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Best juniors in Ohio high school football? Here is the Columbus area's top 25 for 2024
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- Best juniors in Ohio high school football? Here is the Columbus area's top 25 for 2024
Editor's note: Updates with Rusty Hutchinson transferring from Fairfield Christian to Bloom-Carroll.
With Ohio high school football teams opening practice Aug. 1, it's time for The Dispatch to reveal the top 25 juniors in the Columbus area for the 2024 OHSAA season .
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Players were selected based on 2023 statistics, postseason honors and rankings from various recruiting services, including 247sports.com, On3.com and Rivals.com.
Don't see a player you are looking for? Give it time. They might make an appearance in our positional breakdowns in August, when we list the top 10 players at each position in central Ohio.
Here is The Dispatch's list of the area's best juniors, in alphabetical order:
Best central Ohio high school football juniors in 2024
Africentric's Caleb Anthony intercepts a pass intended for Briggs wide receiver Jordan Flemming during a game last season. Anthony is one of the top defensive backs in Ohio.
Caleb Anthony, Africentric
A standout in the secondary, Anthony was the Division V district Defensive Player of the Year and a first-team all-state selection last fall. He had 53 tackles, eight interceptions, a fumble recovery and a blocked field goal in helping the Nubians to a program-record seven wins.
Austin Buescher led West Jefferson to the Division VI, Region 23 final last season.
Austin Buescher, West Jefferson
The quarterback passed for 3,747 yards and 38 touchdowns and rushed for 320 yards and three scores in leading the Roughriders to the Division VI, Region 23 final . Buescher was district Offensive Player of the Year and first team all-state .
Olentangy Orange quarterback Levi Davis celebrates a touchdown during a September 2023 game against Dublin Coffman. Davis is entering his third year as a starter.
Levi Davis, Olentangy Orange
Entering his third year as a starter, Davis threw for 1,751 yards, ran for more than 700 and accounted for 20 touchdowns as a sophomore. The special mention all-district selection in Division I also is a point guard for the regional runner-up boys basketball team .
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2023 Dispatch All-Metro: Who are the best high school football players in central Ohio?
Gabe Davis-Ray, Columbus Academy
A free safety and versatile athlete who holds three Division I offers, Davis-Ray had 75 tackles, including 43 solo and four for loss, three interceptions and nine pass breakups on defense along with 700 all-purpose yards and six touchdowns on offense. He was first-team all-district and third-team all-state in Division V .
The Watterson offensive line cheers as they push Ben Uhlenhake (42) into the end zone during last year's Division IIII state final against Toledo Central Catholic. One of the returning starters from that unit is junior Pete Eglitis.
Pete Eglitis, Watterson
The 6-foot-7, 280-pound left tackle started as a sophomore and was one of several underclassman starters for the Division III state runner-up Eagles . Eglitis holds Division I offers from Akron and Toledo.
Olentangy’s Kaden Gebhardt catches a touchdown pass while Dublin Jerome’s Patrick Nally defends during a Division I, Region 2 first-round playoff game in 2022.
Kaden Gebhardt, Olentangy
A four-star recruit at defensive back with 15 Division I offers, Gebhardt had 129 tackles, three interceptions, four pass breakups, two forced fumbles and a sack in helping the Braves to a Division I, Region 2 semifinal last fall.
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Nequan Harris, Independence
A first-team all-district and honorable mention all-state selection in Division II , Harris rushed for 751 yards, caught 26 passes for 215 yards and accounted for 11 all-purpose touchdowns. He also returned an interception for a score and had five two-point conversions.
Rusty Hutchinson, right, has transferred from Fairfield Christian to Bloom-Carroll.
Rusty Hutchinson, Bloom-Carroll
A first-team all-district and third-team all-state wide receiver in Division VII last year at Fairfield Christian, Hutchinson had 28 catches for 816 yards and 13 touchdowns as a sophomore to complement 1,400-yard running back Danny Blair. Hutchinson has transferred to Bloom-Carroll.
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Javion Jones-Cunningham, South
The 6-1, 225-pound two-way lineman earned first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division III, making 15 tackles for loss with eight sacks, two forced fumbles and a defensive score in the regular season.
Granville's Kyle Kirby drags a Heath tackler during a 2023 game. Kirby was a key piece on both offense and defense to the Blue Aces' 12-1 season.
Kyle Kirby, Granville
The inside linebacker, running back and wide receiver made more than 100 tackles on defense and scored 15 touchdowns on offense. He was named first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division III at linebacker.
Hartley's Robert Lathon looks for running room during a 2023 game against Watterson at Ohio Dominican. Lathon finished the season with 1,543 yards and 17 touchdowns to earn second-team all-state in Division IV.
Robert Lathon, Hartley
A running back, Lathon rushed for 1,543 yards and 17 touchdowns on 192 carries and was named first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division IV. Lathon holds eight Division I offers, including Purdue and four Mid-American Conference schools.
