COLUMBUS, Ohio - It originally was billed as a showcase of
Wayne (Huber Heights, Ohio) senior quarterback and Ohio State-recruit
Braxton Miller in his first game in Ohio Stadium.
Farrakhan has 281 yards and four TDs this season.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
That possibility ended when Miller was kept out of action Sunday because of a left ankle sprain he sustained late in the Warriors' opener a week ago.
Instead, the second game of the Kirk Herbstreit National Kickoff Classic became an opportunity for senior running back Elijah Farrakhan and his teammates on the
McKinley (Canton, Ohio) defense to shine during a 26-0 victory.
Farrakhan, who has offers from Mid-American Conference schools and ran for 139 yards and two touchdowns in his team's 32-14 win over Gallatin on Aug. 27, finished with 142 yards and two more scores against Wayne.
Combined with a defense that limited the Warriors to 6 yards rushing and 88 yards of total offense, it was a big day on national television for the Bulldogs. Even without Miller, ranked the No. 8 recruit in the country overall and No. 1 quarterback according to
MaxPreps.com/CBS College Sports recruiting expert Tom Lemming.
"We were mad because we wanted to see how we compared (against Miller)," Farrakhan said. "But I loved the environment, liked the turf and everything about it."
With Miller in street clothes, Wayne started sophomore Javon Harrison at quarterback. On the Warriors' sixth offensive play, however, a poor shotgun snap caused a fumble that McKinley senior Mike Aylward jumped on. Harrison, while trying to pick up the loose ball, went down with a right arm injury that sent him to the sidelines in favor of freshman Dorian Hendrix.
Wayne surely could have used injured Braxton Miller.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
Farrakhan gave the Bulldogs a 6-0 lead with 4 minutes, 54 seconds left in the opening quarter on a 4-yard run.
McKinley held Wayne without a first down over its next three possessions and then put together its longest drive of the first half. With 2:23 to go before halftime, the Bulldogs completed a 13-play, 71-yard drive when Farrakhan ran in from 1 yard for a 12-0 lead.
With 4 seconds to go in the first half, McKinley senior Steve Miller -- a defensive end who also has committed to Ohio State -- blocked a 46-yard field goal attempt by Marshall Newsome.
"It was hard because we wanted to play against (Braxton Miller) a lot, but as long as we got the win, it was good," Steve Mille said. "It means a lot to me to get the feel of this field."
McKinley made it 18-0 with 10:29 remaining when quarterback Kyle Ohradzansky hit Tyler Carney for a 26-yard touchdown pass. The Bulldogs' final score came with 7:06 to go on a 44-yard run by Tyler Foster.
The Bulldogs finished with 268 yards rushing and 371 yards of total offense against Wayne, which fell to 0-2. Aylward (two tackles for losses) and junior defensive end Se'Von Pittman (1.5 tackles for losses) led McKinley's defense.
"I guess I still had hope that (Braxton Miller) would play even up to today," Warriors coach Jay Minton said. "He didn't practice all week. The kids definitely played their hearts out, but when we also lost our backup quarterback, we just had a few obstacles that were tough to overcome."
Jayshon Jackson helped his recruiting case with 318 yards.
Photo by Todd Shurtleff
In the first game of the Herbstreit Classic, Westerville South prevailed in a matchup of perennial playoff-contending central Ohio programs.
It was just the kind of day South senior running back Jayshon Jackson was looking for.
The 5-foot-8, 180-pound Jackson, who has been attempting to drum up recruiting interest in addition to the scholarship offer he has from the University of Toledo, rushed for 208 of his game-high 318 yards during the second half.
Jackson's touchdown runs of 73 and 3 yards helped the Wildcats overcome a 9-7 halftime deficit and avenge a 21-19 loss to the Shamrocks in a Division I regional semifinal last season.
"I showed people that I can be a good back and that I can do it on first down, second down and third down," said Jackson, who is planning a visit to Purdue later this month. "When we were able to open up the running game in the second half, it was a great thing."
Jarrod Ulrey has been covering high school, college and professional sports in Columbus, Ohio, for 15 years.
