High School

5-star Ohio State football commit delivers dominant defensive showing

Riley Pettijohn scores blocked punt return, massive sack, 15 tackles in 6A Texas high school football game

Andy Buhler

McKinney High School linebacker Riley Pettijohn (right) poses on an Ohio State football gameday visit.
McKinney High School linebacker Riley Pettijohn (right) poses on an Ohio State football gameday visit. / Photo courtesy of Julie Pettijohn

A 5-star Ohio State commit had a head-turning defensive performance in Texas high school football showdown on Friday night.

McKinney High School (Texas) linebacker Riley Pettijohn accrued 15 tackles, a sack, a tackle for loss, a blocked field goal and punt return for touchdown in a 29-17 loss to Prosper.

It's been that kind of final high school season for Pettijohn, the 6-foot-1, 215-pound standout. Though he's even lined up at fullback, Pettijohn's wide-ranging presence leading the Lions' defensive unit has helped them stay in games. McKinney's offense was limited to six first downs to Prosper's 13.

His touchdown put McKinney up 14-9 with 8:42 left in the third quarter, though the Eagles outscored McKinney 20-3 to close the game.

McKinney (4-3) and 3-2 in a loaded UIL Class 6A District 6 and entered Friday's showdown with the top-ranked team in the district on a two-game win streak.

Rivals tabbed him as the nation's No. 1 linebacker prospect, the No. 15 overall prospect and No. 5 recruit in Texas in the class of 2025.

McKinney is back in action in Week 9 against Boyd at home on Friday at 7 p.m. (central time).

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-- Andy Buhler | andy@scorebooklive.com | @sblivetx

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Andy Buhler
ANDY BUHLER

Andy Buhler is a Regional Editor of Texas and the national breaking news desk. He brings more than five years of experience covering high school sports across the state of Washington and beyond, where he covered the likes of Paolo Banchero and Tari Eason served on state tournament seeding committees. He works on the SBLive/Sports Illustrated Power 25 national boys basketball rankings. He has covered everything from the Final Four, MLS in Atlanta to local velodrome before diving into the world of preps. His bylines can be found in The News Tribune (Tacoma, Washington), The Associated Press, The Columbian (Vancouver, Washington), The Oregonian and more. He holds a degree from Gonzaga and is based out of Portland, Oregon.

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