Ohio High School Football 2007 Preview: Maple Heights

Maple Heights is a small town located in the northeastern portion of Ohio near Cleveland. According to the 2000 census the city has a population of 26,156. It is a small town both in population and size, measuring only 5.2 square miles of land.

Changes in the Maple Heights Football Program

In December 2006, the Maple Heights football head coach, Jeff Rotsky, resigned from his position. He claimed that he needed a new challenge. During his five years at Maple Heights his leadership helped take the team to three conferences. Prior to his tenure at Maple Heights, Rotsky was head coach at St Peter Chanel, where he rejuvenated the football program there. Rotsky seems to be a man who prefers facing new challenges and building new teams rather than resting on his laurels. In early 2007 he accepted the head coaching position at Cleveland Heights, where he will be succeeding Michael Jones.

Because of the uncertainty surrounding the new program, it is difficult to speculate on the team's performance in the 2007 season. The team has several returning players, some who have experience from attending the last three conferences under coach Rotsky's tutelage. This may give the team some advantage when competing with the other Ohio football teams, but they will still be undergoing a period of readjustment, not only the normal readjustment of losing senior members of the team and gaining new freshman members, and not only the adjustment that the new senior players will be undergoing as they step up and accept their roles as leaders of the team, but they will also be adjusting to a new coach who may have a completely different style from their former leader who grew the program so quickly and securely.

Former Maple Heights Football Players

Several players from Maple Heights have gone to play college football for notable universities. While at Maple Heights, Richard Quinn led the team to a 10-2 record during his senior year; Rivals.com ranked him as the number 15 tight end in the country; in his senior year he had 32 catches, totaling 468 yards and ten touchdowns. After graduating from Maple Heights and went to the University of North Carolina to play football with the Tar Heels.

Jay Harper was also a former Maple Heights football player. He went on to play for Bucknell University's team. While attending Maple Heights he was voted the team's most improved player and won a Lake Erie Scholar-Athlete Award for both football and track.