Eagles win defensive battle

Saturday, October 6, 2007

Mike Popovich, Canton Repository

NORTH CANTON Getting beat on a post route late in the first half didn't

sit well with GlenOak's Adam Garman. The rest of the night, he kept

thinking about making up for it.

With the help of his outstretched hand, the junior defensive back did just that.

Garman's interception midway through the fourth quarter stopped a

promising Hoover drive and helped the Golden Eagles hold off the Vikings,

7-6, on Friday at Memorial Stadium. Hoover never got the ball back after

Garman's pick, the second of the game by GlenOak.

Some probably didn't expect a defensive battle between the Eagles and

Vikings. GlenOak's defense held Hoover to just three second-half

possessions and allowed the Vikings to cross midfield just once.

"The bottom line is our kids played hard and got after it," Eagles head

coach Scott Garcia said.

Especially when the Vikings were a couple of first downs away from

possibly kicking a go-ahead field goal and winning themselves.

Hoover (5-2, 3-1) had the ball at midfield with just under six minutes left

after forcing a GlenOak punt from deep in Eagles territory. On the first

play of the drive, quarterback Jared Wackerly spotted Greg Beck open over

the middle and threw.

Garman raised a hand, tipped the ball and caught it for the interception.

"I put my hand right up there and snagged it with one hand," Garman said.

"After that, all I wanted to do was hold on to that ball.

"That was a big part of the game and it was big for our team."

Wackerly threw a 30-yard touchdown pass to Matt Wakulchik late in the first half to give the Vikings a 6-0 lead. It was a play Garman clearly remembered.

"I got killed on that one pass," he said. "All game I was thinking about making a big play and getting it back."

The Vikings only wish they could have got the ball back.

Ten straight runs by Anthony Smith helped the Eagles (5-2, 2-2) run out the clock and end a two-game losing streak. One was a 10-yard burst on third-and-seven after the Vikings called their final timeout.

Smith had the ball in his hands a lot in the second half. He rushed for a game-high 145 yards on 36 carries.

"He's our guy," Garcia said. "He's the guy we've been riding all year long. We said if we're going to have any success, we'd have to let Anthony carry the load. He did that for us tonight.

GlenOak took the second-half kickoff and drove 70 yards in 17 plays to grab the lead.

The Eagles faced first-and-goal at the Hoover 5 and netted no yards after three straight runs by Smith. On fourth down, quarterback Justin Szink ran play action and connected with tight end Joe Monnot for the touchdown.

Christopher Gage's extra point put GlenOak on top 7-6.

"When the game comes down to a play or two, it's Russian roulette," Hoover head coach Don Hertler Jr. said. "But give Coach Garcia, his staff and his kids credit. They played extremely hard. They did what they needed to do to win the game."

Box Score

GlenOak 7, Hoover 6

North Canton Memorial Stadium

GlenOak 0 0 7 0 - 7

Hoover 0 6 0 0 - 6

H-Wakulchik 30 pass from Wackerly (kick failed)

G-Monnot 5 pass from Szink (Gage kick)

Game Stats

First Downs: GO 13, Hoover 11

Rushes-yards: GO 51-186, Hoover 19-19

Comp-Att-Int: GO 3-7-1, Hoover 13-20-2

Passing yards: GO 21, Hoover 183