It’s that time of year again. Election Day is just around the corner and I’m here to campaign for a pair of worthy candidates.
The bad news is neither is guaranteed victory. The really bad news is the possibility exists that neither of them will have the opportunity to win the state’s highest honor.
I’m not talking about the gubernatorial election — that won’t take place until November of 2026.
I’m talking about the race for Ohio’s Mr. Football and north central Ohio is home to a couple of elite movers and shakers.
Shelby’s Brayden DeVito and Ashland’s Nathan Bernhard both have résumés that merit inclusion on the short list of Ohio’s 2025 Mr. Football candidates.
They both are All-Ohioans who have committed to play FBS football. Both are senior quarterbacks putting up gaudy statistics. And they both have the bodies of work that voters covet.
Mr. Football Primer
Before we go any further, we should take a minute to discuss the award and how the winner is decided. Here’s the abridged history.
Ohio’s Mr. Football honor has been awarded yearly since 1987 and is determined by a media vote. Associated Press members decided the winner for the first 30 years. The Ohio Prep Sports Media Association (formerly Ohio Prep Sports Writers Association) took over in 2017.
OPSMA members from seven geographic districts across the state gather after the regular season to determine all-district teams. During those meetings, a list of potential All-Ohio candidates is compiled and the OPSMA district board members determine the district’s Mr. Football candidate.
Protocol dictates each district puts forth one Mr. Football candidate, but there have been several occasions when more than one player from a district makes the list of finalists.
It happened last year when Mentor’s Scotty Fox and Avon’s Nolan Good both made the list of finalists from the Northeast Inlands district and Matt Ponatoski (Cincinnati Moeller) and Tavian St. Clair (Bellefontaine) were finalists from the Southwest District. Ponatowki won the award.
Both Shelby and Ashland are Northwest District schools. The district also includes all of the Toledo-area schools, including Toledo Central Catholic. TCC’s Victor Singleton is regarded as the top recruit in the state in the Class of 2026 and is verbally committed to Texas A&M.
The OPSMA district board chairs and officers select the Mr. Football finalists. The voting process is similar to the procedure used to determine college football’s Heisman Trophy winner. Each registered OPSMA can vote.
North Central Ohio History
The area has produced one Mr. Football winner. Lexington’s Cade Stover collected the award in 2018 before starring at Ohio State. Stover is in his second season as a tight end with the Houston Texans, but broke his foot in the season opener and is on the injured reserve list.
The year after Stover claimed the award, Mansfield Senior’s Angelo Grose was the Mr. Football runner-up in 2019 after leading the Tygers to the Division III state championship game. That same year, East Knox’s Caleb Gallwitz was a Mr. Football finalist from the Central District.
Last year, Ontario’s Bodpegn Miller was a finalist for the award. Miller is a freshman receiver at Ohio State.
Making the Case for DeVito
Shelby’s four-year starter will graduate as one of the most accomplished passers in state history. Unofficially, he already has thrown for more than 11,000 career yards and will likely become just the fifth passer in Ohio annals to top the 12,000-yard plateau.
Through seven games he has completed 73.3 percent of his passes (99-for-135) for 1,539 yards and 19 touchdowns with just three interceptions. What’s more, DeVito leads the Mid-Ohio Athletic Conference in rushing with 634 yards and 14 TDs on 62 carries, averaging 10.2 yards per attempt.
As mind-numbing as they are, DeVito’s stats would likely be even more jaw-dropping if he played entire games. Shelby’s average margin of victory is 35.4 points per game and five of the seven games have featured running clocks in the second half. He often finds himself sitting on the sidelines for the entire fourth quarter, routinely.
Shelby (7-0, 4-0) is ranked No. 1 in Division IV in this week’s Associated Press state poll.
The Air Force-bound DeVito is a two-time All-Ohio first-teamer in football and was a first-team pick in basketball last winter. He was also a member of Shelby’s state-placing 4×100 relay in the spring, making him an All-Ohioan in three sports during the 2024-25 school year.
Making the Case for Bernhard
No quarterback in the state passes the look test like Bernhard, an imposing 6-foot-6, 240-pounder with a cannon attached to his right shoulder.
But Bernhard isn’t all power and no finesse. The Appalachian State recruit hasn’t thrown an interception in the past 13 games dating to last season, a stretch that includes more than 250 passing attempts.
For the season, Bernhard has completed 84-of-128 passes (66%) for 1,269 yards and 16 touchdowns. He’s rushed for an additional 386 yards and 14 scores on 94 carries.
Bernhard has completed 540-of-859 passes for 7,208 yards and 61 TDs in his career. He is Ashland’s career leader in completions, total offense (9,094 yards) and total touchdowns (105). He is the first player in Ashland history to top 9,000 yards of total offense.
The Arrows are 7-0 and ranked 11th in Division II in this week’s AP state poll.
Loaded Field
As usual, there is no shortage of worthy candidates for Ohio’s Mr. Football award. Moeller’s Ponatoski, last year’s winner, is a senior this fall and is committed to the University of Kentucky to play both football and baseball.
Indian Valley running back Grady Kinsey was a finalist for the award last year after leading the Braves to the Division IV state title. He will join DeVito at the Air Force Academy next fall. Kinsey set Indian Valley’s single-game record when he rushed for 388 yards and six touchdowns on 26 carries in last week’s 40-12 win over Garaway.
Mentor running back Jackson Farley rushed for 1,925 yards in 14 games last year and has piled up 1,304 yards through seven games this fall. He’s a Kent State recruit.
Olentangy Orange quarterback Levi Davis is a highlight reel waiting to happen. The Ohio University recruit threw for more than 2,000 yards and rushed for another 850 last year. He has the unbeaten Pioneers atop the Division I, Region 3 ratings this season.
Closing Statement
North central Ohio’s emerging reputation as a high school football hotbed is well deserved. In addition to DeVito and Bernhard, Lexington’s Brayden Fogle, Joe Caudill and Latrell Hughes, Shelby’s Carter Kessler and Centerburg’s Jackson Ballinger all are FBS recruits.
Even if DeVito or Bernhard don’t make the list of finalists or claim the award, they have taken area fans on a thrill-ride they won’t soon forget.