Detroit Free Press Best of the Midwest 2005
From the January 28th Detroit Free Press
http://www.freep.com/sports/preps/bmwcapsule28e_20050128.htm
http://www.freep.com/sports/preps/aboutbmw28e_20050128.htm
1.Dan Doering
OL, 6-6, 285, Barrington, Ill.
Led Barrington (6-4) to Class 8A state playoffs. Bench-presses 300 pounds. 5.0 speed. 3.2 GPA. All-USA Today first team. Parade All-America. Illinois Gatorade player of the year. Coach Joe Sanchez: "Danny's a technician and extremely athletic for a kid his size. He moves so well and has such great pad level to block defenders. He can move on pass blocking, and it was very common for us on long runs to have him leading the way." College choice: Iowa.
2.Antonio Bass
WR, 6-2, 195, Jackson
Rushed for 1,246 yards and 15 touchdowns on 147 carries and threw for 528 yards and four touchdowns as quarterback for Vikings (3-6). Caught three passes for 36 yards and scored on a punt return. 4.4 speed. 3.0 GPA. Coach Jack Fairly: "His greatest ability is his explosion while running. He's a power runner when he wants and a finesse runner when he wants. There were plays this year when nine guys would try to tackle him, but he just has too much wiggle. He has power coming out of the breaks." College choice: Michigan.
3.
Jamario O'Neal
CB, 6-0, 190, Cleveland Glenville
Led Glenville (12-2) to Division I state semifinals, making 69 tackles, three sacks, two interceptions and seven pass breakups. Returned two punts for touchdowns, including a 95-yarder. Parade All-America in mold of previous star defensive backs Donte Whitner and Ted Ginn Jr. 3.7 GPA. Coach Ted Ginn: "He can run, he can tackle, he can cover. There's no question it helps with those guys being around. Following in the footsteps of the person before you, it's almost like it's catching." College choice: Ohio State.
4.Dace Richardson
OL, 6-6, 305, Wheaton-Warrenville (Ill.) South
Led South (10-3) to Class 8A state semifinals. Bench-presses 300 pounds; 35 pancake blocks. 5.0 speed. 3.2 GPA. All-USA Today second team. Nine-foot wingspan. Coach Ron Muhitch: "He has great basketball feet for a left tackle. He's very good at power blocking and pro pass blocking. He's young enough that when you tell him to hold a block for six seconds or push a guy 10 yards, he'll do it." College choice: Iowa.
5.Kevin Grady Jr.
RB, 5-10, 225, East Grand Rapids
Led East (10-2) to Division 3 state regional final, rushing 298 times for 2,365 yards and 34 touchdowns. Set state career records for carries (1,154), rushing yards (8,431), touchdowns (151) and consecutive 100-yard games (24). Michigan Gatorade player of the year. Parade All-America. Coach Peter Stuursma: "Everything's been said about his talent. He'll go down in history as one of the best in the state. But I got a chance to be around him every day and his work ethic was second to none. The amazing part about his ability was he got better. Every year he topped himself." College choice: Michigan.
6.Rashard Mendenhall
RB, 5-11, 210, Skokie (Ill.) Niles West
Led Niles West (6-4) to Class 8A state playoffs, rushing for 1,226 yards and 13 touchdowns on 121 carries. Caught 30 passes for 524 yards and six TDs. Had more than 4,500 yards and 46 rushing TDs in his career. 4.4 speed. Holds school records for 100 meters (10.6) and 200 (21.8). 2.8 GPA. Coach Mark Egofske: "He's got the cutting ability that's pretty unique, and he can stop and go. Once he hits the hole and there's daylight he can take it to the house. He's got track speed but can play football." College choice: Illinois.
7.Travis Beckum
LB, 6-5, 220, Oak Creek, Wis.
Made 104 tackles, 30 for loss, 16 sacks, seven interceptions, eight forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and blocked four kicks for Oak Creek (8-3). Caught 22 passes for 506 yards as a tight end. Averaged 41 yards on 31 punts, including a 77-yarder. Won the Punt, Pass and Kick at the U.S. Army All-American Bowl. All-USA Today first team. Parade All-America. Wisconsin player of the year. 4.4 speed. 2.5 GPA. Coach Joe Koch: "He's strong enough at his size that we played him at defensive end. But he can still go out and cover receivers." College choice: Wisconsin.
