Keith Wakefield, Devin Smith part of new Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame class
The Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame will welcome a seven-man Class of 2023 on July 21.
The class features four modern-era players — Bobby Hendry, Devin Smith, Steve Smith and Dymonte Thomas — in addition to coaching legend Keith Wakefield and two players from the 1950s, Ron Carnahan and Ron Worstell. The latter two were senior nominees.
This is the first class to be selected since the 2020 class was chosen before the COVID-19 pandemic and honored last summer.
The class includes one of the county's all-time leading rushers (Thomas) and leading receivers (Devin Smith), in addition to a state championship team captain (Steve Smith). Hendry, a 1,000-yard rusher at Akron, is one of several who went on to star in college. Wakefield retired as a head coach from Perry just two years ago as the county's second all-time winningest coach. Carnahan and Worstell were two-way stars in Canton in the mid-50s, earning all-city honors just a year apart.
Here's a look at each member of the class:
Ron Carnahan, McKinley, halfback
1955 Senior
Helped lead McKinley to a 10-0 season and a state championship, as the Bulldogs outscored opponents 396-40
Called plays for McKinley and earned honorable mention All-Ohio
Rushed for 612 yards on 53 carries (an 11.5 average), scoring 13 touchdowns and 79 total points
Selected to play in the Ohio North-South Game
1954 Junior
Helped McKinley finish the season 8-2
Rushed for 188 yards and a touchdown on 33 carries
Also notable
Lettered three years for the Bulldogs
Inducted into the McKinley High School Football Hall of Fame in 1988
Bobby Hendry, Hoover, running back
1998 Senior
Division I first-team All-Ohio running back
Rushed for 1,841 yards and 23 TDs in the regular season, setting what was then Hoover's single-season rushing record
Rushed for 235 yards and two TDs on 37 carries to lead Hoover to Week 10 win over Jackson, enabling the Vikings to claim share of Federal League title
Also notable
Starred at running back for the Akron Zips, becoming one of their few 1,000-yard rushers in a season since their move to Division I-A in 1987
Gained 1,021 yards and scored eight TDs as a junior, and surpassed 800 yards and 10 TDs as both a sophomore and senior
Rushed for 2,847 yards (4.7 avg) and 32 TDs, and gained 3,173 yards from scrimmage with 33 total TDs in UA career. His career rushing total ranks No. 3 in Akron’s Division I-A era
2023 Canton-Area High School Football: This year's Stark County-area team-by-team high school football schedules
Devin Smith, Massillon, wide receiver
2010 Senior
Division I first-team All-Ohio as a WR
Caught 60 passes for 1,130 yards (18.8 avg) and 9 TDs. Yardage ranked fourth in county history
Won a state long jump title for the Tigers
2009 Junior
Division I first-team All-Ohio as a WR
Scored 15 TDs among his 50 catches for 989 yards in his first season with the Tigers after transferring from Ellet
Career stats / also notable
Caught 110 passes for 2,119 yards (19.3) and 24 touchdowns … Yardage total was fifth in county history when he graduated
Scored 30 receiving touchdowns at Ohio State and averaged over 20 yards per catch for his career (37.9 average on his TD catches)
Helped the Buckeyes win a national title, becoming a second-round pick of the Jets in the 2015 NFL Draft, the 37th overall selection and the first Buckeye drafted that year
Played 54 games (30 starts) over his Ohio State career (never missing a game), catching 121 passes for 2,503 yards
Led the nation as a senior by averaging a school-record 28.2 yards per catch, with 33 receptions for 931 yards and 12 TDs — including a Big Ten-record tying three TD catches in the conference championship game vs. Wisconsin
More Stark County High School Football: Decade Rewind: Meet the 2010s Stark County All-Decade Football team which features Devin Smith and Dymonte Thomas
Steve Smith, McKinley, offensive line
1998 Senior
Division I first-team All-Ohio as an OL
Anchored O-line at center on state championship team
1997 Junior
Starter at center on Division I state championship and USA Today national championship team
Also notable
Played instrumental role in DeMarlo Rozier and Ben McDaniels setting assorted McKinley career and single-season rushing, scoring and passing records
Played at Kent State, where he was a three-year starter, helping Golden Flashes rank among the top 15 rushing teams in the nation twice during his career
Earned Academic all-district in 2002 and 2003 and Academic All-MAC three times (2001-03)
More Canton McKinley Football: Coaches, cell-tower techs, pharmacists, fathers, friends. Where are the 1997 McKinley Bulldogs now?
