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High School 2005 North/South Game Observations

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On the Crew Stadium website:

Grange Insurance Ohio North-South Classic
Date: Saturday June 18, 2005
Time: 7:00 p.m
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The best high school football players in Ohio will be on display when the 60th annual Ohio All-Star Classic, sponsored by Grange Insurance, comes to Crew Stadium. The nation’s longest running high school football all-star game will again feature most of the top graduating prep football players in Ohio, including members of The Ohio State University’s 2005 recruiting class.

Tickets are available at the Crew Stadium Ticket Office or through the Ohio High School Football Coaches Association.

Tickets are $10.00. This event is general admission seating.

For more information please call Crew Stadium Ticket Office at 614-447-2739.

Tickets currently on sale.

ONN.com says their running 'Ohio Tonight' during the game time. I checked DirecTV and didn't see it on any of the local channels either. I might have to get off my lazy butt and go down there :)
 
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Here's an Ozone feature on the North-South game.

ozone

Nine Future Buckeyes to Play in North-South All-Star Game
By John Porentas
The annual North-South All-Star game will be played at Columbus Crew Stadium this Friday at 7:00 PM. A total of nine future Buckeyes will be in uniform when the teams take the field.
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<TABLE width=400 align=center border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>
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[font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Back Row: Andrew Moses (53), Andre Amos (2), Austin Spitler (51), Robby Schoenhoft (12), Todd Denlinger (92)
Front Row: Lawrence Wilson (84), Jamario O'Neal (8), Alex Boone (61), Fred Lenix (5)
[/font][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]Photo by Jim Davidson[/font]​
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For the South, wide receiver Andre Amos, quarterback Robby Schoenhoft, offensive lineman/long snapper Andrew Moses, linebacker Austin Spitler, and defensive lineman Todd Denlinger will be in action. The North will counter with future Buckeye linebacker Fred Lenix, defensive back Jamario O'Neal, offensive lineman Alex Boone and defensive lineman/tight end Lawrence Wilson.
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For each of these athletes, the game will serve as the culmination of their high school careers and the beginning of the college careers. Denlinger attended the game in conjunction with the Ohio State youth camp a number of years back and remembers the experience well.
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"I was at Ohio State camp three years ago and there were some great athletes out there. I said to myself 'Wow, how good would it be to play in that, and here I am now, one of those players, and there will be little kids up there in the stadium saying they would like to be out there some day," Denlinger said.
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"It' sad that it's the end of my high school career, but in the process it's the start of my college career and I get to play against some great athletes.
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"It's a fun, competitive game. The key is to go out and have fun and stay safe, but in the process there's going to be some heads crackin' and blood flying more than likely."
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Lenix, the speedy linebacker from Cleveland Glenville, will have to wait awhile before suiting up for the Buckeyes despite his participation in the North-South game.
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"They've got me wearing a gray shirt because I didn't get accepted by the University," said Lenix.
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"I was approved by the clearing house and my grades were good. I don't know the reason I didn't get accepted. The next best thing is a gray shirt," said Lenix.
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Lenix will attend Cuyahoga Community College this fall in the hopes of gaining entrance to Ohio State this winter.
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"I'll be at Tri-C in Cleveland taking some classes that are transferable to Ohio State," said Lenix.
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"To me, it was a down thing for me, because it's a whole year off football. I need that year just to get set, but it does give me another year to mature more and go down there with the right mind-set."
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The OSU coaching staff has given Lenix a simple mandate while attending community college.
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"Just to keep my grades up. They told me to keep a B average and I'll be good going down to Ohio State."
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According to Lenix, the suggestion that he attend community college came from the OSU coaching staff.
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"They said it still gives me a chance to come down and play for them," he said.
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"Coach Tressel came down and told me personally. It was good that he did it that way instead of finding out some other way."
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Lenix was refused admission to OSU after signing his letter of intent with the Buckeyes. According to Lenix, he never considered going anywhere else except OSU.
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"It wasn't a big thing. A lot of people thought that since I could have gotten a release I would probably leave and go to either Wisconsin or Iowa or Michigan State, but I'm going to stay. I never asked for a release. It's really important to me going to Ohio State. I've got a one-year old son and that gives me chance to stay close to him. Another big thing for me is that I like playing in Ohio. It gives me a chance to play here," Lenix said.
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Player Notes:
