Cohen Richardson and CJ Ross were among nine Portage County boys basketball standouts to earn all-state honors with the release of the teams for Divisions IV, V, VI and VII March 25.
Ross, a Ravenna senior, earned first team all-state honors in Division IV. According to Ravenna athletic director Jim Lunardi, Ross is the first boys basketball player in school history to earn first team all-state. The senior is the first Ravens basketball player, period, to earn first team all-state since DiAndra Gibson in 2011.
Richardson, a Southeast junior, earned second team all-state in Division V. His former teammate, Garrett Sprutte, got second team in 2023-2024, back when Richardson was just a freshman.
Crestwood senior Angelo Dinardo and Rootstown junior Blake Mullaly earned special mention in their respective divisions.
Five more local players earned honorable mention: Windham senior Matt Kolaczek, Streetsboro senior Ethan Laryea, Mogadore senior Jordon Smith, Garfield junior Devin Bates and Crestwood sophomore Colton Mayle.
The teams for Divisions I, II and III, which would include Aurora and Roosevelt, are set to be released March 26.
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How Cohen Richardson, CJ Ross snagged top state honors
Ross played a major role in the Ravens rising from five wins in 2024-2025 to 14 victories this season. He entered the year with 580 career points and ended up above 1,100 after averaging 24 points as a senior. The Metro Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Northeast Inland District Division IV Player of the Year also averaged seven rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Richardson also sparked a big jump as the Pirates went from 13-10 (7-7 Mahoning Valley Athletic Conference Grey Tier) in 2024-2025 to 18-5 (11-3). Richardson averaged 19.6 points, 8.4 rebounds and 2.4 assists to lift Southeast to its first league title since 2012.
As for the special mention all-state honorees, Dinardo averaged a double-double (15.9 points, 11.1 rebounds) and shot 62 percent from the field for the Red Devils while Mullaly (16.2 points, 7.8 rebounds) is nearing the 1,000-point mark for the Rovers.
Three of the five local players to earn honorable mention were seniors. Smith averaged 15 points, seven rebounds and three blocks for the Wildcats; Kolaczek averaged a double-double (11 points, 10 rebounds) for the Bombers; and Laryea did a little bit of everything (7.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists, 2.4 steals) for the Rockets. Bates (17.3 points, 53 percent from the field) and Mayle (17.3 points, 4.1 rebounds, 3.6 assists) showed tremendous potential for the G-Men and Red Devils, respectively.
Contact Jonah L. Rosenblum at jrosenblum@recordpub.com and follow him on Twitter at @JLRSports.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Cohen Richardson, CJ Ross lead all-state boys basketball honorees
Reporting by Jonah Rosenblum, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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