North Canton Hoover 14, GlenOak 10

Vikings run away with game

Erick Howard leads Hoover to clinch share of Federal League title

Saturday, October 18, 2008

Jonas Fortune, Akron Beacon Journal

Another week. Another Federal League win. Another huge

performance from North Canton Hoover junior running back

Erick Howard.

Behind Howard's hard-nosed second-half running

performance, North Canton (8-1, 6-0) claimed its share of the

Federal League title Friday at North Canton Memorial Stadium

by beating neighborhood rival GlenOak 14-10.

Howard simply couldn't be stopped Friday night as he carried

the ball 27 times for 117 yards and one touchdown in the

second half alone. He finished the game with 169 yards on

38 carries.

With Hoover's ground game eating the second-half clock,

GlenOak was held to just nine plays of offense in the second

half: three possessions of three-and-out. In the meantime,

the Vikings ran more than 35.

''Those kinds of backs get stronger as the games goes on

because they keep wearing on you,'' GlenOak coach Scott Garcia said. ''That is what [Howard] did tonight. Plays where we had him stopped for a yard gain turned into three-yard gains. And then four. And then five.''

The Golden Eagles were the recipients of the first real break of the game with the score tied 7-7 and less than five minutes remaining before halftime.

Saddled with a fourth-and-7 at its 49-yard line, the Eagles opted to punt: a line-drive kick down to the North Canton 20, where Hoover junior Dan Nettleton was racing downfield to block, keeping himself between the return man and GlenOak's DeWuan Spencer.

The end-over-end kick struck the ground and ricocheted backward into Nettleton's face mask to become a live ball. Spencer quickly fell on the ball, returning possession to GlenOak at Hoover's 17-yard line.

Hoover's defense minimized the damage by not allowing the Eagles to get closer than the five-yard line during the next eight plays. With 30 seconds left before halftime, GlenOak settled for a 25-yard field goal by senior Adam Lautzenheiser to make the score 10-7.

''Holding them to three was big; not letting them get in the end zone there,'' Hoover coach Don Hertler Jr. said. ''That gave us a little life and our defense, after the first series, really did a nice job of keeping us in the game.''

After being bottled for most of the first half, Howard ran with a new determination and purpose in the second half. On the Vikings' first possession of the second half, Howard had eight consecutive carries.

''I thought I was running hard enough in the first, and coach was like, 'You got to run your feet harder,' '' Howard said. ''I was looking for the big play in the first half and then I was just like, if I can get four or five yards each carry, we can wind them down.''

Yet, like North Canton's defense did earlier, the Eagles' defense did not allow the Vikings much room inside the 10-yard line to force a 22-yard field goal attempt from a severe angle on the left hash that was missed.

Howard wouldn't be denied on the Vikings' next possession. Five plays after catching a crucial third-and-17 pass from junior quarterback Brett Tulodzieski, Howard ran to his right for a 9-yard touchdown.

After forcing a GlenOak three-and-out, Howard ensured the lead would never be relinquished. On the Vikings' final possession, Howard carried the ball 13 times while erasing the final nine minutes on the clock.

NORTH CANTON: Another week. Another Federal League win. Another huge performance from North Canton Hoover junior running back Erick Howard.

Behind Howard's hard-nosed second-half running performance, North Canton (8-1, 6-0) claimed its share of the Federal League title Friday at North Canton Memorial Stadium by beating neighborhood rival GlenOak 14-10.

Howard simply couldn't be stopped Friday night as he carried the ball 27 times for 117 yards and one touchdown in the second half alone. He finished the game with 169 yards on 38 carries.

With Hoover's ground game eating the second-half clock, GlenOak was held to just nine plays of offense in the second half: three possessions of three-and-out. In the meantime, the Vikings ran more than 35.

''Those kinds of backs get stronger as the games goes on because they keep wearing on you,'' GlenOak coach Scott Garcia said. ''That is what [Howard] did tonight. Plays where we had him stopped for a yard gain turned into three-yard gains. And then four. And then five.''

The Golden Eagles were the recipients of the first real break of the game with the score tied 7-7 and less than five minutes remaining before halftime.

Saddled with a fourth-and-7 at its 49-yard line, the Eagles opted to punt: a line-drive kick down to the North Canton 20, where Hoover junior Dan Nettleton was racing downfield to block, keeping himself between the return man and GlenOak's DeWuan Spencer.

The end-over-end kick struck the ground and ricocheted backward into Nettleton's face mask to become a live ball. Spencer quickly fell on the ball, returning possession to GlenOak at Hoover's 17-yard line.

Hoover's defense minimized the damage by not allowing the Eagles to get closer than the five-yard line during the next eight plays. With 30 seconds left before halftime, GlenOak settled for a 25-yard field goal by senior Adam Lautzenheiser to make the score 10-7.

''Holding them to three was big; not letting them get in the end zone there,'' Hoover coach Don Hertler Jr. said. ''That gave us a little life and our defense, after the first series, really did a nice job of keeping us in the game.''

After being bottled for most of the first half, Howard ran with a new determination and purpose in the second half. On the Vikings' first possession of the second half, Howard had eight consecutive carries.

''I thought I was running hard enough in the first, and coach was like, 'You got to run your feet harder,' '' Howard said. ''I was looking for the big play in the first half and then I was just like, if I can get four or five yards each carry, we can wind them down.''

Yet, like North Canton's defense did earlier, the Eagles' defense did not allow the Vikings much room inside the 10-yard line to force a 22-yard field goal attempt from a severe angle on the left hash that was missed.

Howard wouldn't be denied on the Vikings' next possession. Five plays after catching a crucial third-and-17 pass from junior quarterback Brett Tulodzieski, Howard ran to his right for a 9-yard touchdown.

After forcing a GlenOak three-and-out, Howard ensured the lead would never be relinquished. On the Vikings' final possession, Howard carried the ball 13 times while erasing the final nine minutes on the clock.

NETWORK

Hoover High School senior Mike Kohler enters the field of battle.

Hoover Vikings Football

Hoover Vikings Football

GlenOak Game Review (Regular Season)