More Blue Devils choose colleges
Sam Blackburn
Five more Zanesville athletes made their college choices recently, four from the football program alone.
Offensive linemen Zach Clapper and C.J. Hoskinson chose Capital and linebacker Devon Green will play at Ohio Northern.
In addition, two-way standout Jamal Gladden and track star James Clark will attend Tennessee State.
Clapper and Hoskinson were starters on the interior line for the Blue Devils’ 13-1 state semifinal team that set numerous school passing records.
They will join another former Blue Devil, center Will Weir, on the offensive line.
“They only have eight guys right now,” said Hoskinson, a 6-foot-4, 300-pound guard. “There’s definitely an opportunity to compete for time.”
Clapper, who moved to center as a senior, cited the possibility of playing as a freshman a big reason he chose the Crusaders.
Capital is a triple-option offense similar to Navy, where second-year coach Craig Candeto was a starting quarterback and fighter pilot.
“I didn’t want to sit and play (junior varsity),” Clapper said. “I want to compete right away and Capital will give me that opportunity.”
Clapper was intrigued by the campus and location.
“It wasn’t too far away,” Clapper said. “There’s a small-school feel, but down the street is downtown Columbus.”
Gladden emerged as the area’s top running back, averaging 8.3 yards per carry with 1,010 yards and 17 touchdowns in the regular season. He also was a force in the playoffs, running 124 times for 527 yards with seven scores in four games.
Defensively, his work helped protect the edge as a three-year starter as an All-Ohio strong safety in Zanesville’s 3-3-5 defense.
He plans to major in nursing at TSU, an FCS school that competes in the Ohio Valley Conference.
“I had some D-II schools try to contact me, like Ashland, Ohio Dominican and Walsh. But I wanted to go Division I,” Gladden said. “It’s just always been something I’ve wanted to do.”
He knows walking on will be a challenge.
“I talked to the coach and he was real cool,” Gladden said. “He said I can definitely walk on and they like my potential, but nothing is guaranteed.”
Green — a 6-3, 200-pounder who played on the outside — was among the team’s tackle and sack leaders as a first-year starter.
He will major in construction management, following in the footsteps of father Chad Green.
“(ONU) graduates 96 percent of their students and that’s kind of nice,” Devon Green said. “It was the only program I had a chance to go to.”
Devon Green, who fought injuries for much of his career, had only one year to prove his worth. He responded by starting all 14 games.
When asked how his game translates to the collegiate level, he said: “I guess we’ll see when we get up there.”
Clark was a special teams standout as a senior, used primarily in coverage. But his meal ticket is the 400 in track, where his 49.6 is just shy of the school record.
“I was looking at a lot of different colleges, but (Gladden) was telling me how nice it was,” Clark said. “I went and talked to the track coach and he said he would give me a chance.”
Blue Devils coach Chad Grandstaff thanked the players for their contributions to the program and said their accomplishments are a tribute to the support they received at home.
He also praised the work of assistant Randy Buckley.
“He does a tremendous amount of work with our recruiting process and our life plan program that helps kids get to the next level,”: Grandstaff said.
“Those guys are great leaders. They were a close bunch and I’m really excited for those guys to make their college decisions, and they’re going to be off to bigger and better things. They’re starting a new journey and we’re excited for them, excited for the next step in their life.”
sblackburn@zanesvilletimesrecorder.com
Twitter: @SamBlackburnTR