Mo Clarrett his senior year put up 312 yards and 5 TDs on 13 carries in the first half of a play off game against #4 in the state Lakewood St Edward his senior year. I called all my Buckeye friends to tell them about this kid who was going to start as a frosh. As Paul Harvey would say...........
I was at that game (I was in the marching band at WGH) and it was crazy. WGH really blew that game open. That was by far the best performance that I've ever seen in HS. Here are the best performances that I've seen, starting with #2. FWIW, I've seen games where players may have had better stats, like Clarett's 6 carries for 225 yards & 6 TD (4 rushing, 1 punt return, & kickoff return) against Cleveland South in 2001, but these performances came in big games against solid and even great teams.
#2. Mario Manningham vs. Glenville (2004)- He broke the game open on the third play, scoring from 66 yards out. Finished with 7 catches for 257 & 3 TDs. He also returned an INT 50 yards for the game winning score with a minute left.
#3. Mario Manningham vs. Massillon Washington (2002)- This is the game that started it all for MM. Seeing his first legitimate PT of his HS career in week 9 of 2002 in the USA Today Game of the Week, Manningham scored 4 TDs (2 receiving, 1 punt return, 1 kickoff return) to lead WGH past Massillon Washington 31-27. His two touchdown catches came in the game's final 7 minutes.
#4. Tyrell Sutton vs. WGH (2004)- WGH won this game on the road 49-35, but afterward I was convinced that I saw one of the best players in HS history. I heard a lot about Sutton leading up to the game. including details about his 505 yard & 8 TD performance against Youngstown Ursuline earlier that year, but I had never seen him play before that day. 404 yards & 4 TDs later, I was convinced that he was the best HS player in Ohio in 2004.
#5. Mike Doss vs. WGH (1998)- I don't remember his official stats from this game, but I remember leaving Fawcett Stadium very unhappy because of Mike Doss. With Canton McKinley trailing 16-7 late in the game, Doss put his team on his back and led them to a 20-16 victory over WGH. He was Mr. Everything that day, scoring TDs on the ground and on special teams against one of the toughest WGH teams in recent memory.