Hartley's Denim Cook wins fan vote for top high school football player in central Ohio

Hartley senior linebacker Denim Cook is the fans' choice for the top high school football player in central Ohio. He finished first in a Dispatch poll that accompanied our look at the top 12 players in the Columbus area .

The poll became a two-player race, and Cook ended up topping Olentangy junior safety Kaden Gebhardt. A total of 36,376 votes were cast online, with Cook receiving 19,038 (52.3%) to 16,552 (45.5%) for Gebhardt.

Cook, a Pittsburgh commit, has established himself as one of the best defensive players and pass rushers in central Ohio. He had 116 tackles, including 22 for loss, and 15 sacks last season, earning first-team all-district and all-state honors in Division IV .

In this season's opener, Cook had six tackles, seven quarterback hurries and two pass deflections as Hartley won 48-28 at Elyria Catholic. He also contributed on offense, catching two passes for 40 yards and a touchdown.

Hartley plays its home opener Friday against Youngstown Ursuline. The rest of its schedule is: Sept 6 vs. Dayton Chaminade Julienne; Sept. 13 at Watkins Memorial; Sept. 20 at Ironton; Sept. 27 vs. Watterson; Oct. 4 at DeSales, Oct. 11 vs. Bloom-Carroll; Oct. 18 vs. KIPP Columbus; and Oct. 25 at St. Charles.

aresnik@dispatch.com

@DispatchPreps

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Hartley's Denim Cook wins fan vote for top high school football player in central Ohio