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Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown: 25 recognizable athletes who played in football showcase

scott springer, cincinnati enquirer
·11 min read

Over 25 years, numerous Greater Cincinnati high school football players have advanced their careers from the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown to the next level. While not all made the pros, some were pretty solid high school and college players that you may remember.

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1. Michael Muñoz, offensive lineman, Moeller

The 6-foot-5-inch, 312-pound tackle played in Moeller's first appearance on Sept. 11, 1998, against Covington Catholic. Munoz would go on to be a USA Today High School All-American before he graduated and played four seasons (2001-2004) for the Tennessee Volunteers. Prior to appearing for the Crusaders in the 1998 Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown, he gave the induction speech for his father, former Bengal Anthony Muñoz at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton.

2. Doug Monaghan, safety, Colerain

Monoghan played in Colerain's first win in the series in 2000 and made All-Ohio first team. He went on to play in the Ohio North-South All-Star Game. He would become a freshman All-American at the University of Cincinnati and a four-year starter, picking off nine career passes for the Bearcats.

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3. Brent Celek, tight end/defensive line, La Salle

Before playing 11 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, Celek was a Lancer playing in the 2000 and 2001 games. He made the all-district team as a junior and senior. He set a La Salle record with an 89-yard pass reception then went on to UC, where he led them to bowl wins in the Fort Worth Bowl under Mark Dantonio and the International Bowl under Brian Kelly. He retired from the Eagles after they won Super Bowl LII.

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4. Bradley Glatthaar, running back, Elder

Elder has played in every Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown and Glatthaar was the Panthers' workhorse running back during their Ohio Division I championship runs of 2002 and 2003. Glatthaar and several of his Elder teammates moved on to UC's Bearcats (Digger Bujnoch, Bill Poland and Tony Carvitti). The 5-foot-11-inch, 215-pound rugged runner gained 1,362 career yards for the Bearcats with 21 touchdowns.

Elder High School head football coach Doug Ramsey, rear left, photographed with players, Rob Florian, quarterback, front, and Bradley Glatthaar, running back, rear right, during a break in practice Tuesday November 18, 2003 at The Western Sports Mall.
Elder High School head football coach Doug Ramsey, rear left, photographed with players, Rob Florian, quarterback, front, and Bradley Glatthaar, running back, rear right, during a break in practice Tuesday November 18, 2003 at The Western Sports Mall.

5. Robbie Schoenhoft, quarterback, St. Xavier

At 6-foot-6-inches and 240 pounds, Schoenhoft was part of Bomber wins in 2003 and 2004. As a junior, he was rated the No. 4 quarterback prospect in the nation by Rivals.com. His senior year he was courted by many (Florida, Michigan, Michigan State, Notre Dame) but attended Ohio State. After two seasons (18-26 for 134 yards), they tried to convert him to a tight end. He transferred to Delaware to play immediately and threw for 1,278 yards in one season with the Blue Hens.

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6. Dominick Goodman, quarterback, Colerain

Goodman played in Colerain's 21-3 win over Elder in the 2004 Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown, running for 126 yards and all three touchdowns. He would run for 2,005 yards and 29 touchdowns as the Cardinals went 15-0 and won the state championship under then-head coach Kerry Coombs. Goodman passed on a basketball scholarship to Findlay to catch passes at the University of Cincinnati. He caught over 200 balls for over 2,500 yards and played in the International Bowl, Papajohns.com Bowl and Orange Bowl for then-coach Brian Kelly.

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7. Mister Simpson, running back, Colerain

Simpson was part of Colerain victories in 2003 and 2004 and ran for 1,310 yards and 24 touchdowns during their 15-0 Division I state championship year. He ran for 1,658 yards and 23 touchdowns as a junior. Simpson went on to Michigan but after limited action, transferred to UC in 2006. Legal issues effectively ended his career.

