Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown: 25 alumni who played in the NFL 

Over 25 years, the Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown has shone the spotlight on some of the best high school football players in the area. Many top high school players who played in the game never made it to the highest level of pro football. At least 45 alumni have played in the National Football League. Here are the top 25 of those.

By the numbers:25th Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown

Darrian Beavers, linebacker, Colerain

Beavers, a Colerain graduate, played in the Showdown three times from 2014-16. He was part of Colerain’s 2016 state runner-up as a safety and wide receiver. He was a big part of the University of Cincinnati defense during the Bearcats’ 2021 run to the College Football Playoffs. He had 99 tackles for the Bearcats and was a finalist for the Butkus Award, which goes to the nation’s best college football linebacker. Beavers was a sixth-round NFL draft pick by the New York Giants in April, and in the team’s first depth chart of this preseason was listed as second-team Will linebacker.

Alex Boone, offensive lineman, Lakewood St. Edward

Boone and St. Ed's played St. Xavier in the 2004 Showdown. The offensive lineman played for Ohio State and played nine seasons in the NFL, six as a regular starter, totaling 86 career starts. He played for San Francisco his first six seasons from 2010-15, then played one season each with Minnesota, Arizona and Seattle. With the Niners, he played in eight playoff games, starting six, including Super Bowl 47 when the Niners lost to Baltimore.

Cornellius Carradine, defensive lineman, Taft

The Taft graduate, nicknamed “Tank,” played in the Showdown in 2008 and was a second-round draft pick by San Francisco in 2013. The defensive lineman played four seasons with the Niners from 2014-17 and also played for Oakland and Miami. He played two seasons for Florida State, collecting 80 tackles with 11 sacks in 2012 as a senior.

Brent Celek, tight end, La Salle

The La Salle standout played in the Showdown from 2000-02. He had a decorated career in 11 seasons with the Philadelphia Eagles, with 398 receptions for 4,998 yards and 31 touchdowns. In the Eagles’ playoff run to the NFC title game in 2009, he caught three touchdown passes in three games. He played for the Eagles during their Super Bowl 52 championship run in 2018, and the Super Bowl was his final game in uniform. Celek had a decorated career at UC as well, with 91 career catches for 1,135 yards and 14 touchdowns.

Garrett Celek, tight end, La Salle

The La Salle grad and younger brother of Brent Celek played three times in the Showdown from 2005-07. He was a part-time starter in the NFL for San Francisco, compiling 82 catches for 1,104 yards and 12 touchdowns with the Niners. The Michigan State graduate had three career touchdown catches.

Bryan Cook, safety, Mt. Healthy

The Mt. Healthy graduate played in the Showdown from 2014-16. The University of Cincinnati star was a big part of the Bearcats’ defense last year during their undefeated regular season that put them in the College Football Playoffs. He had 96 tackles and two interceptions for the Bearcats, his last season with UC. Cook was drafted by Kansas City in the second round in April’s NFL draft and is listed as second team at strong safety in the Chiefs’ first depth chart of the preseason.

Stefon Diggs, wide receiver, Our Lady of Good Counsel

Diggs played for Our Lady of Good Counsel from the Washington, D.C., area in Maryland when they came to town and played St. Xavier in the 2010 Showdown. Diggs is one of the top receivers in the NFL. He has spent the last two seasons in Buffalo, where he had 1,225 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns last year for the Bills, who won the AFC East. He has played seven seasons in the league, five in Minnesota. His long touchdown catch as time expired against New Orleans in the 2018 playoffs, dubbed the Minneapolis Miracle, is one of the most iconic plays in recent NFL history. He played collegiately for the University of Maryland, where he had 150 receptions for 2,227 yards and 14 TDs in three seasons.

Mike Edwards, defensive back, Winton Woods

The Winton Woods graduate played in the Showdown from 2011-13. He has spent his first three pro seasons with Tampa Bay. He has five career interceptions, returning two for touchdowns in 2021. Last year, he started four games and had 46 tackles for one of the NFC’s top teams. Edwards had a decorated career at the University of Kentucky, starting 44 games. His 318 career tackles are second in school history for defensive backs, and his 10 career interceptions are fourth. He was an all-Southeastern Conference honoree three times.

