Practice can begin Aug. 2 with the first scrimmage allowed on Aug. 10. The season begins the week of Aug. 23.
2. Chaminade-Julienne hires athletic director: Jon Payne was announced as the new Chaminade-Julienne (Dayton) athletic director last week, according to the Dayton Daily News. Payne begins his position on July 1; the school had 32 other applicants, according to the publication. Payne replaces Mike Raiff, who stepped down this spring. Payne had been the athletic director at West Carrollton from 2003-08, according to the publication.
3. Safdar named All-American: Ursuline girls tennis standout Komal Safdar was recently named a 2010 National All-American by the National High School Tennis All-American Foundation. Safdar, who will be a senior this fall, recently made an oral commitment to play tennis at Syracuse. Safdar was the Division I state singles runner-up last season as she had a 31-3 record. She is 75-19 in three years at Ursuline. Safdar was the first Ursuline player to reach the state final since 1977. She was just the second player overall from the school to reach the state final.
4. Illinois offers Mincey: Fairfield senior-to-be defensive end Robert Mincey recently added scholarship offers from Illinois and Marshall. Mincey also has offers from Kansas, Kent State, Akron, Ball State, Ohio University, Toledo and Bowling Green. Mincey had 6.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery last season for the Indians.
5. Bryant adds another offer: Roger Bacon (Cincinnati) senior-to-be center Jared Bryant added a scholarship offer from Bowling Green on Wednesday. Bryant, who is 6-foot-8, also has an offer from James Madison. He was a Cincinnati Enquirer Divisions II-IV first-team selection this past season. He was special mention all-district and first-team all-Greater Catholic League Central division. He averaged 12.8 points and 7.8 rebounds for the Spartans last season.
6. Loveland track athlete to Cincinnati: Loveland senior track standout Jessica Ajunwa has committed to compete at the University of Cincinnati. Ajunwa was the Division I state runner-up in the 100 and 200-meter dashes this spring at the state meet in Columbus. She ran the 100 in 12.17 seconds and the 200 in 24.58. She was the Fort Ancient Valley Conference Buckeye division co-athlete of the year.
Looking ahead
Big 33 Football Classic, Saturday: The all-star game featuring teams from Ohio and Pennsylvania will be played in Pennsylvania at 7 p.m. Saturday. The Ohio roster features several top players from the 2010 class. Ohio won 38-31 in last year’s game to snap Pennsylvania’s three-game win streak.
Midwest Hoops Shootout, Friday and Saturday: The second annual Midwest Hoops High School Shootout will be held Friday and Saturday at Sports Plus in suburban Cincinnati. The games will be played from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Each school will play five games over the weekend. Schools participating include Aiken, Anderson, Cincinnati Country Day, Hamilton, Holmes (Ky.), Hughes, Indian Hill, Loveland, Mariemont, McNicholas, Madeira, Mentor, Milford, Moeller, Mount Healthy, New Richmond, Princeton, Purcell Marian, Roger Bacon, Taft, Walnut Hills, Western Hills, Winton Woods and Withrow.
Recruiting news
Finneytown (Cincinnati) senior-to-be lineman Donavon Clark (6-4, 290 pounds) has been offered by Pittsburgh. He also has at least 19 other offers. … Winton Woods (Cincinnati) senior guard Perrin Cunningham (6-0, 245) has committed to Ohio Dominican, according to the Enquirer. Cunningham was second-team all-Fort Ancient Valley Conference Buckeye division this past season. … Pickerington North senior-to-be tight end Darien Bryant (6-4, 215) has reportedly been offered by Kent State, according to ScoutingOhio.com. Bryant also reportedly has offers from Maryland and Mid-American Conference programs. … Jefferson (Dayton) senior-to-be wide receiver Cody Latimer (6-3, 205) has reportedly added offers from Akron and Indiana, according to ScoutingOhio.com. Latimer also reportedly has offers from Ball State, Bowling Green and Buffalo.
Random thoughts
Former Lakota West football player John Conner reportedly signed a four-year, $1.99 million deal with the New York Jets, according to the Pulse Journal. Conner, a fullback, is a 2005 Lakota West graduate. … The Deveroes Summer Basketball League starts June 27 at Woodward High School. The league often features many incoming college recruits along with other former high school standouts. … Upper Arlington’s Luke Treece (Attack), Joseph Benedick (Defense), Daniel Kloos (Goalie) and John Hardesty (Specialist) earned Ohio High School Lacrosse Association Position Players of the Year honors. … Lakota West senior infielder Jacob May was drafted by the Cincinnati Reds in the 39th round last week. May is the grandson of former Reds player Lee May.
