Hoover @ Massillon Perry

Canton Repository

SITE: Perry Stadium, Massillon, OH, 7:30 p.m.

RECORDS: Hoover 6-1, 4-0; Perry 2-5, 1-3.

LAST WEEK: Hoover 19, Fitch 14; Jackson 38, Perry 12.

LAST MEETING: Perry won 24-20 last year.

WHAT TO WATCH: These teams are heading in opposite directions — the Vikings have won four straight, and the Panthers have dropped three in a row — but do not expect Hoover to look past Perry. “We’ve got a lot of respect for them and how hard they’re playing,” Vikings coach Don Hertler Jr. said. “And we’re definitely not winning our games by a large margin. We know every game is coming down to the second half, and we have to play four quarters.”

Hertler still is looking for his team to put together four quarters of solid execution. But he has been impressed with his team’s resiliency and the growing confidence the players have in each other. Senior QB Josh Nettleton is coming off a 176-yard effort with two TDs. RB Kevin Dahl has emerged has a hard-nosed, go-to ballcarrier. He has rushed for 191 yards the last two weeks. WR-DB Matt Wakulchik is another Viking coming on strong.

Hertler has been pleased with the defensive leadership of his three senior starters — DE Kyle Robbins, DE Zac Cochenour and DB Alex Bojko. Bojko also has done a nice job as the kicker. “This time of the year, it comes down to defense and the kicking game,” Hertler said. “And, hopefully, you get the ball in the end zone a couple of times.”

Perry coach John “Spider” Miller continues to praise his team’s effort. The Panthers have shown no signs of letting up. They just need to find more consistency to get the results Miller knows they deserve. Their offense is led by RBs Aaron Morris and Tony DiCicco. Morris rushed for 62 yards against McKinley two weeks ago. DiCicco gained 79 yards last week at Jackson, scoring on a 32-yard run. “They’ve got real good quickness from what we’ve seen on tape,” Hertler said. “They’re hard to prepare for with the wing-T and some of the variations they do.”

NETWORK

Hoover Vikings Football

Massillon Perry Panthers Game Preview