Future Buckeyes Shine In North-South Game
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Mike Wachsman
BuckeyeSports.com Staff
For many in attendance at the North-South All-Star Game, the offensive fireworks and 44-28 victory by the South squad was all window dressing.
Quite a few came out to Columbus Crew Stadium on a perfect night for football to witness the future of the Ohio State football program.
The South squad, which had six of the nine Buckeyes in the game, put on a show, with defensive lineman Alex Barrow of Dublin Coffman winning defensive MVP honors after netting two sacks and getting into the backfield numerous times.
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Dublin Coffman star Alex Barrow was named defensive MVP for the victorious South squad after netting two sacks and being a disruptive force all night.
Another OSU signee, linebacker Curtis Terry of Cleveland Glenville, was the North defensive MVP after netting a pair of sacks of his own.
OSU signee Erik Haw led the South squad in rushing, gaining 88 yards on 14 carries and scoring twice.
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Erik Haw rambled for 88 yards and a pair of scores for the South squad and showed a nice blend of power and speed.
Haw was at his best early in the second half, when he carried eight times on the first drive after intermission. The Columbus Independence star gained 48 yards on his first carry of the second half and seemed to get stronger as the game progressed.
"We knew what was open," Haw said. "It was like a chess game. We wanted to set them up. We were passing a lot (in the first half) and we saw that the middle was open."
Ro Grigsby of Clayton Northmont was the game MVP after latching on to seven passes for 177 yards and three scores. He's a Kansas State signee.
OSU signee Ben Person, who played on the offensive line for the South, felt that the exposure he and his future teammates got in this game bodes well for the Buckeyes.
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Ben Person was part of the trench warfare going on between the big uglies in the North-South All-Star Game. He helped the South to a 16-point win.
"This game, the speed is more like a college game than a high school game," said Person, who prepped at Xenia High School. "I feel like if you look at guys that have come into college in years past, the ones that have played in all-star games are more prepared because they've seen the speed."
Kicker Jonathan Skeete of Gahanna, who got a scholarship offer from Ohio State at the beginning of the week, connected on a 32-yard field goal and hit six-of-seven extra points. One try was blocked. He wasn't terribly impressive punting the ball, however.
South coach Steve Channell, who usually leads Edgewood onto the gridiron, was mentally and physically drained after the contest.
"I didn't play, but I feel like I did," the coach said. "I'm so worn out. I'm a Wing-T guy -- we run the ball. This fast-paced stuff, I don't know if I could do that for 10 games."
Other OSU signees who played in the game for the South were defensive back Sirjo Welch from Columbus Beechcroft and linebacker Chad Hoobler from Carrollton, who will most likely move to tight end once he gets to Columbus.
For the North, Terry was joined by Euclid linebacker Brandon Smith and Hubbard running back Shaun Lane, who will find himself in the secondary for the Buckeyes.
