‘To play at the highest level’: Gebhardt, Sanna, Stephens lead talented Olentangy defense
Friday, October 3, 2025
By Michael Rich
mrichnotwealthy@gmail.com
C.J. Sanna (1), an Ohio State commit, and Kaden Gebhardt, a Clemson recruit, line up on defense for the Olentangy Braves this season. File photo
CJ Sanna dusted off an old set of golf clubs and decided to go play a round with his friends. It was the start of something that he hopes to turn into a living one day.
In an alternate universe, maybe he’d be a golfer. While his passion for golf is true, Sanna’s first love is football.
“It was kind of just like, ‘Oh, here’s some cheap clubs that are sitting around our garage that I haven’t touched in a few years. I’m going to go out with my friends,’” Sanna said. “And then I just had a great time.”
It’s something that the Olentangy middle linebacker hopefully won’t have to give up anytime soon. Sanna is committed to play at Ohio State next fall and hopes to parlay that into a career in the NFL. But one day in the future … he’d like to own or run a golf course.
Sanna, who won a Division I state title in discus last spring, thought about throwing in college. Discus was his main sport for a while, and he wanted to train for the Olympics.
Football really took off his junior year. And while he thought about throwing discus for the Buckeyes, he decided to just focus on football and a business or marketing degree in hopes of making his golf dream become a reality.
Sanna found similarities between throwing and golf.
“I just love how technical (discus) was and how finicky a technique is for everything,” he said. “Golf’s very similar, so I got really interested in that. And then I’m also really interested in business or marketing, so you combine those two worlds, and I just thought (maybe I’ll go into) golf course management.”
Just because Sanna discovered his new-found love, he wasn’t going to try out for the Olentangy golf team.
“I’m not too good yet,” he said. “I’m shooting in the 80s pretty consistently. But we have a really good golf team, so I don’t know if I have a chance.”
Sanna’s talent lies in football. He is one of three seniors on the Braves’ defense committed to Division I schools at the next level. The other two are defensive tackle Daniel Stephens (Naval Academy) and safety Kaden Gebhardt (Clemson).
Gebhardt leads with 51 tackles and seven pass break-ups along with a pair of interceptions through six games this season. Sanna has 34 tackles, including five for loss, three quarterback hurries, an interception and a defensive touchdown. Stephens has 10 tackles for loss, three hurries and a sack while often drawing two or three opposing blockers.
Kaden Gebhardt (2) and C.J. Sanna team up on a tackle in Olentangy’s game against rival Olentangy Orange earlier this season. File photo
It’s a truly talented trio of athletes that have helped Olentangy hold opponents to 17 points per game on its way to a 5-1 record overall and a 1-0 mark in the OCC-Cardinal Division. The Braves travel to Marysville Oct. 3.
Olentangy’s numbers would look better except for a 42-14 loss at rival Olentangy Orange on Sept. 5. Sanna hopes that loss has the same effect as Ohio State’s loss to Michigan last fall where the Buckeyes rebounded to win the national championship.
“There’s got to be a wake-up call to ignite something under you to make you really want it,” he said. “I think losing Orange was a real eye opener to where we’re not where we need to be if we want to win that state title. So, we got back to practice and we got after it.”
The Braves bounced back with three consecutive victories, holding opponents to just over 11 points per game.
“I thought (Orange coach Wes) Schroeder and his staff had a tremendous game plan,” fourth-year Olentangy coach Wade Bartholomew said. “We’re very unique, but I thought they did a tremendous job of putting (bodies) on those three guys.
“And I think my defense coordinator (Brett Thompson) and staff has done a tremendous job the last couple weeks of adjusting after that Orange game and just kind of saying, maybe there are times that we can’t just leave those guys to sit and play because people are going to send multiple bodies at them. If we move them around, it’s gonna be a lot harder for them to game plan for just those guys.”
Like Sanna, Gebhardt and Stephens have tasted success at other sports. Gebhardt patrolled the outfield in baseball to help the Braves win their first state title last spring. Stephens found his success as a wrestler where he finished seventh at state last winter as a heavyweight.
“All three of these guys could probably be Division II or FCS athletes, if not Division I kids in other sports,” Bartholomew said. “Obviously, when you’re a tremendous athlete, you’re going to be really, really good (no matter what sport you play).”
Both Gebhardt and Stephens agreed they may have been successful at the next level in the respective sports in another timeline. But football is their first love.
Stephens took up wrestling his freshman year to become a better football player.
Daniel Stephens, a vocal leader for the Braves, will attend the Naval Academy where he will compete for the Midshipmen on the gridiron. File photo
“It helped tremendously,” he said. “The main thing – and what I hear coaches talk about – is leverage. You know how the body works – how push and pull works. And that’s a very important thing in football, especially staying low, playing with leverage and being able to press someone vertically.”
Stephens is selfless by nature, an attribute that attracted him to Navy. So, while wrestling may not have been a consideration for his future, serving his country was.
“Being in a place with leaders, being at a leadership academy, that aspect (is) what sold me,” Stephens said. “(Serving my country) … I had to sit with that for a minute – like, am I willing to do this? It’s the best backup plan in the world. If football doesn’t work out, are you cool with it? And my answer is yes.”
Gebhardt began playing football and baseball in the fourth grade. But he’s been a mainstay on Olentangy’s defense since his freshman year. But something happened early in his high school football career that really solidified what he knew in his heart.
“I was blessed. I started getting scholarship offers (for football) right after my sophomore year,” he said. “So, that made my decision a lot easier. I’ve just always loved it. I’ve been playing since I was young and it’s always been my dream to play at the highest level.”
Clemson became attractive to Gebhardt when Tom Allen left Penn State to become the Tigers’ defensive coordinator after last season. Gebhardt’s close friend, Ethan Grunkemeyer, a 2024 Olentangy graduate, is a quarterback with the Nittany Lions.
But it wasn’t until Gebhardt stepped on Clemson’s campus that he knew.
“They started recruiting me late – they were one of my last offers,” said Gebhardt, who plans to graduate in December. “I knew after the first time I visited that it was where I wanted to be. I felt most comfortable and most at home. It’s hard to beat. You have to be there to really feel it. It’s just one of those places I couldn’t say no to.”
But for now, the focus is on Olentangy.
Stephens believes there’s enough talent to compete for a state title. Senior offensive tackle Luke Grover is committed to Cincinnati and senior wide receiver Jackson Mangham has offers from Robert Morris, Texas-San Antonio, Toledo and Western Michigan.
It’s the little things that will get them there.
“The main tell for how far we go is just practice,” Stephens said. “If we have great weeks of practice for the next three weeks, we’re going to be really good. If we get better every day … even if it’s just one percent … I think we’re going to be (tough) to deal with for a lot of teams.”
Daniel Stephens anchors the Braves’ defensive line. He has competed in wrestling since his freshman year to develop as a football player. File photo