Dymonte Thomas, Marlington, safety-running back
2012 Senior
Division I first-team All-Ohio as a RB
Rushed for 1,270 yards and 18 touchdowns on 175 carries
Made 70 tackles, one interception and a fumble recovery
Ran for a career-high 309 yards in win over Louisville
2011 Junior
Division I first-team All-Ohio as a DB
Made 102 tackles and one interception
Rushed for 875 yards and 13 touchdowns (Alden Hill was primary rusher with 2,000-plus yards)
2010 Sophomore
Division I second-team All-Ohio as a DB
Helped Dukes go 10-0 in the regular season and reach the state semifinals
Ran for 1,641 yards and 17 TDs
2009 Freshman
First-team Repository All-Stark County in Divisions III-VII, first of four straight years making all-county first team
Career stats / also notable
Finished career with 4,587 rushing yards on 573 carries (8.0 avg) and 56 TDs, with the yardage total ranking ninth in county history at the time of his graduation
Scored 61 career TDs and 372 total points, ranking fifth and eighth, respectively, in county history when he graduated; and made four career interceptions and three fumble recoveries
Helped Marlington win at least eight games each season as a four-year starter, reaching the playoffs three times as the Dukes were 37-9 in that stretch.
Participated in the Army All-America Game following his senior season, and also lettered in baseball and wrestling
Appeared in 15 games (one interception, one sack) with the Denver Broncos over the 2017-18 seasons as a safety after being a four-year letterman at Michigan
Graduated from the College of Literature, Science and the Arts, with a degree in general studies after earning 2015 U-M Athletic Academic Achievement and being 2014 Academic All-Big Ten
Appeared in 47 games, making 21 starts at free safety, totaling 128 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery and 17 pass breakups
Selected 2016 All-Big Ten honorable mention by both the coaches and media
Keith Wakefield, Perry, head coach
Notable
Compiled a record of 222-101 over 29 seasons at Perry (1982-2003, 2013-20), winning 15 league titles and three regional championships.
His 222 wins rank No. 2 in Stark County history behind only Lowell Klinefelter (257 wins in 41 seasons)
His 2015 and 2016 teams were Division II state runners-up
Selected 2001 Associated Press Ohio Division I Coach of the Year
Wakefield’s final six seasons as head coach saw the Panthers go 12-3, 12-3, 9-2, 8-2, 9-3 and 9-1 while winning four Federal League titles (59-14 in that stretch).
Spent 50 years coaching football at time of retirement from Perry, including 37 as a head coach.
More on Keith Wakefield: With Perry football 'fixed,' Keith Wakefield moves on to next chapter of his life
Ron Worstell, Lincoln, running back
1956 Senior
Set single-game record for rushing yards (258 vs. Timken) and single-season record for total yards (1,248), records he still owned when the school closed in 1976
Averaged 6.2 yards per carry and scored 76 points
Captain of a 7-2 team, earning All-City honors, Repository All-Stark County First Team and honorable mention All-Ohio
Also notable
Lettered in football for three years, while also lettering in basketball for three years and baseball for four years
Two-year team captain in both baseball and basketball
Threw a no-hitter vs. North Canton
Played football for two years at Bowling Green
This article originally appeared on The Repository: Stark County High School Football Hall of Fame Class of 2023
