Young QBs grow up fast for Hoover, McKinley

Lead rivals into game for first in Federal League

Friday, October 10, 2008

Chris Beaven, Canton Repository

They began the season as unproven quarterbacks for two of the area's premier high school

football programs.

They take the field tonight as leaders of the Federal League's only unbeaten teams.

Brett Tulodzieski of Hoover (6-1, 4-0) and Kyle Ohradzansky of McKinley (5-2, 5-0) have

come a long way in just eight weeks, and figure to play a big part in tonight's 7:30 showdown

at Fawcett Stadium. Each first-year starter is coming off his finest game and has caught

the eye of the opposing coach.

"Their quarterback's coming into his own, playing great football and running their offense,"

Hoover head coach Don Hertler Jr. said of Ohradzansky.

The McKinley sophomore showed as much last Saturday, throwing for season highs of

248 yards and three touchdowns in a win over Perry.

Tulodzieski had a similar game a night earlier at Fitch, rallying the Vikings to a win by

throwing for 258 yards and two TDs. He also rushed for 26 yards.

"He's played very well for them," McKinley head coach Ron Johnson said of Tulodzieski.

"He was able to distribute the ball in the passing game and ran the ball with great effectiveness

when called upon. He's very athletic, a real good complement to (Erick) Howard."

Howard leads the Federal League in rushing with 1,214 yards. A 1,330-yard rusher a year ago,

Howard is the focal point of the Hoover offense.

But Tulodzieski's contributions should not be ignored. He leads the league with 802 passing

yards and has thrown for six TDs.

"Each week he's understanding what he wants to do a little bit more,"

Hertler said. "He's able to manage the game well, plus come up with

some big plays running and throwing each week."

Last week definitely was his breakthrough performance. 

"I thought last week he made some real good decisions," Hertler said.

"He should've gained some confidence."

What Hertler liked the most was how Tulodzieski handled the game late

when Hoover got the ball back down a field goal.

"We had an excellent two-minute drill to get a field goal out of it to tie the

game up," Hertler said. "That was real big for us. He did a really good job

of managing the clock and making the good decisions to give us a

chance to kick a field goal."

But since taking over as the full-time starter in Week 3, McKinley's fast

defense will be the toughest Tulodzieski has seen.

"We need Brett to manage the game and make good decisions to run

our offense," Hertler said. "We have to be balanced. We have to be able

to throw the ball and keep things balanced."

Ohradzansky provides that balance for McKinley in its new spread

offense. His 774 yards passing and seven TDs both rank second in the

league. He complements a running game led by Monterae Williams and

Bryce Wilder, who have combined for 964 yards rushing.

"The thing that's encouraging is his leadership qualities," Johnson said of Ohradzansky. "He takes some shots but he understands and appreciates that's part of the position, part of the responsibility, to stand in there and take shots and make things happen."

Ohradzansky did that several times against Perry, taking a hit in order to give his receiver that extra split second to get open.

"He's a tough, tough cowboy," Johnson said.

That willingness to take a hit — in addition to his rapidly improving knowledge of the offense — is making Ohradzansky a leader on the team despite being a 10th-grader.

"I don't think there's an age limit on leadership qualities," Johnson said. "You possess them and demonstrate them through hard work and work ethic and being a good teammate, being a good leader.

"Then guys just kind of follow. You can't demand leadership. You have to earn it through trust and respect, and he's doing that."

HOW THEY COMPARE

In their first season as starting quarterbacks at Hoover and McKinley high schools, respectively, junior Brett Tulodzieski and sophomore Kyle Ohradzansky are establishing themselves as two of the area's better quarterbacks. Here's a look at their numbers.

Att Comp Pct Yds TD Int

Brett Tulodzieski 90 56 62.2 802 6 1

Rushing 42 carries, 108 yards

Kyle Ohradzansky 117 58 49.6 728 7 4

Rushing 28 carries, 34 yards, 1 TD

NETWORK

ON A ROLL McKinley quarterback Kyle Ohradzansky's 774 yards passing and seven TDs both rank second in the Federal League, helping the Bulldogs to a five-game winning streak.

ON THE RUN Hoover QB Brett Tulodzieski leads the league with 802 passing yards and has thrown for six TDs. “Each week he’s understanding what he wants to do a little bit more,” says Vikings head coach Don Hertler Jr. “He’s able to manage the game well, plus come up with some big plays running and throwing each week.”

Hoover Vikings Football

Hoover Vikings Football

Canton McKinley Bulldogs Game Preview