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Marquis Lucas , Walnut Ridge
The quarterback accounted for 2,000 all-purpose yards (1,100 rushing and 900 passing) with 11 rushing touchdowns and 10 passing scores. Lucas was first-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division II.
Hamilton Township's Jovon McBride, shown during an October 2023 practice, was a first-team all-state wide receiver as a sophomore and is also one of central Ohio's top boys basketball players.
Jovon McBride, Hamilton Township
A wide receiver, McBride caught 63 passes for 1,239 yards and 18 touchdowns and was named first-team all-district and all-state in Division III. McBride also has 940 points through two seasons for the boys basketball team .
Now-Pickerington North quarterback Jarin Mock passes while under pressure from Newark's Kalen Winbush (10), Preston Lunsford (8) and Austin Rose (7) during a September 2023 game. Mock played at Reynoldsburg as a sophomore.
Jarin Mock, Pickerington North
Mock transferred to North from Reynoldsburg and likely will start for a team that won its first nine games a season ago and is loaded with Division I commits or prospects. Mock holds five offers, including from Michigan State and Wisconsin.
Grandview Heights’ Owen Nugent looks for a lane during a 2022 game against Columbus Academy. The wide receiver and free safety was a first-team all-district and second-team all-state honoree last fall as a sophomore.
Owen Nugent, Grandview Heights
A first-team all-district and second-team all-state selection in Division VI, the free safety and wide receiver had 89 tackles, eight pass breakups, two interceptions and a fumble recovery. He also caught 18 passes for 268 yards and 10 touchdowns and returned two punts for scores.
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Henry Ohlinger, Grandview Heights
Another of several talented players for the Bobcats, Ohlinger rushed for 1,360 yards and 17 touchdowns a season ago and had 1,620 all-purpose yards. He was named first-team all-district and all-state.
Watkins Memorial's Rocco Paschal, left, pursues Northridge's Cameron Brannigan during a September 2023 game.
Rocco Paschal, Watkins Memorial
Paschal had a program-record 129 tackles at linebacker a season ago with 75 solo stops, 28 for loss, five sacks, a fumble recovery and a blocked punt for a touchdown. Paschal earned first-team all-district and third-team all-state in Division II.
Westerville South's Isaac Patterson catches a touchdown pass over Dublin Jerome's Nick Hughes last season.
Isaac Patterson, Westerville South
A two-way player as a sophomore at wide receiver and safety, Patterson caught 12 passes for 122 yards and had 65 total tackles with eight pass breakups and an interception.
Harvest Prep's Dezmond Porter battles through Zanesville West Muskingum defenders during a Division V, Region 19 second-round playoff game last fall.
Dezmond Porter, Harvest Prep
A first-team all-district and all-state quarterback and linebacker for the Division V state semifinalist Warriors , Porter rushed for 1,221 yards and 13 touchdowns, passed for 319 yards and five scores and made 65 tackles with three sacks.
Watkins Memorial quarterback Drew Samsal scrambles under pressure from Licking Valley's Titan Priest (6) during a September 2023 game.
Drew Samsal, Watkins Memorial
Samsal passed for 1,886 yards and 19 touchdowns in 11 games , accounted for 25 total touchdowns and completed 65% of his passes. He earned first-team all-district and third-team all-state in Division II.
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More: Columbus high school sports reporters recap the 2023 football season
Olentangy Orange's Treyton Schroeder is the top defensive back in central Ohio, according to the results of an online Dispatch reader poll.
Treyton Schroeder, Olentangy Orange
Schroeder had 34 ½ tackles, including 26 solo, and seven interceptions at defensive back and caught nine passes for 86 yards at receiver. He was named first-team all-district and third-team all-state in Division I.
Olentangy's Daniel Stephens (97) makes a tackle during a September 2023 game at Olentangy Berlin.
Daniel Stephens, Olentangy
A 6-0, 250-pound defensive tackle, Stephens had 63 tackles, including 33 solo, 24 for loss and 11 sacks, as well as 11 quarterback hurries, a forced fumble and fumble recovery. He was named first-team all-district and second-team all-state in Division I .
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Jason Wells, Millersport
Wells contributed almost everywhere, with 61 tackles and two interceptions at defensive back, 19 catches for 425 yards and five touchdowns at receiver and 22 kick returns for 371 yards and two scores. He was first-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division VII.
Pickerington Central quarterback Rocco Williams throws a pass during a September 2023 game at Pickerington North.
Rocco Williams, Pickerington Central
A left-handed three-star recruit with eight Division I offers, Williams threw for 1,407 yards and 14 touchdowns with six interceptions and added four scores rushing. He was named special mention all-district in Division I.
Jay Zang, Hartley
The linebacker had a team-high 64 tackles, 11 solo, with two for loss and two sacks in 2023. He also had 30 carries for 251 yards and two touchdowns and earned first-team all-district and honorable mention all-state in Division IV.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: OHSAA football: Best 25 juniors in central Ohio for 2024