Jordan Hicks, linebacker, Lakota West

The Lakota West graduate played in the Showdown three times from 2007-09. He was an All-American at Lakota West and won the high school Butkus Award in 2009 honoring the nation’s top linebacker. He signed with Minnesota and will begin his first season with the Vikings after spending the past three seasons with Arizona. He was drafted by Philadelphia in the third round and spent his first three seasons with the Eagles. With the Cardinals, he started every game in the past three seasons, recording over 100 tackles each of those seasons, including 150 in 2019. He was NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 13 last season. Hicks has 11 career interceptions. Hicks had an outstanding college career at Texas, collecting 116 tackles and two picks his senior year in 2014.

Sam Hubbard, defensive lineman, Moeller

Hubbard played for Moeller in the Showdown in 2012-13 and was a five-star recruit who went to Ohio State, where he played regularly for three years and had 17 career sacks. Hubbard was a third-round pick by the Bengals and has been there for four seasons, a full-time starter the past three. He had 62 tackles last season during the Bengals’ Super Bowl run. Likely his most significant play as a Bengal came in last season’s AFC Championship game when the Kansas City Chiefs were driving in the final seconds of regulation to tie or win the game. Hubbard’s sack of Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes after a delayed rush on third-down forced the Chiefs into a game-tying field goal, and the Bengals won in overtime.

Greg Jones, linebacker, Moeller

The Moeller graduate played in the Showdown in 2006. A sixth-round NFL pick out of Michigan State, he played linebacker, starting five games and playing all 16 for the New York Giants in 2011, including their Super Bowl win over New England that year. He played for Jacksonville in 2012. He had 31 tackles for the Giants in 2011 and spent several seasons in the Canadian Football League. Jones had a standout career with Michigan State with 465 career tackles. He was first-team All-Big Ten Conference three times and the league defensive player of the year in 2009, then was named an All-American as a senior in 2010.

Ryan Kelly, offensive lineman, Lakota West

Kelly, a Lakota West graduate, played in the Showdown in 2009 and 2010. The first-round draft pick from the Alabama Crimson Tide has started all 80 games he has played in his six seasons in the NFL and has been a Pro Bowl selection each of the past three seasons. At Alabama, he was an All-American selection and winner of the Dave Rimington Trophy as the top center in the nation in 2015.

Josh Kline, offensive lineman, Mason

The Mason graduate played in the Showdown in 2006 and 2007. He played for New England, Tennesee and Minnesota from 2013 to 2019. He was a regular starter from 2015-19, playing 72 games and starting all but one, including three seasons with the Titans. He started in seven playoff games from 2014-19, playing four overall with the Patriots. Kline, a former state wrestling champion at Mason, played at Kent State and helped his team win a division title.

Luke Kuechly, linebacker, St. Xavier

The St. Xavier graduate played in the Showdown in 2007 and 2008, leading the Bombers’ nationally ranked team that won the 2007 Division I state championship. He is one of the best linebackers to play in the league in the last 10 years after being drafted ninth overall by Carolina in 2012. The St. X product was a seven-time Pro Bowl selection and a five-time All-Pro honoree. He had eight seasons of 100 or more tackles, totaling 1,092 in his career. His career high in tackles was 164. He posted 18 interceptions and 12.5 sacks in his career.

During Carolina’s 15-1 season in 2015, which ended with a Super Bowl 50 loss to Denver, Kuechly was in top form, collecting 118 tackles in the regular season with four interceptions, one for a touchdown. He was AP defensive player of the year in 2013. In three playoff games, he averaged 10 tackles per game and intercepted two passes. At Boston College, he averaged 100 tackles a season with seven career interceptions and was a three-time first-team All-American. He won the Dick Butkus Award in 2011, the honor given to college football’s top linebacker.

David Long, linebacker, Winton Woods

The Winton Woods graduate played in the Showdown three times from 2012 to 2014. The sixth-round pick out of West Virginia has been a linebacker with the Tennessee Titans the past three seasons, starting 14 games. He had 75 tackles last year, including eight against the Bengals in their playoff matchup. Long posted 246 career tackles in three seasons at West Virginia.

Greg Mancz, offensive lineman, Anderson

The Anderson graduate played in the Showdown in 2007 and 2008. An undrafted free agent out of the University of Toledo, the offensive lineman has played the past eight years in the NFL, seven with Houston and last year with Miami. He has played 63 games in the NFL, starting 32. He was a full-time starter for the Houston Texans in 2016, including two playoff games, and has played in five career postseason contests with the Texans. Mancz signed with the Buffalo Bills in the offseason.

