Hamilton's Kaleb Johnson, Lakota West's Tegra Tshabola named to MLK All-Star Classic

One hundred high school football players across 17 states were recently selected to play in the first MLK All-Star classic. 

Of the five players selected from Ohio, two are Greater Cincinnati standouts to watch this season — Hamilton senior running back Kaleb Johnson and Lakota West senior offensive tackle Tegra Tshabola. 

More:Ohio's best: The top 21 high school football players in 2021

More:Summer rankings for Top 22 Greater Cincinnati football players from Class of '22

Johnson shared a backfield last season with Keyshawn Stephens, who led the GMC in rushing and was first-team All-Ohio, but still finished with 786 yards (fifth GMC) on the ground and eight touchdowns. 

Johnson had a 115-yard, two-touchdown outing in a win over Oak Hills early in the season. Later on, he ran for 253 yards and two touchdowns in a 39-7 victory over Sycamore. In the season finale against West Clermont, he ran just six times but had 139 yards and two scores in a 41-7 Big Blue victory.

Over the past two seasons, Johnson has totaled 1,664 yards on the ground and 17 touchdowns. He was first-team GMC and honorable mention all-district. 

Tshabola is the top prep offensive lineman in Cincinnati heading into the 2021 season. The 6-feet-6-inch, 340-pound tackle is a four-star recruit and has been committed to Ohio State University since April 2020, selecting the Buckeyes over several Power 5 offers including Michigan, USC, Tennessee, Kentucky and Oklahoma.

He is ranked by 247Sports as the No. 8 overall recruit in Ohio and a top-25 offensive tackle in the nation for the Class of 2022. He was first-team All-Ohio last fall after helping lead Lakota West to a GMC championship and a regional title appearance. 

The MLK All-Star Classic will be played at Boyd Stadium in Las Vegas on Jan. 17, 2022.