CLEVELAND, Ohio — The OHSAA high school football regular season has come to a close and we are just a few weeks away from crowning a new crop of state champions.
The end of the regular season also provides a chance to look at some of the states top performers from the season and determine who is best fit to be Ohio’s next Mr. Football.
While some big name college prospects, like VASJ’s Bo Jackson and Findlay’s Ryan Montgomery, have fallen out of the conversation for injury or other reasons, there is no shortage of deserving candidates.
Here’s a look at some of the athletes that have stood out in the race to be Ohio’s 38th Mr. Football.
Cleveland Heights running back Marquise Davis crosses the goal line for a touchdown rush against Hudson in the first half, September 1, 2023, at Hudson.John Kuntz, cleveland. com
Marquise Davis, Cleveland Heights, Senior, RB
A 2023 Mr. Football finalist with 2,087 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns on 217 carries, Davis was in and out of the Tigers’ lineup with injuries this season. That didn’t stop him from doing a full season’s worth of work in the Tigers’ rushing attack. In just six games the Kentucky commit rushed for 1,671 yards on 180 rushing attempts with 24 total TDs. That includes a 26 carry day against Euclid, in which Davis set single-game school records with 463 yards and eight TDs. Tyrell Sutton and Kareem Hunt are the only two Northeast Ohio backs with more rushing yards in a single game.
Mentor QB Scotty Fox (15) unloads a pass during first half action at the first round of high school football regional playoffs in the game between the St. Ignatius Wildcats at the Mentor High School Cardinals on Friday, October 27, 2023. David Petkiewicz, cleveland.comDavid Petkiewicz, cleveland.com
Scotty Fox, Mentor, Senior, QB
Fox first found himself on a varsity field in his freshman season for the Cardinals, and has since emerged as one of the top quarterbacks in the state. The West Virginia commit led Mentor (10-0) to the No. 1 seed in Division I, Region 1 behind 1,978 passing yards on 122 of 190 passing (64.2% completion rate) with 26 touchdowns and four interceptions. He also has 33 carries for 137 yards and three rushing touchdowns this season.
Avon quarterback Nolan Good throws a pass in the first half against Glenville at Avon.John Kuntz, cleveland.com
Nolan Good, Avon, Senior, QB
Avon is one of Northeast Ohio’s perennial powerhouses, and Nolan Good is a big reason the Eagles have stayed so dangerous. The Eagles just finished out their second straight undefeated regular season, winning 20 consecutive regular season contests with Good leading the way in his junior and senior seasons. The only game Avon has lost with Good as the full time starter was in the state semifinals last season. He put up 2,375 yards, 23 TDs and six interceptions on 140 of 209 passing (67% completion rate). He also chipped in 353 rushing yards and five more TDs on 37 carries this season. He ends his career with 4,814 regular season passing yards, 48 TDs and nine interceptions on 455 of 295 passing (64.8% completion rate), with 1,060 rushing yards and 17 rushing TDs.
JaNiaus Hall, Lima Senior, Senior, QB
Hall led the state and was second in the country in passing yards this season according to MaxPreps. Hall had 4,145 passing yards on 238 of 371 passing (64.2% completion rate) with 55 TDs and 12 interceptions in just nine games. Hall also is second on the Spartans in rushing with 156 yards on 47 carries. Lima Senior, which is undefeated this season at 9-0, has a 1,400-yard receiver, a 1,200-yard receiver, a 700-yard receiver and two others with more than 300 yards on the year.
Grady Kinsey, Gnadenhutten Indian Valley, Senior, RB/LB
Kinsey’s fingerprints are all over Indian Valley’s undefeated regular season and No. 2 seeding in Division II, Region 5. The junior paced the Braves with 2,347 rushing yards 33 TDs and just three fumbles on 178 carries. He had nine games with at least 100 rushing yards, five games with at least 200 rushing yards and eclipsed the 300-yard mark twice, including a 364-yard, five TD day against West Lafayette Ridgewood. Kinsey averaged 13.2 yards per carry this season and still logged 56 tackles and a forced fumble from his linebacker position.
