BY SCOTT MACGREGOR
The Cincinnati Enquirer
The game most on Kelton Lindsay's mind is just a few hours away, and he certainly will not take time to think ahead - not even with Lebanon, the Division II school he has helped rise to the regional finals, coming off a rather easy 49-13 stomping last week and riding a crest of dominance through the playoffs.
But there is a game Saturday that Lindsay will have his eye on, though his loyalties will lie divided. When Ohio State meets Michigan, the Lebanon senior must chose between the team he grew up rooting for, the Wolverines, and the team he has committed to playing for in college, the Buckeyes.
This has caused a change in his weekend plans. "I was going to go to the game," Lindsay said with a smile, "but now I think it's best I don't go."
Even if Lindsay doesn't find his way to Columbus Saturday, he will next fall, when the 6-foot, 184-pound two-way star officially becomes a Buckeye. A lightning bolt of a running back with 4.3 speed in the 40-yard dash, Lindsay says he'd prefer offense if asked to choose, though Ohio State coaches have indicated a preference for his skills as a smothering cover man in the defensive secondary.
Lindsay's pressing concern today, however, is Washington Court House's Miami Trace High School (9-2), which his Lebanon Warriors (10-1) face in tonight's 7:30 p.m. Division II regional final at Dayton's Welcome Stadium.
The Warriors destroyed Roger Bacon by 36 points last week and boast three strong rushers (Lindsay, more than 1,000 yards and juniors Justin Runyan and Nick Singleton, each with more than 600) and a quarterback, senior Brady Merchant, who has rushed for more than 300 yards, thrown for more than 1,000 and last week accounted for four touchdowns (three rushing, one passing).
But even though Lindsay isn't the lone, unqualified standout of his team - and with his humble demeanor, he wouldn't call himself that either - he is the indispensable part.
"We think we'd still have a pretty good ballclub without Kelton, because our offensive line has done a great job and we have two other good backs and a good quarterback," said Lebanon coach Dave Brausch. "But Kelton may be the difference between us going from a very, very good team to a state champion."
You won't coax that answer out of Lindsay. "I don't like to brag about what I do," he said.
But you can get the thoughtful Lindsay to talk about how he approaches his two jobs. Offensively: "Make my linemen block with me, instead of for me." Defensively: "I watch film to see how (the receiver's) first step goes, how he stands. If he turns his feet in, he might do a slant. If his feet are out, he's going to do an out route. It's little things you need to watch for."
And Lindsay doesn't shy away from talking about the poetry he writes in his spare time. This is an 18-year-old who is equally as comfortable poring over the brooding lyricism of Poe and the intense work of Shakespeare as analyzing the flashy moves of Deion Sanders and Charles Woodson.
That cerebral side has helped make Lindsay more attuned to the inner strategies of football, but it's his speed that attracted Ohio State coaches.
Lindsay, who was being recruited by Michigan as well, was pleasantly shocked when Ohio State offered him a scholarship. He committed last February, nearly a year before signing day, and will join a program with recent history of producing star defensive backs.
"I'm from a small town - Lebanon isn't that big - and it was just a real surprise that they would come all the way down and want me to go to their school," Lindsay said. "When they told me, I was shocked. I didn't really believe it at first, and I had to take a deep breath. When I collected myself, I told them, 'Yeah, I'd love to go.' I don't know why Ohio State. It just clicked. It's close to home."
Finally, Ohio State beat Michigan.
Lebanon wacky for Warriors
