Injured Highland player Kory Wiita is remembered at title games: State Football Insider

Tim Rogers and Tim Warsinskey, The Plain Dealer, December 04, 2009 10:47 p.m.

Wiita

Massillon -- The outpouring of support for injured Highland football player Kory Wiita has reached the state finals.

All 12 teams involved in this weekend's finals have agreed to wear "KW32" helmet stickers to honor Wiita, who has been hospitalized since fracturing three levels of his cervical spine that left him paralyzed from the chest down during Highland's season-ending game.

"They reached out to all the schools that were in the finals and our thoughts are with him," said Youngstown Cardinal Mooney coach P.J. Fecko, whose team won the Division II state title, 35-7, over Columbus DeSales on Friday. "It's a very sobering thought of how lucky we are and the situation we're in. It makes our guys appreciate how special each moment really is."

Shaq gets offer:MapleHeights junior quarterback Shaq Washington has received a scholarship offer from Bowling Green, which wants him as a wide receiver.

Coach Todd Filtz said larger schools such as Georgia have been in contact and he expects numerous offers to come in after the season and next summer. Washington attended several college camps last summer to get his name out there.

Filtz said Washington's role will be the same next year, as a quarterback and extra defensive back.

Early birds: Maple Heights received a police escort out of town Friday afternoon. The Mustangs' chartered bus arrived at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium at 4:30 p.m. for the 7 p.m. game. The team was given Massillon High's locker room, which is decorated with photographs of every coach and every team in the program's history, including Paul Brown, Lee Tressel and Earle Bruce. Most players didn't notice, but a few were heard saying, "Oh, my God," and "Wow."

The Mustangs were on the field getting loose when Cincinnati Winton Woods arrived at 5:30.

Big D: Cardinal Mooney gave up just 34 points in five postseason games, 14 in the past three weeks. The Cardinals had not allow more than 14 points in a game since Week 9.

Big gamer: In the state semifinals and final, Mooney senior running back-defensive back Braylon Heard had 50 carries for 471 yards and five touchdowns.

Honored:Olmsted Falls coach Jim Ryan and former Nordonia coach Keith Boedicker were among coaches recognized on the field before the Maple Heights game as Massillon celebrates its 20th year of playing host to the finals. Both coached teams that played in finals here. Olmsted Falls won in 2000 and Nordonia lost in 2002.