WEST CHESTER, Ohio -- The COVID-19 pandemic left Friday night’s matchup in a weird limbo. In usual circumstances, the game between Mason and Lakota West would have had crowds packed into the stands to watch the two regional rivals -- powerhouses in the Cincinnati area public school ranks -- duke it out for playoff seeding and bragging rights. The Crosstown Showdown was in the stadium, a southwestern Ohio tradition that highlights the area’s best programs and broadcasts their games against each other on local television.
However, playoff seeding was already set by the OHSAA before the game ever kicked off. Lakota West already found themselves locked in as a one seed in their region of Division I, undefeated through their shortened schedule. Despite this certainty of knowing the game’s result wouldn’t impact the season in the long term for either team, bragging rights and pride were on the line and the stars showed up in major ways for both squads.
PAUL RODRIGUEZ
-- Kentucky commit Paul Rodriguez, a senior offensive tackle, is Mason’s lone Division I prospect on the roster in 2020. Although he faced a frustrating outcome in his team’s 21-0 loss to Lakota West on Friday, the future Wildcat played admirably. Rodriguez is every bit of his listed 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds and flashed his abilities as a mauler.
Mason faced off against two future Division I defensive backs in Lakota West’s secondary, so the Comets had to rely heavily on their running game. Rodriguez frequently finished blocks to the ground and through the whistle, showing a nasty streak you like to see from offensive linemen at this level.
On the sidelines, Rodriguez also came across as a vocal leader for his team and was helping to rally a frustrated Mason squad. Moving forward, I would like to see Rodriguez work a little more on his bend and flexibility to make sure he isn’t lunging as much when he’s blocking into the second level. Ultimately, I project Rodriguez as a player who could be ready to play guard in year two of his college career, but may be a year three player if he remains at tackle.
Tegra Tshabola - CatsIllustrated.com (CatsIllustrated.com)
TEGRA TSHABOLA
-- The other Division I offensive lineman on the field on Friday, 2022 Ohio State commit Tegra Tshabola was impressive as a junior as well. Teshabola is what we call a people-mover -- when he imposed his will on the defensive lineman across from him, that defensive lineman was going to finish the play either on his rear end or blown off of the line of scrimmage.
His run-blocking was excellent. Tshabola’s strength, squat frame and mean streak make him one of the most effective run blockers in the country. With that having been said, I do feel that a move inside to guard is in Tshabola’s future. He looks less comfortable in pass protection and isn’t as long or tall as the prototypical tackles we often see at the high level college and professional ranks.
CAMERON GOODE
-- I did not know Cameron Goode’s name coming into Friday night but I left feeling shocked that Division I coaches throughout the region hadn’t learned it yet themselves. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back transferred from Cincinnati Northwest, where he was arguably misused as a slot, following his sophomore season and flashed against Mason to the tune of 137 yards and a touchdown. Goode showed excellent contact balance and strength, paired with surprisingly quick feet that allowed him to cut laterally into the holes opened his line.
The 2022 running back punished the Mason defense and helped grind down the clock and control the game for Princeton. At a minimum, Goode should be receiving offers from FCS and MAC programs in the near future.
JYAIRE BROWN
-- Ohio State commit Jyaire Brown is an impressively athletic cornerback. Brown transferred to the Buckeye State from Louisiana following his sophomore season and has had little trouble fitting in and standing out. Although Brown is on the small and slight side -- somewhere around 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds -- his impressive speed, agility, burst and leaping ability allow him to close on the football and suffocate receivers.
Brown showed off those same skills in the punt return game, where he was a shoestring tackle away from housing a 60-yard return. At the next level, Brown will need to beef up and add 20-plus pounds to his frame to be effective in tackling and pressing at the line of scrimmage.
Alex Afari - CatsIllustrated.com (CatsIllustrated.com)
ALEX AFARI
-- 2022 Lakota West athlete Alex Afari has been tabbed as an athlete at the next level, but the junior standout played almost exclusively as a cornerback on Friday night. Afari is long and large for a defensive back, checking in at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, and has already collected offers from Kentucky, Michigan State, Pitt, West Virginia, Cincinnati and others.
Afari is rangy in coverage and his frame and athleticism make him the kind of cornerback that has been targeted heavily by several of the schools that have offered him. There is a chance that Afari moves to safety at the next level; his physical development and muscle mass growth will help determine where Afari fits.
MITCH BOLDEN -- For anyone who’s followed Cincinnati high school football in the last two decades, it is impossible to avoid hearing the name Bolden. Brothers, cousins, uncles, nephews, fathers -- the greater southwest Ohio area is riddled with Boldens playing and coaching at a high level and moving to the Division I ranks. It’s very early for 2023 quarterback Mitchell Bolden, the son of legendary coach Tom Bolden (recently moved from Colerain to Lakota West), but he impressed with two rushing touchdowns on Friday and has helped lead Lakota West to a title in the incredibly competitive GMC. In fact, it’s the first time since 2000 that someone other than Colerain, his father’s long-time coaching post, captured an outright championship in the conference. Bolden is young, but keep an eye on the standout quarterback with a familiar name.
To name a few notable football family members -- Tom Bolden, legendary state title-winning coach at Colerain and current Lakota West head coach, his father; Joe Bolden, an Ohio State grad assistant and three-year Michigan Wolverines starter his cousin; Kyle Bolden, a Cincinnati grad assistant and former linebacker, his brother; Luke Bolden, a Miami (Ohio) linebacker, his brother; Daniel Bolden Jr., a Toledo linebacker, his cousin; Daniel Bolden Sr., former Colerain athletic director and current Lakota West assistant, his uncle; Ed Bolden, a senior offensive lineman at Lakota West, his cousin; and surely dozens of others that I’m forgetting.
