Buckskin86
Moderator
and Jamario vs. MM on Saturday night!!!
http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/sports/story/092202004_spt01glenville02.asp
http://www.tribune-chronicle.com/sports/story/092202004_spt01glenville02.asp
Talented Glenville to test WGH
By DAVID BURCHAM Tribune Chronicle
Ted Ginn has a dilemma. A devoted father and a dynamic high school football coach, Ginn didn't want to make a choice between the two. That's why the Cleveland Glenville mentor will take in two games Saturday.
Ginn, whose son Ted Jr. is a freshman member of the Ohio State University football team, plans to be in Columbus for the Buckeyes' noon opener against the University of Cincinnati. Following the game, he will drive to Warren's Mollenkopf Stadium, where his Tarblooders are to face Harding at 7:30.
Ginn says the first meeting between Glenville and Harding is good for the whole state.
''With Warren being such a great program and our's coming on, there are people all around Ohio who will have an interest in the game,'' he said.
''Harding has an outstanding coaching staff and great kids and facilities,'' says Ginn, who says his team is always at a disadvantage against Ohio's other elite programs because Glenville has just four paid assistant coaches and poor facilities.
A former player at Glenville, Ginn has spent the past 28 seasons coaching at his alma mater, first as an unpaid volunteer and then as an assistant. He became the head coach in 1997 and has led Glenville to success.
''It's real tough to go on the road, but our kids only have one home game this year,'' Ginn said. ''It's unfair to my kids that they never get much chance to play a big game on their home field.''
Glenville was, of course, on the road for its opener, turning back perennial playoff participant Mentor, 29-6. Although happy with the win, Ginn said he was disappointed that the Tarblooders were flagged 21 times for more than 200 yards in penalties.
Ginn and Harding coach Thom McDaniels have met only once before. Canton McKinley pulverized Glenville, 72-0, during the Bulldogs' national championship season of 1997, Ginn's first year at the help.
So it's ironic that McDaniels says Glenville's 2004 team is similar to that McKinley powerhouse and his great Harding teams of the past three seasons.
He cites team speed and overall athleticism. McDaniels says Glenville likes to get the fooball to its playermakers in open space and challenge the defense to tackle them there.
He says the Raiders ''must rally to the fooball and be sure tacklers'' if they hope to previent the Tarblooders for striking for big plays.
''They've got more speed so they want a track meet Saturday night. We want a chess match,'' he said.
McDaniels says Ginn has put the Glenville program on the map and now people mention the Tarblooders with the other great programs in Ohio.
While Ginn agrees his team can match the best in terms of talent on the field, he claims yet another disadvantage.
''There are certain things I deal with that most other coaches don't,'' he said. ''My telephone is on 24/7, but that's the way I want it. I'm there for my kids.''
Ginn said it was easy coaching his son, who was one of the most coveted recruits in the country last season.
''That's because he was raised in a coaching environment,'' Ginn said. ''He helped me help the others.''
Ginn said fans coming to Saturday night's showdown won't be disappointed. He says Glenville's Mr. Football candidate Jamario O'Neal will matched up against Harding's Mr. Football candidate Mario Manningham most of the night. The 6-1, 185-pound O'Neal has already committed to OSU, where he will join Ginn in 2005. Manningham has announced he will play at the next level at the University of Michigan, meaning Saturday's confrontation could be the first of many for the two players.
Ginn says there's a good chance that O'Neal will be on the field for every play, including special teams, Saturday night. He expects the same from Manningham.
''He can beat you on special teams,'' Ginn said. ''He's very dangerous.''
Ginn said he is familiar with the Manningham family because he coached some of Mario's uncles at Glenville.
McDaniels says O'Neal is outstanding because he is a player who can be great in variety of positions.
''You have to be very gifted to do that,'' McDaniels said.
Ginn believes he has more than a dozen Division I prospects on his football team, including juniors.
And McDaniels says he might be right.
But Ginn says it takes a total team concept to win.
''You've got to have the preparation and the facilities to get it done,'' he said.
O'Neal transferred to Glenville from Mansfield, where his life took some troubling turns. He lives with Ginn, and the coach talked about it openly.
''His grandfather and my father were friends in Mississippi,'' Ginn said. ''That's why he's with me. I'm not that much in love with Glenville football to bring kids into my home and take up the same space as my son.''
''I've had many other children live at my house for various reasons,'' says Ginn, who said Pierre Woods resided there because he was homeless. ''What about the kids who lived with me in the 1980s? Nobody said anything back then.''
O'Neal and strong safety Freddie Lenix (6-0, 190) are listed among the top players in the nation. Defensive end Curtis Smith (6-1, 250) and running back Tim Connor are also highly rated.
Wide receivers Raymond Small, Devon Jones and Ray Fisher are fast and talented while defensive end Robert Rose (6-6, 230) is a force. Mike Russell (6-3, 310) anchors the offensive line.
McDaniels says he won't use the same quarterback rotation that he used in the opener. Senior Roger Matlock will start and should go most of the way.
Glenville is also inexperienced at the quarterback position as 6-4, 180-pound Arville Nelson calls the signals. Nelson was a backup on the junior varsity team last season.
Ginn says Glenville will throw and run from multiple formations on offense. As for defense he says, ''We simply like to line up and hit.''
While Manningham recovered quickly from a heat-related problem and will be ready to play, the same can not be said for running back Jon Richardson, who injured an ankle and won't play Saturday night. Sophomore Dan Herron will start. Linebacker Ben Elser remains unavailable for the next two weeks.
McDaniels says he was unhappy with the Raiders' performance in a 21-6 season-opening victory over Washington, D.C. Dunbar Saturday.
While McDaniels said there wasn't much to be happy with Saturday's opener, he did cite the play of punter Karime Thoma and the kickoffs of Omar Omar. Sophomore defensive lineman Ian Vasill also got a mention as did senior offensive lineman Dante Campbell.
