Who will be Ohio’s Mr. Football

Wouldn't surprise me if it's the Ontario kid. He kind of checks all the boxes (stats, big time recruit, elevating program, etc). I still think it should be Kinsey. ALL are very worthy of the award.
 
St. Clair would be the expected pick, being a five star Ohio State recruit. I don’t feel he is the most deserving, but I believe he is the most likely.
 
You are right, most reporters only care about stars and stats. But I stick by my pick of Keller Moten this season. Glad to see him as a finalist.
 

Ohio Mr. Football Finalists Announced​

November 27, 2024
News Release – Ohio Prep Sports Media Association
For Immediate Release – November 27, 2024

Ohio Mr. Football Finalists Announced
OPSMA members voting now through noon Monday; winner announced at 4 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 5

COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio Prep Sports Media Association has announced the finalists for the 2024 Ohio Mr. Football Award. The winner will be announced next Thursday at 4 p.m. in Canton prior to the start of the OHSAA football state championships. The prestigious honor has been awarded since 1987.

The OPSMA district chairpersons and officers have selected eight outstanding finalists. The voting process is nearly identical to that used to determine the Heisman Trophy winner in college football. The 221 registered OPSMA members each get one vote, with voting ending at noon on Monday, Dec. 2.

Ohio’s Mr. Football was selected by the Associated Press from 1987-2016. Since 2017 it has been presented by the Ohio Prep Sports Media Association.

The OPSMA All-Ohio teams will begin being released on Monday, December 9.

2024 Ohio Mr. Football Finalists
Finalists listed in alphabetical order.
OPSMA membership voting ends at noon Monday, Dec. 2.
Winner announced at 4 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5.

Scotty Fox, Mentor, QB, 6-2, 215, sr.
Fox steered Mentor to an undefeated regular season, Greater Cleveland Conference championship and the No. 1 seed in Division I, Region 1. He is a West Virginia commit at quarterback and the Northeast Lakes District Offensive Player of the Year. Fox completed 64.6 percent of his passes for 2,170 yards with 28 TDs to six interceptions during the regular season. He is a four-year starter after stepping into his starting role because of an injury during his freshman season.

Nolan Good, Avon, QB, 6-2, 200, sr.
Avon appeared poised to make a run at last year’s Division II state championship until Good suffered a season-ending injury in the regional semifinals. A Kent State commit at quarterback and already an All-Ohioan after that junior season, Good guided Avon to another undefeated regular season as a senior and a ninth straight Southwestern Conference championship. The Eagles entered the playoffs as the No. 1 seed in Division II, Region 6 after Good completed 67 percent of his passes this year for 2,375 yards and 23 TDs to six INT. He added 353 yards rushing and five TDs on 37 carries.

Grady Kinsey, Gnadenhutten Indian Valley, RB, 5-9, 197, jr.
Kinsey has developed into one of the most dynamic backs in the East District, running for 2,347 yards and 33 touchdowns on 178 attempts in 10 regular season games. He averaged 13.2 yards per carry and only played in 27 of 40 quarters for the undefeated Braves. Kinsey, who was Second Team All-Ohio as a sophomore, also contributes on defense with 56 tackles. For his career, he has surpassed 5,000 rushing yards and has nearly 80 touchdowns and made more than 250 tackles.

Andrew Leonard, Olentangy Liberty, QB, 5-10, 180, sr.
Central District Division I OPOY, Leonard completed 140 of 205 passes for 1,982 yards and 28 TDs with 4 INT, and also rushed for 505 yards on 104 carries with 4 TDs in the regular season for a top-seeded 8-2 team that has since reached the state semifinals. The three-year starter and program career record-holder in passing did this against one of the state’s toughest schedules. Stats updated through week 14: 192 completions in 272 attempts for 2,776 yards passing with 38 TDs, 5 INT and 550 yards rushing with 4 TDs. Getting some interest from smaller Division I programs like Valparaiso, Morehead State for football. Also was an all-district shortstop for the regional qualifying baseball team and an all-district forward for the regional runner-up ice hockey team as a junior.