However, playoff seeding was already set by the OHSAA before the game ever kicked off. Lakota West already found themselves locked in as a one seed in their region of Division I, undefeated through their shortened schedule. Despite this certainty of knowing the game’s result wouldn’t impact the season in the long term for either team, bragging rights and pride were on the line and the stars showed up in major ways for both squads.
PAUL RODRIGUEZ
-- Kentucky commit Paul Rodriguez, a senior offensive tackle, is Mason’s lone Division I prospect on the roster in 2020. Although he faced a frustrating outcome in his team’s 21-0 loss to Lakota West on Friday, the future Wildcat played admirably. Rodriguez is every bit of his listed 6-foot-5 and 305 pounds and flashed his abilities as a mauler.
Mason faced off against two future Division I defensive backs in Lakota West’s secondary, so the Comets had to rely heavily on their running game. Rodriguez frequently finished blocks to the ground and through the whistle, showing a nasty streak you like to see from offensive linemen at this level.
On the sidelines, Rodriguez also came across as a vocal leader for his team and was helping to rally a frustrated Mason squad. Moving forward, I would like to see Rodriguez work a little more on his bend and flexibility to make sure he isn’t lunging as much when he’s blocking into the second level. Ultimately, I project Rodriguez as a player who could be ready to play guard in year two of his college career, but may be a year three player if he remains at tackle.
Tegra Tshabola - CatsIllustrated.com (CatsIllustrated.com)
TEGRA TSHABOLA
-- The other Division I offensive lineman on the field on Friday, 2022 Ohio State commit Tegra Tshabola was impressive as a junior as well. Teshabola is what we call a people-mover -- when he imposed his will on the defensive lineman across from him, that defensive lineman was going to finish the play either on his rear end or blown off of the line of scrimmage.
His run-blocking was excellent. Tshabola’s strength, squat frame and mean streak make him one of the most effective run blockers in the country. With that having been said, I do feel that a move inside to guard is in Tshabola’s future. He looks less comfortable in pass protection and isn’t as long or tall as the prototypical tackles we often see at the high level college and professional ranks.
CAMERON GOODE
-- I did not know Cameron Goode’s name coming into Friday night but I left feeling shocked that Division I coaches throughout the region hadn’t learned it yet themselves. The 5-foot-11, 200-pound running back transferred from Cincinnati Northwest, where he was arguably misused as a slot, following his sophomore season and flashed against Mason to the tune of 137 yards and a touchdown. Goode showed excellent contact balance and strength, paired with surprisingly quick feet that allowed him to cut laterally into the holes opened his line.
The 2022 running back punished the Mason defense and helped grind down the clock and control the game for Princeton. At a minimum, Goode should be receiving offers from FCS and MAC programs in the near future.
JYAIRE BROWN
-- Ohio State commit Jyaire Brown is an impressively athletic cornerback. Brown transferred to the Buckeye State from Louisiana following his sophomore season and has had little trouble fitting in and standing out. Although Brown is on the small and slight side -- somewhere around 5-foot-10 and 165 pounds -- his impressive speed, agility, burst and leaping ability allow him to close on the football and suffocate receivers.
Brown showed off those same skills in the punt return game, where he was a shoestring tackle away from housing a 60-yard return. At the next level, Brown will need to beef up and add 20-plus pounds to his frame to be effective in tackling and pressing at the line of scrimmage.
Alex Afari - CatsIllustrated.com (CatsIllustrated.com)
ALEX AFARI
-- 2022 Lakota West athlete Alex Afari has been tabbed as an athlete at the next level, but the junior standout played almost exclusively as a cornerback on Friday night. Afari is long and large for a defensive back, checking in at 6-foot-2 and 200 pounds, and has already collected offers from Kentucky, Michigan State, Pitt, West Virginia, Cincinnati and others.
Afari is rangy in coverage and his frame and athleticism make him the kind of cornerback that has been targeted heavily by several of the schools that have offered him. There is a chance that Afari moves to safety at the next level; his physical development and muscle mass growth will help determine where Afari fits.
MITCH BOLDEN -- For anyone who’s followed Cincinnati high school football in the last two decades, it is impossible to avoid hearing the name Bolden. Brothers, cousins, uncles, nephews, fathers -- the greater southwest Ohio area is riddled with Boldens playing and coaching at a high level and moving to the Division I ranks. It’s very early for 2023 quarterback Mitchell Bolden, the son of legendary coach Tom Bolden (recently moved from Colerain to Lakota West), but he impressed with two rushing touchdowns on Friday and has helped lead Lakota West to a title in the incredibly competitive GMC. In fact, it’s the first time since 2000 that someone other than Colerain, his father’s long-time coaching post, captured an outright championship in the conference. Bolden is young, but keep an eye on the standout quarterback with a familiar name.
To name a few notable football family members -- Tom Bolden, legendary state title-winning coach at Colerain and current Lakota West head coach, his father; Joe Bolden, an Ohio State grad assistant and three-year Michigan Wolverines starter his cousin; Kyle Bolden, a Cincinnati grad assistant and former linebacker, his brother; Luke Bolden, a Miami (Ohio) linebacker, his brother; Daniel Bolden Jr., a Toledo linebacker, his cousin; Daniel Bolden Sr., former Colerain athletic director and current Lakota West assistant, his uncle; Ed Bolden, a senior offensive lineman at Lakota West, his cousin; and surely dozens of others that I’m forgetting.
