As teams prepare for the 2023 high school football season, here is a look at the players 2022 whose graduation leaves their respective teams with the biggest shoes to fill in attempting to replace them.
■ Central Catholic duo of Ty'Waun Clark and Chris Edmonds
After Central Catholic had captured its fourth state playoff championship last December, the Fighting Irish had plenty of significant contributors to that success on offense, defense, and special teams.
But, when things got tight in the toughest postseason tests for the Irish, two seniors stood out in Central's Division II title run — quarterback Ty'Waun Clark and running back Chris Edmonds.
Clark's coolness under pressure in a 52-49 state semifinal win over Kings Mills Kings enabled the Irish to survive, and his great execution, especially early, allowed Central Catholic to grab an early lead in its 28-21 triumph in the state championship game over perennial power Akron Archbishop Hoban.
“Ty'Waun Clark was the leader of our offense for two very successful years,” Central coach Greg Dempsey said. “He was a dangerous dual-threat QB that could hurt you with his arm and his legs. His improvisation skills are something that will be very hard to replace.”
On the season, Clark was 157 of 233 passing for 2,162 yards and 23 touchdowns, plus rushed 149 times for 937 yards and 13 scores
As for Edmonds, he simply consistently delivered the crucial yards and touchdowns whenever they were needed. The TRAC offensive player of the year, D-II all-district offensive co-POY, and first team All-Ohioan carried 312 times for 2,134 yards and scored 34 touchdowns.
“Chris Edmonds was a workhorse for two years,” Dempsey said. “Chris was able to carry the ball over 25 times a game, and be as strong in the fourth quarter as he was in the first.
“He was able to break off big runs, and get the tough yards. That is a lot to replace in any offense.”
■ Perrysburg combo of Connor Walendzak and T.J. Takats
In winning a Northern Lakes League title and advancing to the third round of the Division I playoffs, Perrysburg also had key contributions from several players.
But, at the core of the 11-2 Yellow Jackets' winning formula was the senior duo of running back/linebacker Connor Walendzak, and quarterback TJ Takats.
“Both of these guys were tremendous players and will hold their own places in Perrysburg football history,” Yellow Jackets coach Dirk Conner said. “But they also were tremendous teammates, who I know were good mentors to their replacements and will be rooting for them to be even better than they were.”
Walendzak concluded his superb four-year varsity career, including three as a starter at running back, by earning All-Ohio honors for the third time (first team 2020 and 2022, second team 2021).
The Blade's 2022 player of the year also excelled on defense at linebacker (120 tackles, 16 TFL, 6½ sacks) in also being named NLL POY and D-I Northwest district offensive POY.
He rushed 227 times for 1,678 yards, caught 29 passes for 311 yards, and scored 29 total touchdowns. Walendzak closed his three-year run at RB with 4,411 rusing yards and 64 TDs.
“In Connor's absence this year, offensively, we will have to be a little more diverse and mix things up more consistently,” Conner said. “There were times when you stay basic and make sure he gets his touches, because he can turn the ordinary play into extraordinary.
“Defensively, schemes will change less, and we feel we have a great piece in Joe Seney to do a lot of the things that Connor was able to do.”
As for Takats, his dual-threat production triggered the Perrysburg offense. He was 168 of 259 passing for 2,191 yards and 28 touchdowns with just five interceptions, and rushed 146 times for 589 yards and 10 scores.
“In TJ's absence this year we hope to be able to continue the success he was able to give us in the passing game, and also be as effective in the run game as he was,” Conner said. “One big change for us is that TJ was left handed and our offensive line and run schemes played off of that dynamic. But, we will be moving back to a right-handed quarterback this season.”
■ Connor Smith, Gibsonburg running back/linebacker
When Connor Smith graduated from Gibsonburg a few months back, there was little the relentless, 5-8, 180-pound standout had left undone as a true workhorse on both sides of the ball.
In leading the Golden Bears to a 10-3 record and a school-best third-round advancement in the Division VII playoffs, Smith closed a superb career by rushing 370 times for 3,433 yards and scoring 48 total touchdowns (47 rushing). On defense, he made 170 tackles (11 for losses) and added four sacks.
“Conner is a huge loss for the Gibsonburg football program,” Golden Bears coach Joe Wyant said. “Losing his 3,433 yards rushing, his 170 tackles on defense, plus his leadership, which the whole team followed, is irreplaceable.
“Because of the work ethic that Connor demonstrated — on the field and in the weight room — the returning players are working harder in an attempt to fill his shoes.”
In his career, Smith carried 796 times for 6,929 yards (8.7-yard average) and scored 100 touchdowns. His career numbers on defense rose to 457 tackles, 31 TFL, 7½ sacks, and 7 interceptions.
■ Joe Caswell, Anthony Wayne running back
By the time Anthony Wayne had lost two quarterbacks to injury in the first five games of the 2022 season, opponents had a pretty good idea that Generals senior running back Joe Caswell would be getting the football on a large majority of the plays.
