PREP FOOTBALL Harding gets Ursuline's Delbert Ferguson

The junior running back is moving to Warren and plans to play for the Raiders in 2003.
By BRIAN RICHESSON
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
As it looks, the Warren Harding High football team just got stronger.
Junior Delbert Ferguson, an All-Ohio running back at Ursuline, confirmed Thursday night that he is moving to Warren and planning to play football for the Raiders next season.
"I just wanted the opportunity to play Division I football," said Ferguson, a Vindicator All-Star, who ran for 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns in 14 games for the Div. IV Irish last season.
The 6-foot-2, 217-pound Ferguson labeled his days at Ursuline as "a wonderful experience, but me and my family felt that this was a good move for me."
Ursuline coach Dan Murphy also confirmed the move Thursday night but didn't comment further.
"He was always asking me about it," Ursuline senior running back Terrence Graves said of Ferguson's decision. "I heard he might be doing it."
Graves said that Ferguson is good friends with Ohio State freshman running back Maurice Clarett and will consider enrolling early at a college, as Clarett did with the Buckeyes last January.
Clarett also transferred to Warren Harding. After his freshman year at Austintown Fitch, he became a Raider and went on to win Ohio's Mr. Football award.
Running to the title
Graves and Ferguson are best remembered for their performances in leading Ursuline to the Div. IV state title in 2000.
In a 49-37 victory over Coldwater, Ferguson ran for 280 yards and five touchdowns, while Graves added 219 yards and two touchdowns as the Irish totaled 502 yards on the ground.
"At first I thought of him as a power back," Graves said of his backfield mate. "This year he seemed to be able to make people miss. He put a little finesse in his game. I was pretty impressed with that.
"Next year he's going to be real good," said Graves, who has been offered by a number of Div. I colleges but is still mulling his decision.
Season recap
Warren Harding was the state's top-ranked Div. I team last season.
The Raiders went 10-0 in the regular season, beat powers Cleveland St. Ignatius, Lakewood St. Edward, Mentor and Massillon in the playoffs and advanced to the championship game, where they lost to Cincinnati Elder.
Richard Davis, a 1,000-yard rusher, is the Raiders' top running back. He will be a senior next fall.
Ursuline went 5-5 in the regular season, slipped into the playoffs and lost to Portsmouth West in the state semifinal.
richesson@vindy.com