As area football teams practice in preparation for the 2024 high school football season, here is a look at some of the top players from 2023 — those whose graduation leaves their teams and coaching staffs with the biggest shoes to fill in trying to replace their superior talents.
■ Central Catholic’s offensive line
If there was one constant fixture during Central Catholic’s back-to-back state football championships in 2022 (Division II) and 2023 (Division III), it was the team’s big and talented offensive line. It not only paved the way for the potent ground game of the Fighting Irish, but also provided time and room for Central’s quarterbacks in the passing attack.
Last season, tackles Marc Nave (6-4, 315 pounds) and Tyrell Green (6-5, 330), guards Elijah Williams (6-2, 280) and Nick Banaszak (6-3, 280), and center Kendric Bankston (5-1, 265) were at the heart of a 16-0 Central team that outscored foes 634 to 166 (39.6 to 10.4 per game).
Four of the five also started at those spots in 2022 on Central’s 15-1 team that topped opponents 40.4 to 11.9 per contest. The only change last year was that Banaszak stepped into the guard spot of Davontae’ Wright-Ward, who was moved to defense in 2023, and became a first team D-III all-district linebacker.
Nave, who earned first team All-Ohio honors, is now at the University of Kentucky. Green, Williams, and Bankston each received honorable mention All-Ohio recognition, as did Wright-Ward on defense.
“Anytime you have two years straight with pretty much the same offensive line that's a luxury for any team at any level,” Irish coach Greg Dempsey said. “Graduating five seniors, that’s a reboot. You’re not only trying to find out who the [new] best five are, but you’re trying to get them work together to build cohesion and gain experience.
“That group last year could talk to each other and know exactly what was coming, because they played together so much. It’s five positions, but it’s a unit.”
■ Liberty Center’s double-duty Kruse triplets
Tigers coach Casey Mohler got three great players all from the same family in triplets Colton, Landen, and Trenton Kruse, who each produced mightily the past two seasons as Liberty Center went 29-2 overall and 14-0 in winning two NWOAL titles.
The fourth-ranked 2022 Tigers were 14-1 and lost to eventual champion Canfield South Range in the Division V state semifinals, and last year’s second-ranked team ended 15-1 with a 21-14 loss to top-ranked Perry in the D-V title game.
Colton, a first team All-Ohio running back who doubled at defensive back, rushed for 1,603 yards, scored 32 touchdowns, and made 59 tackles, including 17 for losses as a senior in 2023.
Trenton, a second-team All-Ohio linebacker (101 tackles, 31 TFL), also rushed for 1,434 yards and scored 26 TDS. Landen, who was named third team All-Ohio at DB (64 tackles, 2 interceptions), added 25 catches at receiver for 366 yards and three scores.
“The Kruse triplets are going to leave a big void,” Mohler said. “They were so competitive and wanted to win so bad they would do anything that it took. And, that was just so contagious to the rest of our guys because they had to raise their level to match [the Kruses’] intensity and competitiveness.
“They worked so hard that everybody else had to try to keep up with them, and it just made everybody better. Hopefully, that established a new standard that everybody’s going to follow, but it sure is going to be a big void for us.”
■ Central Catholic’s potent running back/receiver combo
The Irish offense had one of Ohio's top Division III running back/receiver duos last season with RB Marquan Braswell and WR Jaylen Watson, who were the top producers on a top-ranked 16-0 team that rolled to a second straight state championship.
Braswell, who was a second ground option to first team Division II All-Ohioan Chris Edmonds in 2022, stepped into the primary ball-carrying spot last year, and rushed for 1,923 yards and 31 touchdowns en route to his own D-III first team All-Ohio honors.
Watson, who had transferred to Central from River Rouge High School in the Detroit area, fit right into the Irish offense with 62 catches for 1,101 yards, and scored 14 total touchdowns. He garnered first team All-Ohio recognition, and has moved on to the Big Ten at the University of Iowa.
“Finding that combination of production we had from Marquan and Jaylen would be tough for anybody,” Dempsey said. “That’s about 3,500 [total] yards and a lot of touchdowns you’re trying to replace. We have guys who are trying to step up and fill those shoes, and we’ll see how that works out.
“We have a nice receiving corps with some depth, and kids who got some experience. And, we also have a 1,000-yard rusher coming back. We might just have to do it a bit differently this year.”