Mister Simpson was a vital ball carrier for the 2004 state champion Colerain Cardinals
Mister Simpson was a vital ball carrier for the 2004 state champion Colerain Cardinals

8. Brian Wozniak, tight end/linebacker, Loveland

The Tigers and Wozniak played in 2007. That season Wozniak hauled down 26 passes and had five sacks and two interceptions. He would catch 15 more passes (four touchdowns) as a 6-foot-4-inch, 255-pound tight end for Wisconsin in the Big Ten, playing in four Badger bowl games (three Rose Bowls). He is currently the tight ends coach/recruiting coordinator at Oregon State.

9. J.K. Schaffer, linebacker, La Salle

At 6 feet and 205 pounds as a Lancer, Schaffer played in games in 2006 and 2007. His senior year, he had 7.5 sacks and even returned an interception 95 yards for a score. Moving on to UC, he became the fourth player in Big East history to have over 100 tackles in three consecutive seasons. Undrafted, he was picked up by the Bengals and played in 12 games in 2013 including a playoff loss to the then-San Diego Chargers.

10. DeVier Posey, wide receiver, La Salle 

Another Lancer playing in the 2006 and 2007 Showdown games, the 6-foot-3-inch, 170-pound Posey had 83 catches in those two seasons for over 1,500 yards. At Ohio State, Posey had 136 receptions for 1,955 yards and 18 touchdowns. He was a third-round pick of the Houston Texans and played three seasons there. In 2017, he won a CFL Grey Cup and was the game MVP for the Toronto Argonauts.

11. Braxton Miller, quarterback, Wayne

Ohio Mr. Football finalist Braxton Miller quarterbacked the Warriors to a win in 2008 before joining the Ohio State Buckeyes. He threw for 52 touchdowns in three seasons at Ohio State before redshirting due to an injury, then returning as a wide receiver his senior season. He was a member of the Buckeyes national championship team in 2015 and was drafted in the third round by the Houston Texans in 2016.

12. Dominique Brown, quarterback, Winton Woods

Brown quarterbacked the Warriors to the 2009 Division II state championship under then-coach Troy Everhart. He played for Winton Woods during their appearances in 2008 and 2009. In college at Louisville, he switched to running back. At 6-foot-2-inches and 233 pounds, he ran for 1,795 yards for the Cardinals in four seasons and 16 touchdowns.

13. Miles Simpson, running back, Simon Kenton

Simpson ran for more than 4,500 yards in his junior and senior seasons for the Pioneers and played in the Showdown in 2009. He played three seasons for the Kentucky Wildcats as a hybrid/linebacker before a hip injury ended his career.

14. Zeke Pike, quarterback, Dixie Heights

At 6-foot-5-inches and 233 pounds, Pike played in the series in 2010 before moving on to Auburn over a laundry list of blue chip schools. The All-American had been compared to Heisman winner Cam Newton. Legal troubles ended his time at Auburn, Louisville and Murray State. He was given a tryout at tight end by the Indianapolis Colts in 2019.

15. Jalin Marshall, quarterback, Middletown

Marshall led the Middies in games in 2010 and 2011. He rushed for 4,759 yards and 54 touchdowns at Middletown before moving on to Ohio State and becoming a wide receiver. He had 38 receptions his freshman year, most for a first-year player since Cris Carter had 40. After two seasons, he declared for the NFL Draft but was not selected. He was with the New York Jets for 2016-2017 and most recently has been with the CFL's Edmonton Elks.

16. Adolphus Washington, tight end/defensive line, Taft

The Senators played in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown in 2011 featuring Washington as a five-star recruit. He had nearly 200 tackles and over 40 sacks between his junior and senior seasons. He was a Parade Magazine All-American in both football and basketball at Taft and moved on to be a defensive tackle at Ohio State. He had 13.5 sacks in his career with the Buckeyes and played in the College Football National Championship in 2015 vs. Oregon against his high school teammate, Dwayne Stanford. A third-round NFL pick, he spent time with the Bills, Bengals, Cowboys and Dolphins.

Adolphus Washington (left) and Dwayne Stanford in front of Taft High School in July 2011.
Adolphus Washington (left) and Dwayne Stanford in front of Taft High School in July 2011.

