Today we continue the countdown of JJHuddle’s “Top 50 Ohio High School Athletes of the Decade” for 1999-2009. Every Monday through Friday from now until March 26, a new athlete will be released.
Today’s entry holds two titles: Ohio’s Fastest Man and Mr. Football…
9. Brandon Saine, Piqua, Football & Track, 2003-07: Individually, Saine’s accomplishments in each sport deserve recognition but not a Top 50 spot. Together, they land him in the Top 10.
As a junior Saine defended his D-I track titles in the 100 and 400 and set a state meet record in the 100 with a time of 10.50 (Gahanna’s Blake Heriot broke it last year with a 10.47). Saine, however, still holds the overall state record in the 100 (regardless of division) and the title of “Ohio’s Fastest Man Ever” with a 10.38 he ran at Dayton’s Welcome Stadium during districts his junior year.
Saine followed that impressive spring performance with another in the fall. As a senior running back, Saine led the Indians to their first state football championship (D-II) and also earned Mr. Football honors in the process. He ran for 1,895 yards and 27 touchdowns on 259 carries and totaled 412 yards on 30 pass receptions en route to earning Parade All-American honors.
Saine recently wrapped his junior season at Ohio State by scoring a TD in OSU’s 26-17 Rose Bowl win over Oregon. On the season, Saine was the Buckeyes second leading rusher (739 yards) behind Terrelle Pryor (779).
