The much anticipated 2020 high school football season is scheduled to start Aug. 28 in Ohio and La Salle hopes to pick up where it left off in 2019. The Lancers, coming off a state Division II championship, are No. 1 in the MaxPreps preseason computer rankings.
La Salle, 13-2 last season, won its fourth state title since 2014 and returns some top-end talent led by one of the top secondaries in the state with
Devonta Smith (6-foot, 185 pounds),
Jaylen Johnson (6-1, 200),
Iesa Jarmon (6-1, 180) and
Jaymar Mundy (6-0, 170).
Pickerington Central (14-1) finished No. 1 in the final computer rankings last season after winning its second state Division I title in three years with a 21-14 win over Elder. The Tigers start No. 2 in 2020 and are led by Division I prospects
Lorenzo Styles, a 6-1, 170-pound senior wide receiver and 6-5, 185-pound safety
Garner Wallace.
Third-ranked Mentor (13-1) lost in the Division I semifinals to Pickerington Central and outscored opponents 602-199 during a banner season. Steve Trivisonno's squad has gone a combined 24-3 the last two seasons and appears on the brink of claiming its first state championship.
See the complete list below. Click on team links for schedules, rosters and previews.
Ohio Preseason MaxPreps Top 25
2.
Pickerington Central (Pickerington), 14-1
3.
Mentor, 13-1
4.
Washington (Massillon), 14-1
5.
St. Xavier (Cincinnati), 9-3
6.
Elder (Cincinnati), 12-3
7.
Dublin Coffman (Dublin), 10-3
8.
St. Edward (Lakewood), 11-2
9.
Colerain (Cincinnati), 11-2
10.
Archbishop Hoban (Akron), 11-2
11.
Central Catholic (Toledo), 13-1
12.
St. Ignatius (Cleveland), 5-5
13.
Winton Woods (Cincinnati, Ohio), 6-3
14.
Anna, 14-1
15.
Euclid, 9-3
16.
Springfield, 12-2
17.
Avon Lake, 11-2
18.
McKinley (Canton), 9-3
19.
Westerville Central (Westerville), 7-4
20.
Avon, 13-1
21.
Fairfield, 10-2
22.
Dublin Jerome (Dublin), 9-3
23.
St. John's Jesuit (Toledo), 8-4
24.
Groveport-Madison (Groveport), 10-3
25.
Olentangy Liberty (Powell), 10-2
Lorenzo Styles is one of the top players for No. 2 Pickerington Central.
Photo by Jeff Harwell
