Marion-Franklin making believers throughout Ohio

It wasn't long ago that the Marion-Franklin (Columbus) football team might have been best known as an easy out during the postseason. Each year from 2004-07, the Red Devils followed 9-1 regular-season finishes by losing in the first round of the Division II, Region 7 playoffs.

A win over fellow City League opponent Beechcroft (Columbus) in a 2008 postseason opener did little to increase Marion-Franklin's respect.

Things bean to change drastically, however, a year ago.

The Red Devils made the playoffs as the eighth seed but upset the state's No. 1-ranked team, Louisville, in a playoff opener. They eventually made it to a state semifinal.

This fall, Marion-Franklin is the state's top-ranked team after winning its first eight and is two wins away from securing the first perfect regular season in the program's 57-year history. Last Friday, the Red Devils beat City League-South Division rival Eastmoor Academy (Columbus) 34-27 to improve to 8-0 overall and 5-0 in the conference.

"As a coach, I never think we're as good as (other people think) we are," coach Brian Haffele said. "When we beat Ashland (12-7 on Sept. 10) and you look at their box scores since then, they've been scoring 42 to 55 points a game. I think us holding them to seven points opened everyone's eyes that our defense was pretty good. And what we did last year in the playoffs kind of got us over the hump."

Eastmoor became just the third team to reach double figures in points against Marion-Franklin last Friday, but the Red Devils piled up 466 yards of offense. Sophomore Corry Benson threw for 152 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 106 yards and a score. Running back Paul Harris had 127 yards rushing, including a 93-yard touchdown, and added a 58-yard touchdown reception.'

Despite being a team that was reliant on Verlon Reed offensively a year ago, Marion-Franklin's multi-faceted attack has averaged more than 33 points. Reed was the team's quarterback the last two seasons but is a freshman at Ohio State.

"We know that rankings don't mean anything because we beat Louisville last year when they were the No. 1-ranked team in the state," Haffele said. "It's an honor, but the kids know they have a bulls-eye on their backs."

2. New Albany blasts Big Walnut: Another central Ohio Division II team to emerge as a power this fall is New Albany, which crushed previously undefeated Big Walnut 41-0 last Friday to improve to 8-0. The Eagles, who are fourth in the state poll, have used a physical defense and an offense focused on controlling the ball to put themselves in line for their first playoff berth since 2006. Last Friday, New Albany piled up 378 yards rushing and quarterback Bryant Bednarek threw for 167 yards and two touchdowns.

3. St. Edward bounces Bombers: Led by running back Reggie Terrell’s 212 yards and two touchdowns on 36 carries, St. Edward (Lakewood) improved to 8-0 with a 20-3 victory over visiting St. Xavier (Cincinnati) last Saturday. After outscoring its previous five opponents 202-12, the Eagles were excited to get a barometer of where they stand against a quality Division I opponent.

"We learned that we're tough, and that we're winning and not even playing our best football," St. Edward coach Rick Finotti told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "We could have played better in all three phases."

4. Glenville domination continues: The state's No. 1-ranked Division I team, Glenville (Cleveland), improved to 8-0 and likely clinched a playoff berth with a 53-0 victory over John Adams (Cleveland) last Friday. The Tarblooders have shut out three of their last four opponents and are averaging 42.2 points.

5. Davidson downs Coffman: Defending Division I state-champion Hilliard Davidson knocked off the only team to hand it a defeat last year when it beat Coffman (Dublin) 27-3 last Friday. Last season, the Wildcats lost to the Shamrocks 10-7 in week eight of the regular season but beat Coffman (Dublin) 22-7 in a regional final on their way to the title. Davidson is ranked fourth in the state.

TOP PERFORMERS
* Austin Davenport, Beechcroft (Columbus) football: Davenport had four catches for 191 yards, including three touchdowns, as his team snapped an eight-game losing streak against Brookhaven (Columbus) with a 26-10 victory. The Cougars improved to 6-2 with the win and are in control of their own destiny as they pursue their first City-North title since 2006.

* Morgan Ransom, Columbus Academy (Gahanna) girls golf: After finishing second at the Division II state girls golf tournament last season, Ransom shot a final round of 1-under 69 for a two-day total of 140 that gave her medalist honors last Saturday on Ohio State's Gray Course.

* Taylor Mattioli, Manchester (Akron) girls soccer: Mattioli scored five goals and had two assists as her team beat Loudonville 9-4 in the first round of the Division II sectional tournament Monday at Brunswick. Her performance helped the Panthers improve to 9-6-2.

COMING THIS WEEK
* Division I state boys and girls golf tournaments, Friday and Saturday: The St. Charles (Columbus) boys golf team has four players back from a year ago as it looks to defend its state title this weekend on OSU’s Scarlet Course. The girls state tournament will be held on OSU’s Gray Course, where Highland (Medina) is a candidate to battle with two-time defending champion Mason.

* Divisions I and II state girls tennis tournaments, Friday and Saturday: Upper Arlington (Columbus) senior Niki Flower will have a chance to defend her Division I state singles titles this weekend. Play will be held Friday in OSU's Stickney Tennis Center and Saturday at Davidson (Hilliard).

* Cardinal Mooney at Ursuline, football: One of northeast Ohio’s biggest rivalries will renew Friday when Cardinal Mooney (Youngstown) travels to Ursuline (Youngstown). The Cardinals are 5-2 and first in computer points in Division III, Region 9 and the Fighting Irish are 8-0 and first in Division V, Region 17. Last season, Mooney beat Ursuline 27-22 as both teams ended up capturing state titles.

RECRUITING NEWS
Westerville South senior offensive lineman Ray Ball has made a verbal commitment to play for Wisconsin, according to several sources including ScoutingOhio.com. Ball is a 6-foot-5, 320-pound tackle who also had offers from Indiana and Michigan before deciding to become the 15th member of the Badgers' 2011 recruiting class. … Roosevelt (Kent) two-way lineman Ryan Anderson, a 6-4, 300-pound junior, has received a scholarship offer from Pittsburgh, according to various news organizations including the Akron Beacon Journal. … Westerville Central senior strong safety Miles Fisher has received a scholarship offer from Air Force, according to ScoutingOhio.com. He also has offers from Pennsylvania and Cornell.

BRIEFLY
The Gilmour Academy (Gates Mills) boys golf team won the Division III state championship last Saturday when it shot a two-day total of 634 at NorthStar Golf Resort in Sunbury. Senior Alex Andrews was co-medalist with Garaway (Sugarcreek) junior Ryan Troyer as both shot 145. Andrews became the 15th player in history to repeat as state champion. … The Hathaway Brown (Shaker Heights) girls golf team shot 658 to earn the Division II state title last Saturday on OSU’s Gray Course. … In this week's state girls volleyball poll, Ursuline Academy (Cincinnati) is first in Division I, Kenston (Chagrin Falls) leads Division II, Tuscarawas Valley (Zoarville) tops Division III and Marion Local (Maria Stein) is first in Division IV.

Jarrod Ulrey covers Central and Northern Ohio for MaxPreps.com. He covers prep sports for ThisWeekSPORTS.com and can be reached at julrey@thisweeknews.com.