Hilton, Davis are final Div. I college recruits from Rayen

By JOE SCALZO
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- At the end of a hallway at Rayen High School, there's a sign that reads "You are the last Rayen School Class. Be Successful."
About 100 yards away, inside the school's main office, Tigers seniors Tomaz Hilton and Marquin Davis sat at a table with letters in front of them, fulfilling that goal.
For history's sake, they'll be known as Rayen's final two Division I college football players. They're also hoping that in a few years they'll be known as the ones who started something big.
"We're the last class and everyone's going to remember the last class," said Hilton, who signed a letter-of-intent to play at Cincinnati on Wednesday's national signing day.
"When people ask, 'Who are the last two guys to come out of Rayen and play college football?' they'll think of us. That definitely means a lot."
David Morgan was the last Division I college football player to come out of Rayen, signing with Ohio University in 1998.
Two top junior prospects
Two juniors, running back Gary Thornton and quarterback Sal Battles, have already gotten a lot of interest from Division I schools and new East High coach Brian Shaner expects to have as many as four juniors sign with Div. I schools next year.
"These guys [Davis and Hilton] helped put Rayen on the map and they're going to help catapult the new East High School," said Shaner, who compiled a 19-18 record in four years with the Tigers, winning City Series titles the past two years. "Our junior class is very strong and Wilson has some extremely talented players, which will definitely help."
Both players said their decisions were easy. Akron offered Davis a scholarship before he played a snap this fall and continued to pursue him in the months ahead.
"They showed they cared about me," said Davis, who has not yet decided on a major. "They were always asking me about my mom and my sisters."
Hilton made his decision after a visit to Cincinnati's campus.
"As soon as I got there, they welcomed me with open arms," Hilton said. "Coach [Brian] Kelly had a big smile on his face and they made me feel at home."
Hilton even has his future planned. He's taken a couple accounting and marketing classes over the past two years and he's gained an interest.
"I want to go to Cincinnati and have a good time, but I also want to graduate with my degree and maybe work at a smaller accounting firm," he said.
Plenty of area players signed
The signings were part of an extremely successful year for the Mahoning Valley. More than 20 players signed to play at Division I and I-AA schools, including an area-best six from Warren Harding.
Raider seniors Dan Herron (a running back who signed with Ohio State) and Sidney Glover (a safety who is already enrolled at West Virginia) helped lead Harding to the Division I regional final.
Liberty, which went 9-1 in the regular season and earned a playoff berth, had four players sign on Wednesday, including three -- Ryan Gillum (Syracuse), Jonathan Wells (Miami of Ohio) and Kenny Jackson (Ohio) -- who signed with Div. I schools.
Cardinal Mooney, which won its second Div. IV state title in three years in December, will send three players to Div. I schools: linemen Mike Madsen (Miami of Ohio) and Ishmaa'ily Kitchen (Kent) and defensive back Dom Scarnecchia (Villanova).
Mooney's best to come
In addition, the Cardinals have four of the most highly-recruited juniors in the state in QB/DB Dan McCarthy, RB/LB Brandon Beachum, FB/LB Michael Zordich and RB/DE Taylor Hill.
Hubbard, which won the Trumbull Athletic Conference and advanced to the second round of the playoffs, had two recruits: lineman Marcus O'Hara and fullback/linebacker Joel Younkins.
Canfield, which earned a share of the Metro Athletic Conference crown and a playoff berth, also will send two players to the next level in defensive back Sean Baker (Ball State) and tight end/defensive end Pat Bellish (YSU).
Defensive back Anthony Kokal (who will join his older brother at Miami of Ohio) and quarterback J.J. Townsend (IUP) were recruited out of Warren JFK, which lost in the Div. V state championship game.
Ursuline had two recruits in running back Matt Yarab (Air Force) and lineman James Hodge (Ashland), while Girard (Scooter Hargate, YSU), Howland (Matt Zimmerman, Colgate), Lisbon (Vincent Browne, Northwestern) and Sharon (Kellen Harris, Marshall) each had one.
Credits scouting service
Shaner credited Dwayne Smith, who graduated from Rayen last spring, as being one of the catalysts for his program, helping draw interest from college recruiters. But he also credits Mark Porter, who runs the web site scoutingohio.com. The site has video of most of Ohio's top recruits, with a special emphasis on the Mahoning Valley.
College recruiters can watch video online and also recruit highlight DVDs from Porter, all at no cost.
"Without Mark Porter, it would be a struggle to get people to see these guys," Shaner said. "I don't know if he gets the recognition he deserves for all he's done."
And, thanks to guys like Porter and Shaner, Hilton thinks Youngstown will soon resemble a certain area of Cleveland known for producing Division I college players.
"Youngstown is gonna be like Glenville," he said. "We've got the talent and it's just a matter of time. If we get people in school and get them around the right people in the right place, it can happen."
scalzo@vindy.com