Friday Night Fix: Ohio State Commits Look to Shine in Week 2

We've got the who, what, where and more in this weekend preview of Ohio State's football commits.

Of those who could play, Ohio State commits performed well last Friday night in week one of their seasons by combining for a 6-2 record. A total of 10 commits are in action tonight, five from the 2021 class and another five from the 2022 cycle.

Below is a list of who is playing, for who, against who and what their stats were last week.

Player (Class)	School	Opponent	Last Week
WR Jayden Ballard (2021)	Massilon Washington (0-1)	Bishop Sycamore (0-1)	2 catches, 68 yards, 2 TD
LB Reid Carrico (2021)	Ironton (1-0)	Gallia Academy (1-0)	10 carries, 95 yards, 3 TD
DL Mike Hall (2021)	Streetsboro (1-0)	@ Field (1-0)	6 Tackles, 2 TFL
DB Jaylen Johnson (2021)	La Salle (1-0)	St. Xavier (0-1
OL Ben Christman (2021)	Revere (0-1)	Aurora (0-1)
CB Jyaire Brown (2022)	Lakota West (1-0)	Hamilton (0-1)	2 Tackles, 3 Pass breakups
LB CJ Hicks (2022)	Archbishop Alter (0-1)	Badin (1-0)	74-yard punt return TD
LB Gabe Powers (2022)	Marysville (1-0)	Hillard Darby (0-1)
OT Tegra Tshabola (2022)	Lakota West (1-0)	Hamilton (0-1)	4 Pancakes
TE Bennett Christian (2022)	Allatoona (GA) (0-0)	Harrison (0-0)

2021 Commits:

Wide Receiver Jayden Ballard (Massillon, Ohio) and Massillon Washington fell to Lakewood St. Edward in a 24-23 thriller. Individually, Ballard had an impressive debut by catching two touchdowns from 36 and 31 yards out. It was also his first career start at cornerback. Massillon looks to bounce back against Bishop Sycamore tonight.

The Sarchione Ford Of Randolph Radio Game of the Week on News-Talk 1480 WHBC

2nd quarter
@MassTigers2020 17@SEHS_FOOTBALL 7

Zach Catrone 31 yrd TD pass to Jayden Ballard@MassillonProud @MassillonSchool @Massillon_Tiger @MTigerAthletics@SteveHelwagen pic.twitter.com/2ZFNBYt0Tp

— News-Talk 1480 WHBC (@1480whbc) August 29, 2020

Future inside linebacker Reid Carrico (Ironton, Ohio) had a monster night on offense for the Fighting Tigers, scoring three touchdowns in the opening 24 minutes against rival Portsmouth. He finished with 10 carries and 95 yards as Ironton won big, 50-9. Ironton now faces Gallia Academy in a huge game for conference title aspirations. 

Ironton pouring it on now
Reid Carrico finds the end zone for a third time this time from 5 yds out
Ironton 43 Portsmouth 3. 7:21 2nd

— Matthew Sparks (@SparksWillFly35) August 29, 2020

Defensive tackle Mike Hall and Streestboro High School routed Coventry (Akron) by a final tally of 63-13. Streetsboro next faces Field, who they beat 49-13 last year.

Safety/outside linebacker Jaylen Johnson and Cincinnati La Salle fell in double overtime to nearby Cincinnati Elder in a week-one shootout, 53-52. La Salle, one of the top teams in Ohio regardless of division, went for the win by attempting a two-point conversion (unsuccessful) at the very end. La Salle will soon find themselves in another battle against one of the best teams in the state, St. Xavier, on Friday.

La Salle beats Elder 53-52 in a crazy 2OT GCL South battle. Lancers QB Zach Branam wins it on the final play. @WLWT @LS_LancerATH @ehsports #Blitz5 pic.twitter.com/3oGTgIigJp

— Brandon Saho (@BrandonSaho) August 29, 2020

2022 Commits:

Linebacker Gabe Powers (Marysville) fought through second-half adversity to pace his team in a 17-0 victory over Hilliard Bradley. After cramping up in the third quarter, Powers returned to continue playing on both sides of the ball. Marysville is meeting Hilliard Darby for the first time since 2001.

Gabe Powers (36) with the lead block. Marysville scored a touchdown on the next play to take a 17-0 fourth quarter lead. pic.twitter.com/GQB9k35E3w

— Dan Hope (@Dan_Hope) August 29, 2020

All-around athlete C.J. Hicks (Dayton) and Kettering Archbishop Alter dropped a heavyweight battle, 42-32, against Clinton-Massie last week. Alter scored 22 unanswered points in the second half to nearly erase a huge deficit, which included a 74-yard punt return TD by Hicks, before ultimately coming up short. BuckeyesNowSI will be there in person to cover Hicks and Archbishop Alter vs. Hamilton Badin.

Offensive lineman Tegra Tshabola and cornerback Jyaire Brown helped Lakota West (West Chester) secure a 10-0 shutout on Cincinnati Colerain. Lakota West snapped Colerain's 87-game win streak against conference opponents that dated back to 2008. Hamilton will look to test West's defense that "check(s) all the boxes on paper."

New Ohio State commit, tight end Bennett Christian, attends Allatoona High School in Georgia. OSU's freshest "boom" starts his fall season against Harrison tonight. 

Other commits across the country are still in preseasons, or still waiting for their schedules to be sorted based on decisions from governing bodies. We also keep you updated on those individuals/teams moving forward!

As always, stay tuned to BuckeyesNow and all of our social media outlets (@BuckeyesNowSI) on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube for continued coverage!