Clyde's Jenne, Bellevue's Gore North-South all-stars

Clyde senior Jake Jenne and Bellevue senior Chase Gore enjoyed the kind of high school football experience most players dream of as members of rival programs. They also established standards for their coaches to encourage teammates to follow.

Each is on the roster to cap his career in the Ohio High School Football North-South Classic on Saturday at Welcome Stadium in Dayton. Jenne is on the North’s Division 1-3 roster for the 4 p.m. game and Gore is on the North’s Division IV-VII roster for the 11 a.m. contest.

The North-South Classic is the nation’s longest running high school football all-star game.

“He’s a really smart kid,” Redmen coach Ed Nasonti said of Gore. “He does the books and he’s a student of the game. He’s a circle-the-wagon guy. People listened to him. He’s strong and physical.

“He held himself accountable and he held everybody else accountable too.”

Jenne was a linebacker and occasional running back, particularly in short-yardage situations for the Fliers.

“He is such a great young man,” Clyde coach Ryan Carter said. “I can’t say enough great things. He is the first kid I call when I need help with anything. I trust him with my own son and daughter about as much as I trust myself.

“You can’t replace Jake Jenne in my book. Not for our program and for sure not in my heart. He was a large part of why we did anything close to what we did for the last three years.”

Clyde played in at least two postseason games each of Jenne’s three seasons as a starter and nine overall. Jenne was a leader who rallied teammates by making plays or demanding they execute with energy.

“I’m going to miss all the coaches and teammates that I’ve played with over the years and playing under the lights in front of those amazing fans each Friday night,” Jenne said.

Gore tried to help the Redmen maintain focus, intensity and consistency from snap to snap, regardless of circumstances.

“The culture that has been developed by the coaches,” Gore said of what he finds most special about Bellevue football. “The coaches put us in the position to win every week and it’s a comfortable feeling knowing if you give it your all at practice you will win ballgames.

“That’s how Bellevue has stayed dominant under Coach Nasonti.”

Gore played in five postseason games in the final two years of his three as a starter. Gore, who is on the North’s defensive roster, was a two-way lineman.

“When you have outstanding leaders, it speaks for itself,” Nasonti said. “We came in with eight seniors. He accepted his role as a leader. The big thing at Bellevue – and Chase exemplified it – is that the team comes first.

“Nobody is bigger than that. It was about winning.”

mhorn@gannett.com

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Twitter:@MatthewHornNH