8.Selwyn Lymon
WR, 6-5, 190, Ft. Wayne (Ind.) Harding
Made 17 receptions for 400 yards and four touchdowns for Harding (7-3). Had five rushing touchdowns and two return touchdowns. Passed for 932 yards and 11 touchdowns in three games at quarterback. Made four interceptions as cornerback. Bench-presses 275 pounds. 4.38 speed. 2.0 GPA. Coach Sherwood Haydock: "We've had other receivers just as good talent-wise, but we never had anyone with the combination of size and speed. His acceleration is amazing on a football field -- that's what separated him. He can take a slant 70 yards like it's nothing." College choice: Purdue.
9.Jake Christensen
QB, 6-1, 190, Lockport, Ill.
Led Lockport (9-1) to Class 8A state playoffs, throwing for 2,924 yards and 36 touchdowns. Passed for more than 9,000 yards in three-year career. Part of two state championships. Parade All-America. Bench-presses 260 pounds. 3.0 GPA. Coach Bret Kooi: "If he picks up a ball and goes to play, whether it's Nerf in the house or Wiffle ball, he's playing to win. He has great feet, a very strong arm and very good football sense. He is a big-play creator. I've never had anyone like him or think I will again." College choice: Iowa.
10.
Alex Boone
OL, 6-8, 305, Lakewood (Ohio) St. Edward
Led St. Edward (10-2) to Division I regional semifinal. All-USA Today first team. Parade All-America. Ohio Mr. Football and Gatorade player of year. 5.1 speed. 2.7 GPA. Coach John Gibbons: "The obvious thing is his size. A lot of guys that big don't move at that level. He's a big guy who showed that he had special ability at an early age. He can bend his knees and can block linebackers. He's got long arms, which is a big asset for an offensive lineman." College choice: Ohio State.
11.Terrance Taylor
DT, 6-1, 285, Muskegon
Led Muskegon (14-0) to Division 2 state title, making 47 tackles, 16 for loss. Coach Tony Annese: "He's 290 pounds and moves like he's 205, and what's remarkable is he has such great physical strength and an ability to run around like he's a back. This year he was determined to help us win a state championship and dominated on both sides of the ball. He played 48 varsity football games, which must be close to a state record. Very rarely will you find a lineman dominate a game like he did." College choice: Michigan.
12.Mario Manningham
WR, 5-11, 165, Warren (Ohio) Harding
Led Harding (8-3) to state playoffs, catching 52 passes for 821 yards (15.8-yard average) and 10 touchdowns. Rushed 24 times for 138 yards (5.8 average) and two touchdowns. Parade All-America. 4.5 speed. 2.2 GPA. Coach Thom McDaniels: "It'd be hard to tackle him in a phone booth. He has better speed than I believed. When he scored four times against Glenville, I knew he was even better. He has confidence in his hands, not like a lot of guys who catch with their body." College choice: Michigan.
13.Brandon Harrison
CB, 5-10, 190, Dayton (Ohio) Chaminade-Julienne
Made three interceptions and rushed for 980 yards for Eagles (9-4). All-Ohio. Was sixth in state 100 meters. 3.0 GPA. Coach Jim Place: "He's a very quick player who is a lockdown defensive back. He loves to play man-press coverage. Brandon had to play both ways. In the playoffs he had a 200-yard rushing, 100-yard receiving and two-interception game. He got better as time went on and will become a better player who has his best days ahead of him." College choice: Michigan.
14.Raymond Henderson
DE, 6-5, 260, Oak Creek, Wis.
Helped Oak Creek (8-3) to second round of state playoffs, making 83 tackles, 23 for loss, and 13 sacks. Made 19 sacks his junior year. 4.65 speed. 3.2 GPA. Coach Joe Koch: "He has an incredible motor and makes every play at the point of attack. He doesn't have a lot of concern for his body, going sideline to sideline. He brings a wallop and is a more powerful explosion type of player with great acceleration." College choice: Tennessee.
