Eight local football standouts earned all-state honors in Division VI and VII teams, which were announced Dec. 8.
Five Mogadore players earned all-state honors in Division VII, headlined by running back Conner Lehner making first team and defensive lineman Dylan Benedum and defensive back Maddox Smith securing second team. Offensive lineman James Pollock and wide receiver Kade Thomas earned honorable mention.
Rootstown landed three players on the Division VI second team: running back Damien Reuting, offensive lineman Braden Wright and kicker Blake Mullaly.
Let’s learn a little more about these eight all-state selections:
Meet Mogadore’s five all-state selections
Lehner, the Northeast Inland District Division VII Co-Offensive Player of the Year, earned first team all-state honors after rushing for 1,234 yards (7.26 per carry) and 15 touchdowns in the regular season. He added huge playoff games in the regional quarterfinals and semifinals against East Palestine and East Canton, respectively. Pollock was the leading lineman carving out room for Lehner and Thomas was the Wildcats’ top receiver, with both earning honorable mention on the offensive side of the ball.
Dylan Benedum and Maddox Smith were also leading parts of Mogadore’s offense, but both earned second team all-state honors on the defensive side. Benedum, a defensive lineman (and fullback), had 41 tackles (five for loss), 12 quarterback hurries and three sacks in the regular season. Smith, a defensive back (and quarterback), had 42 tackles, nine pass breakups and a pick.
All five helped the Wildcats rise from 6-6 in 2024 to 11-2 in 2025.
Meet Rootstown’s three all-state selections
Reuting, a second team all-state running back, had 177 carries for 1,242 yards (7.0 per carry) and 21 touchdowns without a single fumble. Wright, a Division I Sacred Heart commit, finished with 15 pancakes and the Rovers ran behind the second team all-state lineman 90% of the time. Mullaly earned second team all-state honors at kicker after making five of eight field goals, including a school-record 48-yarder, and 37 of 40 point-after attempts.
Contact Jonah L. Rosenblum at jrosenblum@recordpub.com and follow him on Twitter at @JLRSports.
This article originally appeared on Record-Courier: Mogadore, Rootstown high school football stars earn all-state honors
Reporting by Jonah Rosenblum, Ravenna Record-Courier / Record-Courier
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