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* Cornerback is seen as a position of need at Ohio State, and Jamario O'Neal is eying that position as he comes to Ohio State. O'Neal will begin school this summer and will work out with the Buckeyes this summer.
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"They said that basically I will start out at corner and play nickel, but next year or the year after, I'll probably convert to safety," said O'Neal.
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"That if I can come in and get the job done, then I'm going to get the job done. Basically, it's wide open."
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O'Neal said that the decision for him to enter school early was a group decision.
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"Me, my coach, my father, everybody, we just sat down and talked it out. I felt like it was the best thing to do rather than me sitting around and not getting any work in, to come in and get some credit-hours for school and work out."
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When he arrives, O'Neal will not be playing for the coach that was his primary recruiter. That was Mel Tucker, who has departed the Buckeye staff for the Cleveland Browns. O'Neal is comfortable with Tucker's replacements.
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"I talked to coach Haynes, and they brought in another coach that's going to be a specialist, Coach Beckman with safeties, so there's going to be a safety coach and a corner coach.," said O'Neal.
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"I got a chance to work out with coach Haynes in my 12th-grade summer camp, and he's a real good coach."
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* Lawrence Wilson is looking forward to the North-South game.
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"It's very exciting. You get to play with all these great players and test yourself against Ohio's best. It's very, very exciting," said Wilson.
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Wilson left little doubt about his competitive nature when he talked about his expectations for the game.
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"I came here to win. I'm excited to have fun too but I want to win," he said.
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Wilson has everything it takes to be a contributor early at OSU, including a serious upward curve in his size.
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"I weight 255, 258, somewhere around there. I played at maybe 230 in high school. I've training really hard about three days a week with a trainer and I've gotten considerably bigger," said Wilson.
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Wilson said that the new-found size has not affected his impressive speed.
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"I was clocked at 4.56 (in the 40) a couple of weeks ago. I think I could run 4.51, 4.52,"
Wilson said.
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* At 6-8, 325, Alex Boone is an impressive physical specimen. What may be even more impressive is his incredible attitude. Take, for instance, his attitude toward playing against potential teammates and friends in the North-South game.
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"My brother and I were talking about it. If they're on the field, they're not my friends, and that's the truth," said Boone.
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"I'm going to go out there and just try and tear them up just like I do everybody else. I'm not going to let up on them and I'm not going to feel bad for them, and I hope they do the same because out there we're out there to play football," Boone said.
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Boone may be the plum of the incoming recruiting class and was in Columbus to observe much of spring ball. There's no doubt that Boone is working hard at making an early impact.
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"I've got most the plays down, and basically what it's like to be out there and play and how to understand football from a college aspect," said Boone.
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"I talk to Robbie (Sims) a lot and I talk to Nick (Mangold) a lot about what's going on, and Coach Bollman and Coach Rudolph are always there helping me out with things. It's basically just learning."
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Boone says he is capable of picking up the system simply by observing and taking part in film study.
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"I can and do," Boone said.
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"Watching Robbie and those guys I can feel how they feel and I can see it and do it. It's actually pretty easy."
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"When I watch film Robbie will point something out, he'll see a guy leaning, and you've got to know that if you see a guy leaning that there's a guy coming around, and I've picked up on that stuff. Now that I've watched film I can see it, I can see it myself when somebody is leaning and I think that there's somebody blitzing. Just little things like that."
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Boone committed to OSU between his sophomore and junior seasons and has been waiting for his Buckeye career to commence ever since.
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"Oh my god I cannot wait," he said.
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"It's a week away and I want it to be tomorrow. I've been waiting two-and-a-half years and I've been counting them down."
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"It's the middle of the afternoon, it's hot, and I'm starting school next week. I cannot wait. I'm pumped."
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Boone has heard all the talk about OSU's potential this season and agrees. the Buckeyes could be very good this year.
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"I hear it all the time, that we're going to do this and we're going to do that and we're going to be great. It's all true. We have a great team with great people and great players and we are going to be great hopefully," he said.