Bodpegn Miller, Ontario, QB, 6-4, 190, sr.
Adopted from Ethiopia as a young child, Miller is committed to The Ohio State University to play wide receiver despite not having a single catch in his high school career. He is the Division IV Northwest District Co-Offensive Player of the Year, first team All-Northwest District and first team All-Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference. He was a second team All-Ohioan last year. For the 2024 season, his 14-week stats are: 149-for-253 passing, 2,216 yards, 20 TDs passing | 211 carries, 1,988 yards rushing, 21 TDs | 18 punts, 644 yards, 35.8 yards per punt average |41 tackles, 3 TFL, One Sack, 3 INTs | 17 touchbacks on kickoffs. In a Week 13 win over previously undefeated Shelby, he ran for 209 yards on 24 carries with two TDs and completed 13-of-28 passes for 294 yards and three TDs to take his team to its first-ever regional championship game appearance. He has 6,398 passing yards and 54 TDs in his career along with 3,610 rushing yards and 47 TDS for 10,008 total yards of offense and 101 TDs. He holds program records for career passing yards, career passing TDs, career rushing yards, single season passing yards (2,328 in 2023), single-season rushing yards (1,988 in 2024) and is No. 2 in career rushing TDs, No. 2 and No. 3 in single-season passing TDs and No. 2 in single-season rushing TDs. He is the only player in program history to have three 1,000-yard passing seasons and is one of just four to have two 1,000-yard rushing seasons. He owns four school records in track and is an All-Ohioan in the 200-meter dash and 4x200 meter relay.

Keller Moten, Walsh Jesuit, QB, 5-11, 185, sr.
Inland District Division II Offensive Player of the Year. Stats through 13 games. Passing: 113 of 179 for 1,645 yards, 17 touchdowns, 4 interceptions. Rushing: 127 carries for 1,209 yards and 22 touchdowns, 1 fumble. He holds FCS offers from St. Francis and Mercyhurst and still expects more opportunities to come his way. Ohio State has reached out in the last few weeks and told Moten it has STRONG interest in bringing him to Columbus as a preferred walk-on. Pitt, Army, Kent State, Marshall, Princeton, Dayton are all interested in him. Mr. Football perfectly encapsulates Keller Moten’s extraordinary performance, leadership, and influence on the field. Keller is not only the heart of his team’s offense—he is a dynamic dual-threat quarterback whose remarkable stats and unparalleled contributions helped lead his team to their first undefeated season since 1998. Moten also led the Warriors to their first victory over state power Archbishop Hoban since 2014.

Matt Ponatoski, Cincinnati Moeller, QB, 6-1, 195, jr.
Southwest District Division I Offensive Player of the Year and the GCL Offensive Player of the Year. Has completed 252-of-357 passing attempts this season for 3,644 yards, 50 TDs and just two interceptions. Has set Moeller career records for passing yards (7,081) and TD passes (80) as a junior. Tied the Moeller single-game record with six TD passes against St. Xavier this season. Owns offers from Cincinnati, Purdue, Louisville, Vanderbilt, Miami (Ohio) and Kent State.

Tavien St. Clair, Bellefontaine, QB, 6-4, 228, sr.
Two-time Southwest District Division III Offensive Player of the Year and three-time Central Buckeye Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Consensus No. 1 senior prospect in Ohio and a Top 10 senior prospect nationally. Committed to Ohio State. Finished senior season 166-of-244 passing for 2,536 yards and 29 TDs. Also rushed for 254 yards and nine TDs. Four-year starter has thrown for 9,794 career passing yards and 104 TDs. Has rushed for 17 TDs. Four-time first team All-CBC selection.


Ohio Mr. Football Recipients (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

Information about the OPSMA is available at: https://www.ohsaa.org/news/OPSMA

Source: https://www.ohsaa.org/news-media/articles/ohio-mr-football-finalists-announced
 
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Popcorn said:
Davis, Good, and Fox are all in the same district. All three can't be finalists. Typically there is one finalist per district. Sometimes there are two nominees coming from one district, but not three. Davis didn't play the whole season and had one stat-packing game against a trash team. My guess is Fox and Good will be the nominees from the NE Lakes.
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Personally I don't think Mentor is trash.
 
NEOfan said:
Wouldn't surprise me if it's the Ontario kid. He kind of checks all the boxes (stats, big time recruit, elevating program, etc). I still think it should be Kinsey. ALL are very worthy of the award.
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He had inferior stats to DeVito from Shelby, but he's far from inferior as a player. Put him on a D4 team with a scant above average QB and let him be receiver? They are soaring.

I don't know any of the other Mr. Football candidates, I'm sure they are fantastic, but this is my proclamation that Miller was near unstoppable in the two games I saw him. Super talented.
 
