Reynoldsburg
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Raiders motivated for success in OCC
By JEREMY STEWART
ThisWeek Staff writer
Reynoldsburg High School seniors
Matt Cook, Bryan Kimbler, and Jay
R. Taylor, along with a few other
players, stood outside the locker
room in T-shirts and padded pants
after leaving the football practice
field Aug. 13 when the topic of con-
versation turned to this year’s home-
coming game.
Cook had gone through the OCC-
Buckeye Division schedule out loud
and figured out that the homecom-
ing game was against Grove City —
hardly the cupcake that tradition dic-
tates. But that’s been life in the OCC-
Buckeye since it realigned before
the start of last season.
The Raiders’ homecoming oppo-
nent last year was Hilliard David-
son, which went on to finish 15-0
after beating Mentor 36-35 in dou-
ble overtime in the Division I state
championship game.
“It is kind of motivating,” said
Cook, whose team opens Friday at
Pickerington Central. “You just have
to have the thought that everyone’s
beatable, everyone has their weak-
ness where they can be beat.”
The Raiders finished 2-8 last year
and were last in the OCC-Buckeye
at 0-5 behind Davidson (5-0), Upper
Arlington (4-1), Dublin Coffman (3-
2), Westerville North (2-3) and Grove
cs 082207 B88042-1
OVER-THE-AIR TIME WARNER
CH. 32
At a glance
REYNOLDSBURG RAIDERS
Colors: Purple and gold
Coach: Woody Underwood, fourth season
Key players: Matt Cook, Ray Cunningham,
Josh Hutchinson, Bryan Kimbler, Kenny
Lee, Matt Perkins, Zach Stonerock and Jay
R. Taylor
On the Web: reynoldsburg.schoolnet.com
2007 SCHEDULE
Aug. 24.......Pickerington Central.....Away
Aug. 31.......Toledo Scott ..............Home
Sept. 7 .......Dublin Jerome .............Away
Sept. 14 .....Gahanna ...................Home
Sept. 21 .....Groveport....................Away
Sept. 28 .....Westerville North .......Home
Oct. 5 .........Hilliard Davidson .........Away
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City (1-4).
The Raiders will be breaking in
several new pieces this season, but
most noticeably its starting quarter-
back. Four days before Reynolds-
burg scrimmaged Delaware on Aug.
11, coach Woody Underwood said
junior Matt Perkins was preparing
as if he was the starter.
“He’s picked things up pretty
well,” Underwood said. “And he can
throw the ball well.”
The Raiders will have their fourth
starting quarterback since Lance
Lasker went down with an injury at
the end of the 2005 season and was
INSIGHT
CH. 78 CH. 78 & 524
Oct. 12 .......Grove City..................Home
Oct. 19 .......Dublin Coffman..........Home
Oct. 26 .......Upper Arlington ...........Away
2006 RESULTS
(2-8 overall, 0-5 OCC-Buckeye)
Pickerington Central ....................L, 34-0
Lima Senior ...............................W, 34-0
Dublin Jerome..........................W, 45-14
Gahanna ....................................L, 38-7
Fremont Ross ...........................L, 13-10
Westerville North ......................L, 20-14
Hilliard Davidson.......................L, 42-13
Grove City.................................L, 38-22
Dublin Coffman...........................L, 28-7
Upper Arlington ....................L, 13-7 (OT)
replaced by Rusty Edwards. Lasker
shared OCC Player of the Year hon-
ors that year, but the Raiders’ quar-
terback position has been unstable
since. Last season quarterbacks Rusty
Edwards and Jeff Williams both went
down with injuries, which made Ben
Kershaw a starter.
Kershaw is no longer with the
team, clearing the way for Perkins.
Underwood talked about having
“a pair and a spare” players healthy
at each position, and this year, should
Perkins go down, his backups are
junior Matt Bangert, sophomore
Richie Wellman and freshman Austin
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Underwood.
Helping the first-year starter will
be six returning letterwinners at
receiver. They are seniors Jarred
Burke, Bryan Kimbler, Dante
Stollings and Troy Webster and
juniors Trey Brundage and Milas
Stevens.
How often those receivers see the
ball is dependent on the Raiders’
running game, which was the most
productive unit last season. Taylor
rushed for 1,251 yards on 199 car-
ries last season, including 251 yards
and four touchdowns in a 45-14 win
over Dublin Jerome. Backing up
Taylor is junior Rodney Smith, who
rushed for 101 yards against Jerome.
They will be running behind an
offensive line that returns two starters
in seniors Josh Hutchinson, a cen-
ter, and tackle Zach Stonerock,
whom Taylor is happy to have return-
ing because they bring valuable expe-
rience to the running game.
“They’re seniors and they’re lead-
ers,” Taylor said. “They’re helping
the young guys out and making us
even better. That’s helping me more,
getting the holes bigger so I can hit
the holes and help the team out.
“We have the hardest league in
Ohio. We have the champions,
Hilliard Davidson, and Dublin Coff-
man with multiple Division I play-
ers on their offense and defense and
Grove City is always good. And
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(non-league Pickerington Central)
is now (in Division I). We have a lot
of teams we’re playing that are
always strong. It’s motivating a lot,
to go out there and beat them and
make a name for yourself and your
team.”
Also blocking for Taylor are
seniors Cook, Tyler Matchack, Bran-
don Reams, Sheldon Travis, Nick
Crecelius and juniors Nick Chitten-
den, Matt Edwards, Bryce Polinko
and Chris Underwood.
Cook is listed as a guard, but also
as a defensive end. That’s where he’ll
play the most this year. Last year he
lined up next to Ray Cunningham,
who was a defensive tackle, but this
year Cunningham is moving to the
other end position. Kenny Lee will
start on the interior line with sopho-
more Roosevelt Nix also expected
to play.
Other returning defensive line-
man are seniors Shiloh Sagraves,
Travis and juniors Edwards and
Steward.
“We’re just looking to be more
aggressive up front and read our keys
more often,” Cook said. “We’re going
to be a much more disciplined team
than we were last year. We’re going
against the first team a lot more (dur-
ing practice). They’re a lot bigger,
stronger. They know what they’re
See RAIDERS, page 24
August 22, 2007 • Central Ohio High School Football Preview ’07
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