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"I want to fit in and be a big part of it, I really do, but whatever they want me to do, I will do, and I won't gripe. I want to be a left tackle, but whatever they want me to do, I'll do it," said Boone.
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Boone said that his game is complete, and he is not limited to just run blocking or pass blocking.
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"I think it's 50-50, but I prefer pass protection," he said.
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"I like sitting back and waiting for people to come to me, but at the same time I like to get after people. Passing is more of a technique thing. You can't expect to just come back and get it done. You have to be ready for it, and that's why I like it, when people are coming at you.
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* The first thing you notice about wide receiver Andre Amos is that his hands seem too large for his body. Not that he is small at 6-2, but Amos' hands are large, and according to reports, very sure and soft. For Amos, playing in the North-South game is something he really could not have envisioned four years ago.
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"Actually I really wasn't thinking about this kind of stuff four years ago. I was just taking my time about it. I'm excited," he said.
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"It's something maybe like a dream really. There's all these high-caliber athletes out here and you get to see them every day and be around them and see the things that they do."
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Like Boone, Amos has heard the talk of OSU's chances at making a national championship run this year and is excited by the idea.
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"That's more than ask for, to be a part of something great like that. When you win national championships, those kind of things last forever," he said.
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"I see myself fitting maybe on the spread, four wides or five wides, just to get in the mix a little bit. I like most of the shorter routes, timing routes, that sort of stuff. Once I get it in my hands I like to make big plays, make things happen. I like the deep ball too," said Amos describing his game.
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My biggest asset is probably my speed, and I think I have real good vision. I can see a lot of stuff, like people behind me or to the side of me, awareness. I run about a 4.4. I'm 6-2, 170."
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* Like Amos, linebacker Austin Spitler said that playing the North-South was not something he could envision four years ago.
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"My goodness no," he said.
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"It's truly and honor to be here with all these great guys. I never would have thought I would be a part of this."
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Spitler has his eyes set on earning playing time this season, but says he will not pout if that doesn't work out.
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"You have to set goals, and my goal is to play special teams if I can," he said.
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"Redshirting, if it happens, is a positive. You look at it in a positive way because you're going to get that much better and you get a whole extra year."
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* Offensive lineman Andrew Moses is the mystery man of the incoming OSU players. Moses will walk on at OSU as a center/long snapper.
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"I got a lot of offers in the MAC and I got an academic scholarship at Ohio State. It (attending OSU) just seemed like the right thing to do," said Moses.
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Moses is an honors student and will participate in the honors program at Ohio State. That distinction has already earned him a nickname with his new teammates.
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"My new nickname is 'Honors,'" he said.
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"I play center or guard, I long snap as well. It just seemed like there was a lot of opportunity in all three places in a couple of years, and obviously long-snapping is a need, Coach Tressel has talked about that, and the guy who is doing that are doing a good job, but I wanted to see how I could do."
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"I've done it (long snapped) in state championships in the mud and everything else. My brother long snapped as well," he said.
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Moses isn't just bright. He's also big and athletic.
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"I'm 6-4, about 265, almost 270. My 40 time is just under 5.0.
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I got a couple of letters and went to their camp over the summer. I really like their school. They've got a really good honors program and Ohio State is one of the best schools in Ohio. Their honors program and their political science program is one of the best in the country. With school and football, it just seemed like the best fit for me.
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* Quarterback Robby Schoenhoft knows that the outcome of the North-South game is important.
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"With all the Ohio State guys on the north, there's a lot of bragging rights on the line," he said.
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Schoenhoft will be participating in the Big 33 game as well, which will limit the time he can spend with the Buckeyes this summer, but says that's what the OSU coaching staff has urged him to do.
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"I'll be going there some seven-on-seven. I'll get there for two tuesdays, but the coaching staff has pretty much told me to enjoy my summer because with the two all-star games I'm going to be playing in, that's enough practice," he said.
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