Mike Matthews, tight end, Sycamore

The Sycamore graduate played for five teams in his career. He was mainly a backup tight end but started Super Bowl 42 for the New York Giants, which was the first of two Giants wins over the Patriots in the Super Bowl. The Georgia Tech graduate, who participated in the Showdown in 2001, played three seasons with the Yellow Jackets.

Jake McQuaide, offensive lineman/long snapper, Elder

The 34-year-old Elder graduate played in the Showdown in 2005 and was part of a state championship team with the Panthers. At Ohio State, he was a long snapper who helped the Buckeyes to three conference championships. He has been a starting long snapper since entering the NFL in 2011, totaling 177 career games. He is entering his second season with the Dallas Cowboys after 10 seasons with the Rams. He was a two-time Pro Bowl selection in 2016 and 2017 and played in Super Bowl 53 for the Rams, who lost to New England. One of his brightest career moments came in the NFC title game that season when he was the long-snapper for a 57-yard field goal by Greg Zuerlein in overtime to help the Rams beat the Saints.

David Montgomery, running back, Mt. Healthy

The Mt. Healthy graduate played in the Showdown all four of his varsity years from 2012 to 2015, finishing his Owls career with 6,666 rushing yards and 91 touchdowns. He was Ohio Division III Player of the Year in 2015. As the starting running back for the Chicago Bears the past three years, he has rushed for 2,808 yards and 21 touchdowns. In 2020, he rushed for 1,070 yards and eight scores, including an 80-yard TD. He also had 54 catches for 438 yards and two touchdowns and has 121 career receptions. Montgomery played for Iowa State in college, where he rushed for 2,926 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Andrew Norwell, offensive lineman, Anderson

The Anderson graduate played in the Showdown in 2008, a win over Taft. He has been an NFL starter on the offensive line for the past eight seasons, starting 111 total games. He signed with Washington in March after spending the past four seasons with Jacksonville. The Ohio State University graduate played with the Carolina Panthers for the first four seasons of his career from 2014 to 2017. He played in Super Bowl 50 when Carolina lost to Denver, and that was one of his six career playoff games. He was named to the All-Pro team at left guard in 2017.

Kyle Rudolph, tight end, Elder

The Elder graduate played in the Showdown in 2006 and 2007. He has been a veteran starter since entering the NFL in 2011, signing with Tampa Bay in July after playing with the New York Giants last season. He spent his first 10 seasons with Minnesota. Rudolph enters the new season with 479 career receptions for 4,745 yards and 49 touchdowns. He’s a two-time Pro Bowl selection (2012, 2017). In 2012, he had 53 catches and nine touchdowns for the Vikings. In 2017, he had 57 catches and eight touchdowns. In 2016, he had career highs of 83 catches and 840 yards, with seven touchdowns. He’s played six career playoff games with two touchdowns. Rudolph had 90 catches and eight touchdowns in three seasons at Notre Dame, playing two bowl games.

Spencer Ware, running back, Princeton

The Princeton graduate played three times in the Showdown from 2007-09. The sixth-round pick out of LSU played five years in the NFL. With the Kansas City Chiefs, he had 403 rushing yards and six touchdowns in 2015, then 921 rushing yards and three scores as a full-time starter in 2016. He also had 33 catches for 447 yards and two scores that season. Ware played in four playoff games with the Chiefs, scoring two touchdowns. At LSU, Ware had eight rushing touchdowns.

Adolphus Washington, defensive lineman, 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.

Mike Windt, offensive lineman, Elder

The Elder graduate played in the Showdown in 2005 and 2006. He played for the University of Cincinnati, where he was a tight end during the Bearcats’ 2009 team that won the Big East and finished undefeated in the regular season. In the NFL, he played nine seasons for the Chargers, mainly on special teams.

Eric Wood, offensive lineman, Elder

The Elder graduate played in the Showdown in 2003 and 2004. Wood, an offensive lineman, started every game he played in nine NFL seasons, 120 total, from 2009-2017. His last seven seasons, he was the Bills’ starting center. He played in one playoff game.

This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: Skyline Chili Crosstown Showdown history: 25 players who made the NFL