There was talent galore at Welcome Stadium Saturday night

Welcome Stadium welcomed some rare talent Saturday when Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary tangled with host Thurgood Marshall.

The Irish, the defending Division III state champions, beat the Cougars 41-12, thanks in no small part to running back Parris Campbell, who had 202 yards and three touchdowns, including a 98-yarder, on seven carries. Campbell (6-foot, 184 pounds) is one of two SVSM players that will play collegiately at Ohio State next season.

The other? Linebacker Dante Booker.

Booker (6-3, 212) is ranked as the No. 13 overall prospect in the country (and No. 1 in Ohio) by 247sports.com. Campbell is ranked as the nation’s No. 115th prospect.

Thurgood countered with senior running back Vayante Copeland, a Michigan State commit. Copeland (6-0, 193) is penciled in as a defensive back for the Spartans (ranked the 15th best in the nation at that position by 247sports), but it’s going to be awfully hard to keep him from playing some offense or in the return game.

Ohio native Charles Woodson made in impact on both sides of the ball for Michigan en route to the 1997 Heisman Trophy. Copeland could potentially play a similar role with the Spartans.

Big Ten: A pair of Trotwood-Madison juniors picked up new Big Ten offers last week.

Defensive back Kei Beckham (6-0, 155) added an offer from Minnesota to a list that already includes Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky and Akron. Beckham leads Trotwood with three interceptions (and has 12 tackles).

Offensive lineman Brice Hinton (6-4, 280) picked up his first offer, from Michigan State.

Big Rigg: Springboro senior tight end/offensive lineman Jordan Rigg (6-5, 250) visited UMass this past weekend (for the Miami game) and plans a trip to Buffalo this Saturday. He's also receiving interest from Air Force, Indiana and UC. Rigg has offers from Ohio, Ball State, Buffalo and UMass.

Kraig's list: Alter junior defensive lineman Kraig Howe (6-3, 253) continues to make the rounds. A Bellbrook native, Howe was in Evanston a week ago for the Wildcats' loss to Ohio State. This past Saturday he was in Lexington for the Wildcats' loss to Alabama.

Howe picked up a new offer from Toledo last week to add to a list that already includes Pitt and Illinois.

Howe has also visited Indiana and plans trips to Illinois, Ohio State and Arkansas this fall. A return trip to Pitt is also on the schedule.

About the Author