15.
Freddie Lenix
ILB, 5-11, 195, Cleveland Glenville
Led Tarblooders (12-2) to Division I state semifinals, making 141 tackles, 77 solos, 12 sacks, seven tackles for loss and two interceptions. Rushed 32 times for 221 yards and three touchdowns. 3.4 GPA. Coach Ted Ginn: "He's in a class of his own. He's a guy that has speed, an awareness on the field, and has a knack for the ball and he's running fast. He's a great tackler. At his size, a lot of people think he's too small. But he's going to be able to run and hit. He can even play tailback and safety." College choice: Ohio State.
16.Ryan Allison
S/WR, 6-3, 205, Lake Orion
Led Dragons (6-4) to state playoffs, making 54 receptions for 926 yards and eight touchdowns. Carried six times for 100 yards and a touchdown. Coach Chris Bell: "He was our speed threat last year, but the added dimension this year was when he caught the ball in the open field. The running after the catch dimension, he exploded with. We have specific plays I called Ryan plays. We had 8-10 plays that were Ryan plays." College choice: Michigan State.
17.Walker Ashley
DT, 6-5, 290, Eden Prairie, Minn.
Made 84 tackles, 25 for loss, 14 sacks, one interception for Eden Prairie (10-1). Scored one touchdown as wide receiver. 4.9 speed. 2.6 GPA. Coach Mike Grant: "He's an outstanding athlete that could have played any position on the field at that size. He's got the best hands on the team. He's got great quickness for his size and he has very good straight-ahead speed. Sometimes he will make a play 40-50 yards downfield. A lot of kids couldn't do what he did." Considering Ohio State, Minnesota, Southern Cal.
18.Javon Ringer
RB, 5-9, 186, Dayton (Ohio) Chaminade-Julienne
Rushed for 1,790 yards and 21 touchdowns in seven games this season before sustaining a major knee injury. Rushed for more than 6,400 yards in three years. All-Ohio; fourth in voting for Mr. Football. Ran a 10.6 100-meter dash. Black belt in karate. Coach Jim Place: "He has all the qualities of a great football player. We had Pernell Williams, now at West Virginia, and when he left the team late in the year, we made Javon the go-to guy and he took off." College choice: Michigan State.
19.Mister Simpson
FB, 6-0, 208, Cincinnati Colerain
Led Cardinals (15-0) to Division I state title, rushing for 1,325 yards (8.2 per carry) and 24 touchdowns. Bench-presses 400 pounds. 2.5 GPA. Coach Kerry Coombs: "The thing that separates Mister from other high school players is there's a physical nature he plays with. We're a triple-option team and we put Mister at fullback and he gets hit a lot, but he will also go out of his way to hit somebody else. He's got an unbelievable stiff-arm. He would be a tailback for a lot of people." College choice: Michigan.
20.Jason Werner
LB, 6-5, 200, Indianapolis Roncalli
Led Roncalli (13-2) to the Class 4A state championship, its third consecutive title, making 88 tackles and 15 interceptions. Scored five touchdowns as wide receiver. Indiana Mr. Football. 4.4 speed. 3.6 GPA. Coach Bruce Scifres: "He has great hands, great leaping ability, is a great hitter. He was such a huge playmaker for us. Over the six-game tournament, he had nine interceptions and had two games where he scored the game-winning touchdown with a minute to go." College choice: Purdue.
Thirteen other players who received multiple votes made the honorable mention list from the 80-player ballot (college choices in parentheses):
Chris McLaurin, DE, Orchard Lake St. Mary's (Michigan); Joey Elliott, QB, Evansville Harrison (Purdue); Anthony Moeaki, TE, Wheaton-Warrenville South (Iowa); Trey Stross, WR, Avon Lake, Ohio (Iowa);
Lawrence Wilson, DE, Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary (Notre Dame, Ohio State, Florida); J.B. Paxson, DE, Greenwood Center Grove in Indiana (Purdue); Adam Myers-White, S, Hamilton, Ohio (Tennessee);
Andre Amos, WR, Middletown, Ohio (Ohio State); B.J. Travers, LB, Westlake, Ohio (Iowa); Alex Magee, DT, Oswego, Ill. (Purdue); Pat Angerer, LB, Bettendorf, Iowa (Iowa); Tim McAvoy, OL, Bloomington, Ill. (Michigan); Ryan Bain, LB, Bolingbrook, Ill. (Iowa).