17. Dwayne Stanford, wide receiver, Taft 

Stanford was a 6-foot-5-inch teammate of Washington's at Taft where they teamed up to excel in football and win a state title in basketball. Stanford moved on to Oregon and caught 97 passes for 1,383 yards and 12 touchdowns in four seasons, including a national championship appearance against his high school teammate Washington.

18. Sean Clifford, quarterback, St. Xavier

Clifford quarterbacked the Bombers in Showdowns in 2015 and 2016 before moving on to Penn State. He was instrumental in that 2016 season, which ended at 5-5 but went 5-0 in the postseason for a Division I championship. Still at Penn State, thanks to the extra year of eligibility from the coronavirus pandemic, Clifford threw for over 3,100 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2021.

19. Peyton Ramsey, quarterback, Elder

The Panthers have been in the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown every year, so Ramsey is a veteran of the series. Ramsey was GCL-South Player of the Year as a junior and senior, passing for over 4,700 yards and running for over 2,100. Ramsey quarterbacked the Indiana Hoosiers between 2016-2019 before transferring to Northwestern. With the Wildcats, he was named the MVP of the 2021 Citrus Bowl after throwing for 291 yards and three touchdowns in their victory over Auburn.

20. Malik Vann, defensive line, Fairfield

Vann played in the series several times during his Fairfield career which ended with him leading the Greater Miami Conference in sacks in the fall of 2017. He moved on to Nippert Stadium and the Cincinnati Bearcats and now is a 6-foot-4-inch, 275-pound defensive lineman. He has had nine career sacks and was a mainstay of last season's College Football Playoff semifinalists.

21. Tanner Morgan, quarterback, Ryle

Morgan played in Ryle's 2015 contest and threw for over 5,300 yards and 48 touchdowns for the Raiders in his two seasons there. Now at Minnesota, he holds several school records and is 27-12 as the Golden Gophers starting quarterback.

22. Miles McBride, quarterback, Moeller

McBride was a two-way star at Moeller and played in Crusader Showdown wins in 2016 and 2017. In his junior year, he had thrown for 17 touchdowns in just five games and was getting recruited by schools, including Cincinnati, as a quarterback. But, after a leg injury, he rehabbed and went with basketball full-time leading Moeller to a pair of state titles and catching the eye of former UC and current West Virginia coach Bob Huggins. McBride flourished as a Mountaineer and now is a member of the New York Knicks in the NBA.

23. A.J. Mayer, quarterback, Covington Catholic

Mayer played in the series with the Colonels on his way to being the Kentucky 5A District Player of the Year as a junior and the state championship MVP as a senior. At Miami University, Mayer threw for 10 career touchdowns for the RedHawks.

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24. Michael Mayer, tight end, Covington Catholic 

The former Kentucky Mr. Football and Kentucky Gatorade Player of the Year also graced the Showdown on his way to becoming the top Kentucky football recruit and one of the top tight ends in the nation. Now at Notre Dame, he caught 71 passes for 840 yards and seven touchdowns last season for the Fighting Irish.

Cov Cath defensive end Michael Mayer celebrates a tackle for a loss in the KHSAA 5A state championship Dec. 7, 2019. Covington Catholic defeated Frederick Douglass 14-7.
Cov Cath defensive end Michael Mayer celebrates a tackle for a loss in the KHSAA 5A state championship Dec. 7, 2019. Covington Catholic defeated Frederick Douglass 14-7.

25) Drew Plitt, quarterback, Luke Waddell, running back, Loveland; Joe Bolden, linebacker, Colerain (three-way tie in honor of Skyline Chili)

Both Loveland Tigers were on the 2013 Division II state championship team that defeated Glenville in the snow in Canton. Both eventually played in college with Plitt quarterbacking Ball State and Waddell moving on to baseball at Georgia Tech. Plitt recently signed a free-agent contract with the Bengals and Waddell is with the AA affiliate of the Braves in Mississippi. Though unbeaten in 2013, the Tigers did not win a Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown game in their appearances afterward. Bolden made All-Ohio first team at Colerain under uncle Tom Bolden, then became a three-year starter at Michigan. After serving at Ohio State, he currently is special teams/outside linebackers coach at Nevada.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown high school football notable alumni