PUSKAS: Bowden, Bayuk winners

A video on a tiny cellphone screen only shows you so much.

A computer screen is better, but even then, video shot from a distance can be grainy and still leave you wanting a better view.

I wanted to see Lynn Bowden play in person. I’d heard so much about the Warren Harding quarterback and his running style and how he takes over games.

I saw some examples of it on video, but I wanted to see for myself. That chance finally came in Week 12 when the Raiders and Chardon Hilltoppers met in a regional semifinal in Ravenna.

Why did it take so long? The job has me indoors most weekend nights. No complaints — it’s the nature of the work. But when the chance came to steal away from the office to watch the most exciting high school football player in the Mahoning Valley, I took it.

It was also my first up-close look at Gilchrist Stadium’s blue field. It’s really, really blue. But the more I looked at it, the novelty began to wear off and the more I wanted to see green.

And the more I watched Bowden, the more I wanted to see of him. He ran for six touchdowns and passed for another as Harding beat Chardon, 49-31. Some of his runs were as spectacular as you will ever see in a high school game. It was like watching a video game. It was Tecmo Bowl Bo Jackson, except instead of being in your living room or basement, you were freezing your rear end off watching an actual game.

Two things struck me as we walked to the car:

1. I could no longer feel my legs.

They finally thawed out somewhere near Newton Falls along Route 5.

1. I’d just seen Ohio’s Mr. Football.

Turns out I was wrong about that.

But not as wrong as some of the voters. Maybe they just hadn’t gotten a look at Bowden. Anyone who saw him play should have had a tough time voting for anyone else.

In three decades on the job, I’ve seen four high school players as electrifying as Bowden: Maurice Clarett (Harding), Robert Smith (Euclid), Desmond Howard (Cleveland St. Joseph) and O.J. McDuffie (Hawken).

They could take over a game from anywhere on the field at any time. The skill sets were different, but they all dominated.

So did Bowden, and he should have been Mr. Football. All it took was one game — my mind was made up by halftime — to convince me.

And while we’re on the subject of Warren getting overlooked for postseason honors, it’s also unfortunate that Warren JFK’s Jeff Bayuk was not selected as Ohio’s Division VII Coach of the Year.

Even if Bayuk’s Eagles hadn’t dominated Minster in the state finals on Saturday, I couldn’t think of another D-VII coach who did a better job.

But I’m sure, given the choice, Bayuk would take a state title over that award any day.

Write Vindicator Sports Editor Ed Puskas at epuskas@vindy.com and follow him on Twitter, @EdPuskas_Vindy.