Columbus East

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Tigers must replace strong senior class
By JARROD ULREY
ThisWeek Staff Writer
With as much experience and one
of its most talented offensive units
since coach Mike White took over in
1998, the Columbus East High School
football team posted its first non-los-
ing season a year ago since going
8-3 in 1999.
Things could turn out to be much
tougher this season for the Tigers,
who open Friday at Eastmoor
Academy.
After going 5-5 overall and 4-3 in
the City League-North Division to
finish fifth behind Beechcroft (6-1),
Brookhaven (5-2), Mifflin (5-2) and
Northland (5-2), the Tigers have just
32 players out — few of whom have
experience.
“We’re real young,” said White,
who has gone 23-67 in nine seasons.
“We’re working on everything. We
don’t really have any strengths or
weaknesses right now because we’re
working from the ground up.”
At a glance
COLUMBUS EAST TIGERS
Colors: Orange and black
Coach: Mike White, 10th season
Key players: Chris Carter, David Elliott,
Chris Miller, Lamar Smoots, James Swan-
son and Tyrone Willoughby
On the Web: columbus.k12.oh.us/
east/index.html
2007 SCHEDULE
Aug. 28 ........Eastmoor ..................Away
Aug. 31 ........West........................Home
Sept. 7.........Cincinnati Aiken........Home
Sept. 14.......Northland ..................Away
Sept. 21.......Whetstone ...............Home
Sept. 28.......Beechcroft ...............Home
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The Tigers had one of the strongest
senior classes a year ago among City-
North teams. Jonathan Willoughby
is gone from the backfield after rush-
ing for more than 1,600 yards as a
junior when he was special mention
all-district and more than 900 yards
Oct. 5...........Centennial.................Away
Oct. 12.........Brookhaven ...............Away
Oct. 19.........Mifflin ......................Home
Oct. 26.........Linden .....................Home
2006 RESULTS
(5-5 overall, 4-3 City-North)
Eastmoor .................................L, 40-14
South..................................L, 18-8 (OT)
Briggs........................................W, 30-0
Whetstone...................................W, 6-3
Beechcroft..................................L, 22-2
Centennial...............................W, 34-14
Brookhaven ..............................L, 27-12
Mifflin.......................................L, 22-17
Northland ..................................W, 14-0
Linden.......................................W, 18-6
last season. Trey Fowlkes, who was
first-team all-district and made the
ThisWeek Super 25, now is playing
for Hampton. Willie Poindexter, who
finished with 147 tackles and was
second-team all-district, is compet-
ing for a junior college in Iowa.
Also lost to graduation were Sher-
man Moorer-Saunders (QB) and
Scott Craft (WR/DB).
Senior Chris Miller (5-foot-10, 180
pounds) played last year at corner-
back and wide receiver but will lead
an I-formation offense at quarterback.
Senior Chris Carter and sophomore
Anthony Curry will be the tailbacks
and senior Donovan Miller and sopho-
more Adrian McGee are at fullback.
Sophomore T.C. Turner will lead the
wide receiver corps.
Junior James Swanson (6-1, 175)
made second-team all-City last year
and will play at wide receiver or on
the offensive line. Junior Tyrone
Willoughby (6-1, 185), who is
Jonathan’s brother, is expected to be
at tight end or on the offensive line
and junior Josh Williams also will
play at tight end.
Senior Russell Morgan, juniors
David Elliott (C, 5-7, 240), Patrick
Jones and Jeff Pearson (T) and sopho-
more Lamar Smoots (6-0, 260) are
others who should play on the offen-
sive line.
“Offensively we looked good (in
a scrimmage Aug. 11 against Har-
vest Prep and Linden-McKinley) but
there are some things we need to work
on,” Tyrone Willoughby said. “I think
it’s been going well so far.”
Defensively, East will use a 5-2
package that features Swanson at
linebacker, Willoughby and Williams
at end and Elliott, Morgan and Pear-
son at tackle. Jones should see action
throughout the line.
Joining Swanson at linebacker will
be McGee, while Carter and Turner
will be at cornerback, Miller will play
free safety and Diante Ward will be
at strong safety.
In league play last season, the
Tigers’ 14-0 victory over Northland
kept the Vikings from earning a
share of the City-North title.
“Our defense will be quick to the
ball,” White said. “Offensively we’re
going to have to struggle to find our-
selves. We won five games last year
and we’d like to improve on that.”