Shelbyrr11 said:
He had inferior stats to DeVito from Shelby, but he's far from inferior as a player. Put him on a D4 team with a scant above average QB and let him be receiver? They are soaring.

I don't know any of the other Mr. Football candidates, I'm sure they are fantastic, but this is my proclamation that Miller was near unstoppable in the two games I saw him. Super talented.
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Fair. I thought your boy should've been a finalist too to be honest
 
Shelbyrr11 said:
He had inferior stats to DeVito from Shelby, but he's far from inferior as a player. Put him on a D4 team with a scant above average QB and let him be receiver? They are soaring.

I don't know any of the other Mr. Football candidates, I'm sure they are fantastic, but this is my proclamation that Miller was near unstoppable in the two games I saw him. Super talented.
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How do you think he would do against 6’ to 6’2” D backs that are sub 11 in the 100 ( or comparable) ?
 
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Irontons QB Schreck has better stats than a few QB’s on this list, and Shaun Terry not making the list is insane. Congratulations to those that made it though.
 
From the list of winners above, which ones ever played in the pros. Woodson, Katzenmoyer, Trubisky, Burrow. Those are the obvious ones. Which ones am I missing? Did Jeff Backes ever get to pros? I remember that dude was faaast.
 
ohbuckeye2021 said:
Whoever makes these decisions should at least watch film on the top 25 candidates up for this award before com
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how are they to know the top 25? At some point, someone subjectively selects. Even most beauty queens have a head to haed competition. This is more prom queen. Someone nominates. Doesn't have to be the prettiest or the most popular. Not eveyone has a fair shot. There's some posters and posturing and obvious campaigning. Then people pick on some style points and for a few days, the winner represents.
 
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MoeBeturLojik said:
From the list of winners above, which ones ever played in the pros. Woodson, Katzenmoyer, Trubisky, Burrow. Those are the obvious ones. Which ones am I missing? Did Jeff Backes ever get to pros? I remember that dude was faaast.
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Those with a listing at https://www.pro-football-reference.com/

Robert Smith
Bobby Hoying
Marc Edwards
Curtis Enis
Charles Woodson
Andy Katzenmoyer
Derek Combs
Tony Fisher
Bam Childress
Tyrell Sutton
Delone Carter
Brandon Saine
Mitch Trubisky
Joe Burrow
Michael Warren
Cade Stover
 
Logndog said:
How do you think he would do against 6’ to 6’2” D backs that are sub 11 in the 100 ( or comparable) ?
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Probably holds up quite well. Playing Ontario these last few years was very reminiscent of the days when Shelby had to chase Micah Hyde around at Fostoria.

In track last season, Miller was nursing a hamstring injury throughout the year that made his participation in meets very limited. He still managed to come in 6th in the 200m at 22.60. He had a 22.14 at districts. Didn't even run in the league meet out of precaution. I am having a hard time locating it at the moment, but his times in the 100m were similarly capable of getting onto the podium at the state meet. Articles said he would've tried running both were it not for the hammy.

As far as on the football field, there was one very notable play during Shelby's first game against Ontario where DeVito had a breakaway run towards the endzone (1500+ yards, 26 rushing TDs). Miller closed that gap and brought him down in a way that made you go "oh, THAT'S what OSU saw."

Again, my pedigree for this type of scouting is bleh at best. Does he deserve to win Mr. Football? Beats me. I just know his talents exceed the relatively mis-positioning he was forced to play at by being QB at Ontario.
 
NEOfan said:
Fair. I thought your boy should've been a finalist too to be honest
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The recognition would've been nice, but I think it's greedy to ask for that with a team that hasn't yet made the Regional Finals under his watch. No blame being thrown around (after all, going 12-1 is pretty nice), you just need some deep playoff runs to break through as a junior. He was 1st team All Ohio for QB as a sophomore, and will likely be on that list again this year. His time will come.
 
eastisbest said:
how are they to know the top 25? At some point, someone subjectively selects. Even most beauty queens have a head to haed competition. This is more prom queen. Someone nominates. Doesn't have to be the prettiest or the most popular. Not eveyone has a fair shot. There's some posters and posturing and obvious campaigning. Then people pick on some style points and for a few days, the winner represents.
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The members of the OHSAA Prep Sportswriters Association has regional committees who chose the finalists. The entire membership is then ivited to choose their top 3 in order of preference. it is my experience those who choose to cast votes take the resposibility very seriously.
 
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