■ Findlay’s sterling receiver Javonte Hill
A major part of the Findlay passing prowess of first team Division I All-Ohioan and University of Georgia quarterback recruit Ryan Montgomery last season was the stellar play of the Trojans’ superb wideout, Javonte Hill, who also wound up with D-I first All-Ohio honors.
The fleet and agile 6-3, 165-pound Hill caught 90 passes in 11 games for 1,257 yards and 18 touchdowns to help Findlay to an 8-3 record and an NLL Buckeye Division title share. Showing his elite athletic versatility, Hill was also named NLL Buckeye player of the year and second team All-Ohio in basketball after helping the Trojans to a 21-3 record, No. 5 state ranking, and outright division title.
“Javonte was one of the best athletes in all of northwest Ohio, and the state,” Findlay coach Stefan Adams said. “He was our alpha. His production is hard to replace. He’s a guy, when the going would get rough, he could make the play necessary to spark the group. He demanded attention, and still produced at a high level.”
■ Wauseon’s do-it-all Tyson Rodriguez
For Wauseon coach Shawn Moore and his Indians, Tyson Rodriguez was akin to a Swiss Army knife on the football field.
For starters, he was named the NWOAL’s offensive player of the year after catching 52 passes for 979 yards and 17 touchdowns en route to earning first team Division IV All-Ohio honors at receiver.
At safety on defense, Rodriguez had 98 tackles, 25 pass break-ups, and three interceptions after having been named second team All-Ohio at defensive back as a junior in 2022.
As the Indians’ place-kicker, he converted 31 of 32 extra-points and hit on six of seven field goals, totaling 157 points. He also punted for a 36.0-yard average for 6-5 Wauseon. In the winter, Rodriguez averaged 17.0 points per game on the Indians’ basketball team, earning first team All-NWOAL and second team Division II all-district honors.
“Tyson was an outstanding three-way player for us,” Moore said. “We’re going to miss his leadership, and his play-making ability in all facets of the game. It’s going to be on a by-committee basis for us trying to fill all the different things he did for our football team. We’re definitely going to miss him.”
■ Southview’s durable running back Isaac Sexton
In his three years as a Cougars starter at running back, the 5-10, 190-pound Sexton played a pivotal role in restoring Southview’s football program back to one of the area’s best.
Last season, the workhorse back ran 261 times for 1,617 yards and 24 touchdowns to lead the Cougars (8-4 overall, 4-0 league) to an NLL Cardinal Division title and Division II playoff berth. He was named D-II all-district co-offensive player of the year honors as well as first team All-Ohio recognition.
“When you are the all-time leader in any statistic in sports, it speaks to your success of your career,” Southview coach Steve Hardy said. “To be the all-time leading rusher in football at a school with the amount of success that Southview has had speaks to ability, toughness and great teammates.
“Isaac was an invaluable player for the last four seasons. Our success as a team was greatly due to his success on the field. Filling that position after Isaac will be both a challenge and a huge opportunity for our team.”
■ Oak Harbor’s dynamic Jaqui Hayward
A versatile and explosive play-maker for the fourth-ranked, Northern Buckeye Conference champion Rockets (12-1, 7-0) the fast and durable 5-10, 170-pound Hayward caught 78 passes for 983 yards, rushed 66 times for 659 yards, and scored 24 touchdowns, including two on punt returns.
Hayward was named NBC back of the year, Division V all-district co-offensive player of the year, and received first team All-Ohio honors at receiver.
“Jaqui was an explosive athlete that was capable of producing a big play every time he touched the ball,” Oak Harbor coach Mike May said. “He holds nearly every school receiving record. We will definitely miss his play-making ability.”
■ Whitmer’s linebacker extraordinaire Jasen Kelly
A three-year fixture at linebacker for the Panthers, the 6-1, 210-pound Kelly capped his prep career by recording 126 total tackles in 2023, including 21 tackles for loss and three sacks for 7-4 Whitmer, which shared the NLL Buckeye Division title.
Kelly’s work earned him a scholarship to Ohio University. He was named first team Division I All-Ohio in 2022, and second team last season.
“Jasen was one of the best linebackers to ever play at Whitmer,” Panthers coach Ken Winters said. “His leadership, high football IQ, and physicality will be missed.”
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