Others receiving votes:
MICHIGAN (7): Evan Sharpley, QB, Marshall (Notre Dame); David Grimes, WR, Detroit DePorres (Notre Dame); Carson Butler, WR, Detroit Renaissance (Michigan); Andrew Hawken, LB, Grandville (Michigan State); Otis Wiley, DB, Flint Carman-Ainsworth (Michigan State); Joel Nitchman, OL, Kalamazoo Hackett (Michigan State); Terrence Blevins, RB, Detroit Denby (Indiana, Toledo, Eastern Michigan).
MINNESOTA (5):
James Laurinaitis, LB, Plymouth Wayzata (Ohio State); Eric Decker, WR, Cold Spring (Minnesota); Joey Hiben, TE, Waconia (Notre Dame); Rafael Eubanks, OL, St. Paul Cretin-Derham Hall (Iowa); Ryan Ruckdashel, OT, Apple Valley Eastview (Minnesota).
IOWA (4): Tyler Blum, TE, Walnut (Iowa); Alex Kanellis, DT, Iowa City (Iowa); Trent Flander, TE, West Des Moines Dowling (Iowa State); Andy Kuempel, OL, Marion Linn Mar (Iowa).
ILLINOIS (3): Tom McAndrew, DE, Glen Ellyn Glenbard West (Stanford); Eric Hedstrom, OL, Mt. Prospect Prospect (Purdue); Sam Porter, LB, Chicago Morgan Park (Ball State).
INDIANA (2): Dray Mason, CB, Indianapolis Bishop Chatard (Purdue); Michael Neal, DE, Merrillville (Purdue).
OHIO (2):
Brian Hartline, WR, Canton GlenOak (Ohio State);
Todd Denlinger, DL, Troy (Ohio State).
WISCONSIN (1): DeAndre Levy, LB, Milwaukee Vincent (Wisconsin)
About the Best of the Midwest:
Today the Free Press presents its 17th annual Best of the Midwest team. The team was chosen by college recruiting coordinators nationwide with an eye on the Feb. 2 signing date. (The signing period ends April 1.) Each was asked to pick 20 prospects from the traditional Big Ten states: Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Minnesota, Ohio and Wisconsin. The ballot was compiled by sports writer Mark Snyder with the help of Tom Lemming, publisher of Prep Football Report and recruiting analyst for ESPN.com. Of the 80 recruits who made the ballot, 58 received votes. The top 20 vote-getters made the team.
Ohio led the pack with seven picks -- the 10th straight year it had the most BMW selections. Michigan and Illinois were next (four each), followed by Wisconsin and Indiana (two each) and Minnesota (one). No players from Iowa finished in the top 20.
Eleven schools on this year's list have placed players on previous teams: Oak Creek, Wis. (two this year); Cleveland Glenville (two); Dayton Chaminade-Julienne (two); Wheaton-Warrenville South in Illinois; Ft. Wayne Harding; Lockport, Ill.; Lakewood St. Edward of Ohio; Warren Harding of Ohio; Lake Orion; Eden Prairie, Minn., and Cincinnati Colerain.
Cleveland St. Ignatius leads all schools with nine players selected to the team in 17 years. Bolingbrook, Ill., is second with seven players. Cleveland Glenville has six. St. Paul (Minn.) Cretin-Derham Hall, Oak Lawn (Ill.) Richards, Warren Harding, Farmington Hills Harrison, Detroit King and Oak Creek are next with five each. Birmingham Detroit Country Day, Detroit Pershing, Forest Park (Ill.) Rich East, Joliet (Ill.) Catholic, Massillon (Ohio) Washington and Westerville (Ohio) South each have four.