Mifflin

Punchers focusing
on conditioning
By JARROD ULREY
ThisWeek Staff Writer
During the minutes that followed his team’s
opening scrimmage against 2006 Division IV
playoff qualifier Eastmoor on Aug. 10, Mifflin
High School football coach Brian Miller greeted
several onlookers with the observation, “We’ve
got to get in better shape.”
He had only about 35 players that day, and
the Punchers should have 50 on the sidelines
when they open Friday at Gahanna.
Still, despite having athleticism as one of its
strengths, Mifflin knows it will have fewer bod-
ies to work with than most of its opponents.
At a glance
MIFFLIN PUNCHERS
Colors: Blue and white
Coach: Brian Miller, fifth season
Key players: Adrian Arter, Desmond Hairston, Den-
zel Kenley, DeShawn Morton, Jordan Stanley, Isaiah
Thompson and Ray Watters
On the Web: mifflinhs.org
2007 SCHEDULE
Aug. 24..............Gahanna ............................Away
Aug. 31..............Marion-Franklin .................Home
Sept. 7...............Walnut Ridge ......................Away
Sept. 14 ............Centennial .........................Away
Sept. 21 ............Beechcroft........................Home
Sept. 28 ............Northland .........................Home

“We’re going to be doing a lot of condition-
ing or Gahanna is going to kill us,” Miller said.
“We were probably only at about 50 percent (in
the opening scrimmage) of where we need to
be.”
For the third season in a row, two of the Punch-
ers’three non-league opponents made the play-
offs the year before.After facing the Lions, who
were 8-4 and pounded the Punchers 40-0 last
year, Mifflin plays host to Division II playoff-
qualifier Marion-Franklin onAug. 31. The Punch-
ers have replaced Worthington Kilbourne, which
made the playoffs two years ago, with Walnut
Ridge (away, Sept. 7).
The Punchers lost their first five last season,
including 34-20 to eventual City League-North
Division champion Beechcroft, but won their
final five, including edging Brookhaven 6-0 in
the finale. That victory kept the Bearcats from
earning a share of the title with Beechcroft and
gave the Punchers a tie with Brookhaven and
Northland for second at 5-2 in the City-North
behind the Cougars (6-1).
After finishing 7-4 in 2002 under former coach
Brian Staats, Mifflin has gone 19-21 in four sea-
sons under Miller and hasn’t made it back to the
playoffs.
If the Punchers are to reach that goal, they
will do so with sophomore Desmond Hairston
August 22, 2007 • Central Ohio High School Football Preview ’07
Oct. 5 ................Linden ...............................Away
Oct. 12 ..............Whetstone........................Home
Oct. 19 ..............East...................................Away
Oct. 26 ..............Brookhaven ......................Home
2006 RESULTS
(5-5 overall, 5-2 City-North)
Gahanna...................................................L, 40-0
Marion-Franklin..........................................L, 12-2
Worthington Kilbourne ...............................L, 21-0
Beechcroft ..............................................L, 34-20
Northland .................................................L, 24-6
Linden ...................................................W, 22-12 By Paul Vernon/ThisWeek
Whetstone ...............................................W, 20-0 Mifflin’s DeShawn Morton, who was second-team all-City last year, returns at fullback for
East ......................................................W, 22-17
Centennial ...............................................W, 14-6 the Punchers. Mifflin opens the season Friday at Gahanna.
Brookhaven................................................W, 6-0
Carlos Hardiman. didn’t want to show too much, but I feel like we
BE THE ONE to Senior Isaiah Thompson (6-0, 185), who did pretty good (in the first scrimmage),” Ken-
champion played at Hartley last season, will be at wide
receiver along with senior Curtis Anderson.
ley said. “We just need to keep working hard,
be dedicated and have everybody coming to
life for patients in need.
Senior Toure Benton (6-3, 210) will be at tight practice. I think we’ve got a great team. We def-
1-800-GIVE-LIFE end. initely have the athletes.”
BloodSavesLives.org
Senior Denzel Kenley is back at center after Benton, Kenley and Watters will lead a defen-
making second-team all-City and is a captain sive line that also includes senior Kenny Boateng.
(6-foot-3, 180 pounds) as their quarterback to along with Arter, Thompson and senior tackle Morton and Hardiman are at linebacker. Join-
start the season. Chris Harris, a 5-7 senior, saw Ray Watters (6-1, 250). ing Harris in the secondary are sophomores Mar-
action behind center last season but is expected Joining them on the line are freshmanAnthony vin McCombs and Jaylin Littlefield and junior
to play strong safety. Pruitt (6-4, 308) and juniors Mike Gardner (6- Abdulwahab Dhudhi.
Junior DeShawn Morton (5-8, 210), who 3, 275) and Jordan Stanley (6-4, 335). Stanley “We were second in the league last year and
made second-team all-City, is back at fullback made second-team all-City last year but missed won our last five games,” Miller said. “I don’t
and will be joined in the backfield by senior the first scrimmage with a hand injury. expect to lose. We took a step last year and I
AdrianArter, junior Jorell Davis and sophomore “We were missing a couple players and we don’t expect a letdown.” 55