Not really...
-Even without Dan McCarthy, '07 Cardinal Mooney had a way deeper talent pool than Coldwater.
-Neither '09 Hilliard Davidson or '13 Loveland had half of the talent that Glenville had.
-Mentor's system traditionally allows them to knock off teams with more talent.
-As far as college recruits go, Archbishop Hoban had more talent than Massillon this past season.
There's many other examples, but in all of the cases above, it was all about a team's ability to have the discipline & work ethic to raise their level of intensity for 48 minutes. That's why the hiring of Matty Rich is so big for Warren because he, along with the staff the he assembles, is going to make our kids work harder than they ever have before. No, it won't happen overnight, but the entire culture is getting ready to change.
Having said that, statistically, Harding had their most lethal wide receiver combo ever in 2021 as Dom Foster & Tyirq Ivory combined for 63 catches for 1,379 yards & 19 TDs in 11 games. That team finished the season 5-6. The second most powerful WR duo was Thomas "Teco" Powell & Omar Provitt, who combined for 65 catches for 1,384 yards & 17 TDs for the 14-0 Division I state champions in 1990. The idea that "Harding hasn't had any talent in recent years" is false, but being satisfied with sub .500 seasons is now a thing of the past.
Having sat in numerous Gridrion Club meetings over the years, I can tell you that there's certain programs that Harding refused to schedule (which in itself makes no sense given our 25-60-3 record against Massillon) because the overall mentality from the top was that "they couldn't compete," which is one of the main reasons why I haven't been in the GC the last few years because I don't want to be around people who didn't believe in our kids. In fact, IMG Academy's associate AD grew up with me in Warren (I'm 3 years younger than him) and wanted to play Harding in 2021. Harding declined to drop Youngstown East, so Bishop Sycamore ended up taking the game (and the rest is history). The next year, East wasn't even on Harding's schedule.
Give Harding two, MAYBE three years and I bet you that a Hoban, Iggy, St. Eds, etc. is added to the schedule. A completely different mindset is coming to 860 Elm Rd. NE in Warren. I promise.