Coach Burns Mega Scrimmage Preview

<!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Coach Burns Mega Scrimmage brings 15 talented teams to northeast Ohio to compete in one of the best preseason events in Ohio. In this article we'll take a look at some notable players to watch and storylines around each team.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Hawken</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The hosts return seniors [player_tooltip player_id='1705959' first='Daron' last='Hill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2113257' first='Gregory' last='Price'] with [player_tooltip player_id='2719875' first='Ice' last='Taylor'] as a star Sophomore. Coach Burns helped this core win a regional title and expectations are high once again for Hawken who will have both a 'Red' and 'White' team at the scrimmage, giving even more players the opportunity to play against quality talent.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">CCC</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2410846' first='Donovan' last='Driscal'] is one of the top dual sport athletes in Ohio's 2027 class as he's been excelling on both the gridiron and hardwood for the Ironmen. CCC has also been building up their program and many players who got varsity experience as underclassmen are now juniors and seniors ready to lead the program to heights they haven't reached since Jordan Duke was on the sidelines.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Akron STVM</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>One of the most historic programs in the country, [player_tooltip player_id='2288382' first='DeCarlo' last='Prince'] leads a younger Akron STVM squad that will be athletic and hungry. [player_tooltip player_id='2719973' first='Leigh' last='Cotton'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2476483' first='Elijah' last='Chapman'] are athletic wing forwards who add to the depth the Irish have.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Saint Ignatius</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>It's a new era at Saint Ignatius with Cam Joyce leaving to take a new coaching job in California. The Wildcats see two Division I commits walk out the door but return a senior wing duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2458387' first='Rj' last='Jones'] (Akron) and [player_tooltip player_id='2461888' first='Alex' last='Mack'] (uncommitted) that is as talented as any wing duo in the state.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Lutheran East</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>We mentioned how many talented players transferred out of Lutheran East this off-season but the Falcons are still stacked across the board. That shows to how much depth was in their program as [player_tooltip player_id='2461889' first='Dylan' last='Zeigler'] takes the reigns as just a sophomore. Add in a 2027 guard duo of [player_tooltip player_id='2144496' first='Chris' last='Hill'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2125763' first='Ty' last='Harrison'] that are two of the best point of attack defenders in the state and the Falcons can wear down whoever they play with their pressure.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Maumee Valley Country Day</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Hawks have a talented 2027 core with [player_tooltip player_id='2125750' first='Keeran' last='Stokes'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2126199' first='Jeybrehm' last='Price'] leading the charge. Ty Lewis leaves for OTE but that allows some under the radar players to get the opportunity to step up this winter as the TAAC is wide open for the Hawks to lift the conference crown this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Canton McKinley</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Pups returned some talented pieces from last year's team with [player_tooltip player_id='2476489' first='Anthony' last='Chavers'] as a notable senior wing. Transfer [player_tooltip player_id='2306394' first='Jamar' last='Keyes Jr'] will add some more size and scoring punch from the frontcourt. A team I'll be very curious to watch this season, this is a great early season opportunity to see a team that will still be missing talented football pieces.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Bedford</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Bedford has quietly been building their program up and transfer Aj McGuinea gives them some star power to compete in northeast Ohio's Division III region that is stacked with talent. Don't sleep on Bedford this winter!</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Euclid</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Former Richmond Heights Head Coach Quentin Rogers makes the short move north to Euclid as he'll bring three state championships with him to the Panther program. 2028 guard Mekhi Ansberry is the top name to watch but Euclid has a lot of size and athleticism on the roster to surround him.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Andrew's Osborne Academy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>A team we expect to compete for a state championship in Division VI, AOA is led by [player_tooltip player_id='2963352' first='Bob' last='Da Silva'] and [player_tooltip player_id='2926230' first='Jackson' last='Burge']. I'm excited to see some of the other pieces I caught glimpses of in practice alongside their prep team when I visited their campus in the Fall.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Twinsburg</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>After a 1-4 start last season, Twinsburg won 7 of their last 10 regular season games to give them some momentum heading into this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Padua</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>Riley Cervenka is a huge loss as their senior leader from last season is now at Lake Erie College but the Bruins have some young pieces on the roster who will get thrown into the fire against a tough schedule.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Holy Name</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>New Head Coach Johnny Faddoul takes over a clean slate with the Green Wave as they have graduated a lot of college talent over the past five years. It'll take some time to rebuild this program but I expect a young and hungry group that's excited to prove themselves this winter.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">Normandy</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>The Invaders won four games in a row during January last season, which was the bright spot of the 2024-25 season. They'll face some tough talent including city rival Holy Name on Saturday.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph --> <!-- wp:heading --> <h2 class="wp-block-heading">VASJ</h2> <!-- /wp:heading --> <!-- wp:paragraph --> <p>[player_tooltip player_id='2703765' first='Oren' last='Spikes'] is the key name to know for VASJ, he had some big performances on the Prep Hoops Circuit in the summer and at the Prep Hoops Expo this fall. Excited to see who else might establish themselves this winter for the Vikings.</p> <!-- /wp:paragraph -->