Hoover (8 - 2) vs Toledo St. John’s (6 - 4)

Regional Quarterfinal

Canton Repository

SITE: North Canton Memorial Stadium

LAST WEEK

St. John’s 37, Tol. St. Francis 7; Hoover 31, Jackson 0.

HOOVER KEY VICTORIES

Lake (42-21) on Sep. 28;

Perry (21-7) on Oct. 19;

Jackson (31-0) on Oct. 26.

ST. JOHN'S KEY VICTORIES

Central Catholic (15-7) on Sep. 14;

St. Francis (37-7) on Oct. 26

PLAYOFF HISTORY: St. John’s is making its third straight postseason appearance and 10th overall. The Titans are 4-9 all-time in the playoffs. They lost at McKinley, 28-21, in last year’s first round. Hoover is making its 15th postseason appearance, first since 2005, and is 9-14 in the playoffs. The Vikings lost to Massillon, 45-14, in a first-round game in 2005. Their last playoff win came in the 2003 first round, beating Hudson, 49-0. Hoover reached the state finals in 1984, the state semifinals in 1986 and regional finals in 1989 and 2001.

WHAT TO WATCH: Hoover looks to be playing its best football, and the Vikings will need to continue to play at that level Friday. St. John’s is not a normal No. 7 seed. The Titans are playoff-tested, well-coached, big and they have some speed. The second-seed Vikings also are a playoff regular, with nine trips in coach Don Hertler Jr.’s 12 seasons. But for the majority of this senior class, this will be the first playoff game where they are in key roles. St. John’s offensive leaders are TB Ryan Ball and QB Walt Anderson. The Titans feature a huge offensive line anchored by C Jack Newhort, who is 6-6, 285 pounds. The guards are each 6-3 and weigh 290 and 275. The tackles weigh 240 apiece. No one on the Hoover roster weighs more than 255, and the heaviest senior is star defensive lineman James Georgiades, who tips the scales at 235. Many of Hoover’s other linemen and linebackers are under 200 pounds. Georgiades, though, is extremely quick, smart and tough. He has been a menace for offenses all season and has been outstanding the last two weeks. Senior LB Kevin Dahl is another Viking playmaker on defense, as are DE Greg Tischler, LB Mitch Rose and LB Tim Hartzell.

Offensively, the trio of QB Jared Wackerly, TB Erick Howard and WR Matt Wakulchik have led the way. Senior quarterback Jared Wackerly (118-of-192, 1,898 yards, 23 TDs) and senior wide receiver/defensive back Matt Wakulchik (53 catches, 876 yards, 12 touchdowns) are a lethal combination. The healthy return of TB Phillip Howard, Erick’s brother, is a big plus. The Howard brothers can be used in tandem in some looks or spell each other in the traditional I-formation. St. John’s is led defensively by FS Rick Rattay and DT Justin Leahey (6-3, 315).

Hertler: Vikings aren’t done

Friday, November 2, 2007

Chris Beaven, Canton Repository

NORTH CANTON Do not expect a satisfied Hoover High School football team to take the field for Saturday night’s playoff game.

The Vikings enter the Division I state playoffs as a No. 2 seed coming off two impressive wins as they prepare to host Toledo St. John’s in a 7 p.m. game.

“Our guys, they’re not done,” Hoover head coach Don Hertler Jr. said. “They want to keep playing. We’re not stumbling into the playoffs. We want to get momentum.”

The Vikings know that they are like several teams in Region 2: They can either put together a nice run or make an early exit.

“We’ve got to play very well, but I think our region is wide open to any of the eight teams in it,” Hertler said. “I don’t think the seeds make any difference this year. We have a tough matchup, and we’re going to have to really execute well.”

St. John’s has been a playoff regular of late, but so has Hoover. This is the ninth appearance for the Vikings in Hertler’s 12 years as coach. They last made it two years ago, losing at Massillon.

“Two years ago, we didn’t have quite the speed then or the overall talent,” Hertler said.

That was sort of a bounce-back season for Hoover, which was coming off its only losing season under Hertler. Last year, the Vikings again went 7-3 in the regular season but missed the playoffs.

Injuries hurt the Vikings last fall. They’ve dealt with some injuries, too, this season but not enough to prevent them from going 8-2.

“This group really has been through a lot to get here,” Hertler said.

Two seniors — receiver-cornerback Matt Wakulchik and two-way lineman James Georgiades — started in the last playoff game. Several other of these seniors saw action late in that game when Massillon had a big lead.

“They have been through that atmosphere,” Hertler said.

But this time, they get a home game.

“We really need our home crowd to get behind us and give us a boost,” Hertler said. “We’re coming off a lot of emotional games here, and we need to get that emotion up and try to get this first one.”

Hoover won at Perry, 21-7, two weeks ago in a game that was essentially the Federal League title game. The Vikings followed that up with last week’s 31-0 rout of archrival Jackson, locking up the outright league title.

“I think our schedule has prepared us well,” Hertler said. “It prepared us because we know we have to be ready every week.”

The Vikings played six playoff teams, going 4-2 in those games.

But what Hertler likes most about this team is its seniors.

“I’ve been very, very pleased with all of our seniors, and probably more so the kids who haven’t played a lot. Their attitude has been good, and they’re very team oriented, which isn’t easy.”

The Vikings have learned the value of a good week of practice and playing together.

“We have a good chemistry,” Hertler said. “This team has developed a personality. They enjoy playing with each other. You can see that when we play. People know their roles and accept their roles and do what’s best for the team. They’re unselfish that way, and they don’t want to let each other down.”

They also want to keep playing.

“This group knows we can lose to anybody, and we can beat anybody,” Hertler said. “I trust our seniors and our whole team. They’re not done at all. They’re looking forward to the playoffs.”

Team bonding

Hoover coach Don Hertler Jr. looks back to a late July trip to Mount Union College as a key point in his team’s development. The Vikings spent three of their summer camp days at Mount Union along with five other high school teams.

“That’s something that really set the tone,” Hertler said. “It kept the guys together with no distractions. We built some unity from that, we started goal setting and we got some good work in.”

Nordonia, Euclid, Lexington and Avon joined Hoover, and only Avon did not make the playoffs.

“I don’t think that’s a pure coincidence that four of the five are in the playoffs,” Hertler said. “I think that’s a carryover from those three days. We’d never done that before, and we just tried to do some different things.”

NETWORK

Hoover Vikings Football

Toledo St. John's Titans Game Preview