Those defenses that loaded up the box to shut down Caswell, however, were often unsuccessful, as the hard-to-tackle 6-1, 195-pounder gained a program-record 2,222 yards on 276 carries, and scored 32 of AW’s 40 (80 percent) total offensive touchdowns.
This production followed a solid junior season in which Caswell had 1,788 rushing yards on 237 carries, and scored 29 touchdowns in leading the Generals (9-3) to an NLL title in 2021, when he was named the league's player of the year.
After both seasons, Caswell was named first team Division II all-district and second team All-Ohio.
“Joe broke the school rushing record his junior year, and followed that up his senior year by breaking his record,” AW coach Andy Brungard said. “He amassed over 4,000 yards and 61 touchdowns along with leading our team to a 19-5 record. His off-the-field work ethic, toughness, and humility will be missed.”
■ Case Boos, Eastwood QB-RB-DB
The lightning-quick 5-10, 157-pounder led Eastwood to an NBC title and to the third round of the Division V playoffs.
After playing receiver his junior year with older brother Lake Boos at quarterback for the Eagles, Eastwood coach Craig Rutherford needed a new QB but also a way to get Case Boos as many offensive touches as possible. His best solution was to convert Boos to a run-first quarterback who basically passed only rarely (20 of 33 for 448 yards and 7 TDS in regular season).
Eastwood's do-it-all athlete rose to the task, carrying 185 times for 1,723 yards and 29 touchdowns, and despite technically taking snaps as a QB, was named first team All-Ohio at running back.
Also superb at DB, it was a diving pass breakup in the end zone by Boos on Elmwood's potential game-winning two-point conversion pass in the closing minute that preserved Eastwood's thrilling 49-48 victory over the Royals in a game that ultimately decided the NBC championship.
“There aren’t very many players who can change a game the way Case did,” said Rutherford, who resigned his Eagles coaching post following the season. “His acceleration is the best of any player I’ve ever coached, or coached against.
“Case was also willing to do anything the team needed. He was the best receiver in the league his junior year and then took over as the quarterback his senior year.”
■ Shea Ruddy, Whiteford quarterback/defensive back
If ever there was fixture in a football program, Shea Ruddy was it for the Whiteford Bobcats.
Ruddy became the program's first ever four-year starter at quarterback and capped his terrific career by guiding the 14-0 Bobcats to a Michigan Division 8 state championship.
How valuable was Ruddy in the climax of that title run?
At the tail end of a perfect season in which he directed a Whiteford offense that racked up 5,756 yards and 664 points, Ruddy faced a dream situation in the closing minutes of the D-8 final versus Ubly, tied at 20 at Detroit's Ford Field.
Ruddy calmly and meticulously directed a 17-play, 80-yard drive that consumed 7:42 and culminated in his own 7-yard TD run with 1.59 remaining. He later broke up the final pass on Ubly's final play of the game in the 26-20 Whiteford win.
It was a fitting end to a senior season in which Ruddy rushed for 789 yards and 19 touchdowns and went 66 of 109 passing for 1,241 yards and 19 more scores in earning first team all-state honors in D-8. In his career, Ruddy ran for 2,327 yards and 36 touchdowns while passing for 4,461 yards and 52 scores.
“While the Bobcats had many weapons on offense, when a play needed to be made, the ball was in Shea’s hands,” Whiteford coach Todd Thieken said. “He was the leader of a very good team last year, and will be tough to replace. However, the cupboard is not bare at Whiteford.
“All of the [other] skill-position players return, and there are three players vying for the starting [QB] position that all have the potential to effectively lead us in 2023.”
■ Kaden Holmes, Fremont Ross quarterback
While preparing his team for the 2019 football season, Fremont Ross coach Chad Long knew he had some good young freshman talent in the program that would take some lumps early on, but eventually thrive because of their collective varsity experience.
At the core of that class of 2023 group was a speedy, elusive play-maker named Kaden Holmes, who was the definition of a dual-threat quarterback and also possessed an uncanny understanding of the game and how to move an offense.
Entering the 2023, Long treasures the past four years, but now must lament the loss of the record-setting Holmes to graduation.
In 2022, Holmes completed 174 of his 281 passes for 2,289 yards and 21 touchdowns, plus rushed 130 times for 888 yards and 15 scores. A great year for some QBs, but not necessarily extraordinary for a Little Giants player who accounted for 10,984 pass-and-run yardage and 129 touchdowns in his four season at QB.
“Having Kaden Holmes at Fremont for four years and now not having him feels really weird, honestly,” Long said. “The coaches were just talking about it because, when we did 7-on-7s, or in football games, we always knew we had a chance having Kaden on our team.
“What we miss from Kaden is the confidence, leadership, and performance on the field. He was a once-in-a-lifetime kind of player. He was valuable on offense but also on defense. We as coaches are seeing the effects of not having Kaden Holmes.”
First Published July 30, 2023, 1:05 p.m.
