On Nov. 10, 2001, I walked into Kent Dix Stadium as a 22-year-old rookie sportswriter who had only seen Maurice Clarett on TV highlights.

The biggest question around the Valley that fall was whether Clarett was as good as Mooney legend Ted Bell. Clarett made his case that night.

The Raiders were playing an undefeated Lakewood St. Edward team that many felt could challenge for a state title. It was the first playoff game for Harding since its 1990 state title.

I was looking forward to seeing whether Clarett could live up to the hype. By the end of the first half, I’d witnessed the most amazing performance I’ve ever seen in a high school football game.

Clarett ran for 404 yards and five touchdowns that night to lead Warren Harding to a 42-26 win. Clarett’s first 10 carries went for 300 yards and five scores. Three of the scores went for 75 yards or more.

It seemed like he’d hit a hole, two or three Eagles would bounce off him and he’d just outsprint the rest. It was enough to make a reporter from a rival newspaper stand up in the press box and start yelling, “They can’t stop him! They can’t stop him! Go Maurice go!”

(In case you’re wondering, no, you’re not supposed to do that.)

Because Clarett turned out to be such a knucklehead, it’s easy to forget how good he was. It’s a lot easier to think about how good he could have been.

Since the six-year anniversary of that game is Sunday, I decided to rank the five best prep football performances I’ve seen as a reporter. (I was tempted to open it up to any game I’ve seen as a fan or a reporter, which would allow me to include a 22-tackle performance by Uniontown Lake’s Matt Christopher in the 1991 Division II state championship game, but that would just be self-serving.)

Clarett’s game is my No. 1.

No. 2 goes to Mooney’s Kyle McCarthy in a 28-6 win over Versailles in the 2004 Div. IV state championship game. McCarthy rushed 12 times for 98 yards and a touchdown, threw one pass that went for a 41-yard touchdown, returned an interception 93 yards for a touchdown and made three game-saving tackles.

No. 3 goes to Warren Harding’s Mario Manningham, who scored four touchdowns, including two on special teams, to help the Raiders shock Massillon 31-27 in 2002.

No. 4 goes to Canfield’s defense in a 2005 state semifinal game against Tallmadge, a game the Cardinals won 17-14. That Canfield defense is the second-best I’ve seen in my seven seasons here. Only this year’s Mooney defense is better. Five major Division I prospects will do that for a defense.

No. 5 goes to Mooney’s Dan McCarthy for his second half against Akron St. Vincent-St. Mary earlier this year. The Cardinals trailed 17-0 at the end of three quarters but McCarthy took over, throwing for two touchdowns, running for another, then clinching the 21-17 win with an interception at safety. He also had a fumble recovery, led the team in tackles and topped 100 yards both throwing and passing. McCarthy was plenty good in last year’s state championship game, but I think his performance against the Irish was better.

As for the Bell-Clarett question, well, I’ve interviewed Bell a few times and I own one of his highlight tapes. I’d much rather have Bell on my team. I think he’s a better overall football player. But I think Clarett, when healthy, was the better running back.

(And may my inbox be flooded with e-mails for my choice.)

UCardinal Mooney is vying for its seventh state title, which would put the Cardinals in a tie for second all-time in Ohio.

Cleveland St. Ignatius, which got eliminated last week, is first with nine. Cincinnati Moeller and Newark Catholic, which are both still alive, each have seven, although neither of those teams has won one in awhile. Moeller won seven big-school crowns from 1975-85 and Newark Catholic’s last title came in 1991.

St. Henry, which is tied with Mooney, won its sixth last year against Warren JFK. The Redskins did not qualify for this year’s postseason.

ULast week, I mentioned that Wellsville and Southern were rumored to be unhappy with Tier Two of the Inter Tri-County League. That’s not true, said Tigers principal Greg Davis.

“We love the league,” said Davis. “For the first time in 10 years, we’re playing schools our size every week. We’re totally committed to the league and have no intentions of leaving.”

XJoe Scalzo covers high school football for The Vindicator. Write him at scalzo@vindy.com.