Walsh Jesuit QB Keller Moten tosses the ball off to a teammate against St. Ignatius in the first half of play. Joshua Gunter, cleveland.com
Keller Moten, Walsh Jesuit, Senior, QB
After leading the Warriors to the Region 5 final in his junior season, Moten has Walsh Jesuit poised for another deep postseason run this year. He’s led Walsh to their first undefeated regular season since 1998 and been pulled early on six different occasions when the Warriors had running clocks. In the regular season Moten completed 87 of 140 passes (62.1% completion rate) for 1,397 yards, 16 TDs and just three interceptions. He also paced the team in rushing with 93 carries for 1,028 yards and 17 more TDs. The Warriors averaged 453yards and 41 points per game this season.
Matt Ponatoski, Cincinnati Moeller, Senior, QB
A year after Jordan Marshall became Moeller’s first ever Mr. Football the Crusaders are back in the conversation with Ponatoski. The junior has steered Moeller (9-1) to the No. 1 seed in Division I, Region 4 with an undefeated record against in-state opponents. He’s thrown for 2,716 yards on 188 of 272 passing (69.1% completion rate) with 39 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
Tavien St. Clair, an Ohio State 5-star quarterback recruit, led Bellefontaine against Chaminade Julienne in the OHSAA playoffs on Friday night.Landon Bartlett, special to cleveland.com
Tavien St. Clair, Bellfontaine, Senior, QB
St. Clair is the No. 5 ranked quarterback in the nation and Ohio’s No. 1 college prospect in the 2025 class. The Ohio State commit lifted the Chieftains (8-2) to the fifth seed in Division III, Region 12. He finished the regular season with 2,312 yards on 150 of 215 passing (69.8% completion rate) with 28 touchdowns and four interceptions. St. Claire also chipped in 217 rushing yards on 28 carries and seven more touchdowns with his legs.
Ohio Mr. Football Winners (including college choice):
1987: Buster Howe, RB-DB-K-P, Zanesville, Ohio State
1988: Robert Smith, RB, Euclid, Ohio State
1989: Robert Smith, RB, Euclid, Ohio State
1990: Bobby Hoying, QB, St. Henry, Ohio State
1991: Derek Kidwell, QB-DE, Fostoria, Bowling Green
1992: Marc Edwards, RB-LB, Norwood, Notre Dame
1993: Curtis Enis, RB-LB, Mississinawa Valley, Penn State
1994: Charles Woodson, DB-RB, Fremont Ross, Michigan
1995: Andy Katzenmoyer, LB, Westerville South, Ohio State
1996: Derek Combs, RB-DB-KR, Grove City, Ohio State
1997: Tony Fisher, RB, Euclid, Notre Dame
1998: Ryan Brewer, RB, Troy, South Carolina
1999: Bam Childress, DB-WR-KR, Bedford St. Peter Chanel, Ohio State
2000: Jeff Backes, RB-DB, Upper Arlington, Northwestern
2001: Maurice Clarett, RB, Warren G. Harding, Ohio State
2002: Ben Mauk, QB, Kenton, Wake Forest/Cincinnati
2003: Ray Williams, RB, Cleveland Benedictine, West Virginia
2004: Tyrell Sutton, RB, Archbishop Hoban, Northwestern
2005: Delone Carter, RB, Copley, Syracuse
2006: Brandon Saine, RB, Piqua, Ohio State
2007: Bart Tanski, QB, Mentor, Bowling Green
2008: Erick Howard, RB, North Canton Hoover, Akron
2009: Erick Howard, RB, North Canton Hoover, Akron
2010: Akise Teague, RB-DB-KR, Youngstown Ursuline, Cincinnati
2011: Maty Mauk, QB, Kenton, Missouri/Eastern Kentucky
2012: Mitch Trubisky, QB, Mentor, North Carolina
2013: Dante Booker Jr., LB, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary, Ohio State
2014: Joe Burrow, QB, Athens, Ohio State, Louisiana State
2015: Keishaun Sims, RB-DB, Massillon Perry, Ashland University
2016: Michael Warren, RB, Toledo Central Catholic, University of Cincinnati
2017: Joey Baughman, QB, Wadsworth, Elon University
2018: Cade Stover, SS-RB, Lexington, Ohio State University
2019: Evan Prater, QB, Cincinnati Wyoming, University of Cincinnati
2020: Corey Kiner, RB, Cincinnati Roger Bacon, Louisiana State
2021: Drew Allar, QB, Medina, Penn State
2022: Lamar Sperling, RB, Akron Archbishop Hoban, Buffalo
2023: Jordan Marshall, RB, Cincinnati Archbishop Moeller, Michigan