32,750 watch state finals

CANTON — Last weekend’s OHSAA football state finals at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium saw a 4% decline in attendance.

The seven state championship games drew 32,750 fans (an average of 4,678 per game), down from 34,222 last season.

The two most attended games were both last Friday with 6,035 attending the Division I game between Olentangy Orange and Cincinnati St. Xavier and 6,011 at the Division IV game between Cleveland Glenville and Shelby.

Attendance has declined since the first year at the new Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in 2017 when 61,312 fans attended the seven championship games.

The current OHSAA contract with the Pro Football Hall of Fame runs through 2026 with two option years.

Jets will be Cook-ing

FLORHAM PARK, N.J. (AP) — Brady Cook is going from undrafted rookie to NFL starting quarterback this week.

New York Jets coach Aaron Glenn announced Friday that Cook will make his first regular-season start Sunday against the Jaguars in Jacksonville.

Cook will become the 55th player to start at quarterback in franchise history, and the first undrafted rookie to do so for the Jets since J.J. Jones in 1975. Cook will be the 16th undrafted rookie quarterback to start a game for any team since 1990. Those QBs went 6-9 in their first starts with the last winner Tyson Bagent for Chicago in 2023.

Cook will also be the 41st player to start at quarterback for the Jets since Joe Namath’s last game with the franchise in 1976.

More awards for Mendoza

BRISTOL, Conn. (AP) — Indiana quarterback Fernando Mendoza has won the Maxwell and Davey O’Brien awards on the eve of the Heisman Trophy presentation, and the redshirt junior is heavily favored to take the top prize in college football.

Mendoza took the honors for the nation’s player of the year and top QB on ESPN’s college awards show on Friday night. The Heisman winner will be named Saturday night in New York, and Mendoza is an overwhelming favorite, according to BetMGM.

The Maxwell and O’Brien honors came a day after Mendoza was named The Associated Press player of the year.

The California transfer led the Hoosiers to a 13-0 record, a victory over Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game and the top seed in the College Football Playoff. Indiana’s first O’Brien winner set a program record with an FBS-leading 33 touchdown passes.

“It’s a wonderful feeling. It really doesn’t feel real,” Mendoza said from New York after being named the O’Brien winner. “It’s a testament to so many people who believed in me, who have helped groom me into the player I am today and all those people, especially before anybody knew my name.”

Mendoza won the O’Brien over Ohio State freshman Julian Sayin and Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed, two other quarterbacks getting ready to lead their teams in the CFP.

The Maxwell nod for Mendoza came over Sayin and Notre Dame’s Jeremiyah Love, who was that storied program’s first Doak Walker Award winner as the nation’s premier running back. Love set a school record with 21 touchdowns.

Mendoza is Indiana’s second Maxwell winner after running back Anthony Thompson in 1989.

Mendoza’s coach, Curt Cignetti, was named coach of the year for the second consecutive season. The Hoosiers had their first undefeated regular season since 1945, won the Big Ten for the first time in 58 years and ended a 37-year losing streak to the Buckeyes. The win over Ohio State earned Indiana its first No. 1 AP ranking.

Texas Tech linebacker Jacob Rodriguez won the Chuck Bednarik Award as the defensive player of the year. He was already the Bronko Nagurski Award winner, also for the best defensive player.

Southern California’s Makai Lemon was named the Fred Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation’s top receiver. He was in the top 10 nationally with 1,156 yards receiving and 11 touchdowns.

Ohio State safety Caleb Downs was named the Jim Thorpe Award winner as the top defensive back, and Utah offensive lineman Spencer Fano won the Outland Trophy as the best interior lineman.

Oklahoma’s Tate Sandell won the Lou Groza Award as the best kicker, and Georgia’s Brett Thorson took the Ray Guy Award as the top punter. Both programs are headed to the CFP.