Hoover @ Louisville
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SITE: Louisville Stadium, 7:00 p.m.
RECORDS: Louisville 1-0, Hoover 1-0.
LAST WEEK: Louisville 28, Ravenna 0; Hoover 34, Calvin Coolidge 6.
Defensively, Louisville was led by middle linebacker #24 Hunter Potts (6'1" - 225 lbs).Interior linemen #51 Joe Henderson (5'10" - 220 lbs) and #55 Joe Poyser (6'1" - 210 lbs) also made their presence felt. Except for earlysuccess on screens, the Ravenna passing game was under duress from ends #16 Chad Neff (6'2" - 190 lbs) and#49 Matt Wharmby (5'10" - 180 lbs). Ravenna managed only 64 yards of total offense.The secondary was led by #31 Kyle DeHoff (5'9" - 166 lbs) and #44 Mitch Sluss (5'11" - 170 lbs). Offensively, Louisville senior #2 Bobby Swigert (6'1" - 175, 4.47) was steady in his debut as the starting quarterback completed 12-of-22passes for 162 yards. Swigert connected with #5 Joe Stoffer (5'8" - 150 lbs) on a slant for a 6-yard TD with 34 seconds left in the first half,giving the Leopards a 16-0 lead. Stoffer grabbed three passes for 58 yards, and #25 Cody Stocker (6'3" - 180 lbs) had three receptions for 39yards.#32 Preston Massey (5'9" - 195 lbs) provided some tough inside running for the Leopards and scored two touchdowns. Louisville's runningbacks rushed for 55 yards on 19 attempts (2.6 ypc). Swigert ran for 58 yards on 11 attempts (5.3 ypc).LAST MEETING: Louisville won, 22-0, last year.
Hoover-Louisville is a spotlight game
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Chris Beaven, Canton Repository
Bigger games await them.
They enter their respective leagues in two weeks as defending champs. Both hope for a playoff run in November. By December, their goals are to play for a state title.
But tomorrow tonight at 7, none of what’s ahead matters for Hoover and Louisville. Stark County’s most successful high school football programs the last two seasons will have only each other in their sights at Louisville Stadium as they continue an 85-year-old rivalry.
FSN Ohio will televise the game throughout the state as its Game of the Week, and here’s a breakdown of what could make this one memorable:
The county elite
Louisville and Hoover represent Stark County’s top two teams in wins since the start of the 2007 season.
Louisville has won 25 games, playing in the Division II state final in 2007 and a regional final last November. The Leopards have won 17 straight in the regular season.
Hoover won 23, reaching a regional final in 2007 and the Division I state semifinals last fall. The Vikings have won nine straight in the regular season since last year’s loss to Louisville.
“It’s a tough game for both of us early but a great measuring stick to see where you’re at ... where you’re strong, where you’re weak,” Hoover head coach Don Hertler Jr. said.
Mr. Football
The center of attention will be Hoover’s No. 5 — senior tailback-linebacker Erick Howard, Ohio’s reigning Mr. Football.
“He’s the No. 1 back in the state of Ohio for a good reason,” Louisville head coach Paul Farrah said. “He’s the best we’ve seen in a long time and a great challenge for our defense.”
Louisville’s defense more than met that challenge the last two years. Howard has 4,094 career yards, sixth-most in county history, but just 79 of those yards have come against the Leopards on 27 career carries.
“Every year is different,” Hertler said. “I can’t say they do this and that stops us here. ... Last year, we weren’t a real good football team early. We were really inexperienced. We’ve got more guys back this year, so hopefully we’re further along offensively.”
The Leopards limited Howard to only 18 yards on 11 attempts last fall.
“Last year, we were able to get some pressure up the middle and stop him before he gets going,” Farrah said. “That’s the only way you can stop him. ... Once he gets his motor revved up, he’ll run over people, through people and around people.”
For Hoover, the key is to get the entire offense executing to give Howard room to run.
“They run the same defense we do, and it’s geared to stop the run,” Hertler said. “We have to be balanced.”
Mr. Everything
As good as Howard is, he’s not the lone athlete on the field drawing big-time college interest. Louisville quarterback-cornerback Bob Swigert has several football and baseball scholarship offers from the likes of Nebraska, Wisconsin, Stanford, Cincinnati and Boston College.
“After seeing him play baseball and football, to me, he’s the best all-around athlete in the county,” Hertler said.
Swigert has intercepted three passes against Hoover the last two years, taking one back 42 yards for a TD last season. This fall, he’s moved from receiver to quarterback after the graduation of all-county quarterback Neal Seaman.
“He’s been behind Neal for three years,” Farrah said. “There’s a lot of pressure on him. He’s been taking that pretty well. All of our captains have.”
Hertler sees Swigert as a threat at any time.
“He can hurt you with the broken play running and throwing, and he can hurt you in their scheme running and throwing,” Hertler said. “And he’s a great defensive back. They man you up, and he does a great job in coverage and breaking on the football.”
Don’t forget us
Howard and Swigert command a lot of attention, but both teams surround them with plenty of talent.
“You can’t put too much emphasis on (those two),” Hertler said. “Both teams are going to be motivated.”
Senior QB Brett Tulodzieski emerged as Hoover’s starter a year ago after the Louisville loss. Jordan Witt stands out at linebacker and backs up Howard at tailback. Mark Wiley, Jake Berkshire and Alex Steenrod return on the offensive line. A.J. Sarbaugh is an all-league kicker and nice target at tight end. Dan Nettleton makes plays at receiver and defensive back.
Louisville also features all-county linebacker Hunter Potts, the latest in a long line of hard-hitting Leopards to roam the middle of the field. Jake Adkins, Joe Henderson and Joe Poyser are other leaders at the front of the Leopard defense. Offensive playmakers surrounding Swigert include receivers Joe Stoffer and Cody Stocker and running back Preston Massey.
Ready for prime time
Throw together all these ingredients with rabid community support for each team, and it should be quite a night for the first live telecast of a Hoover-Louisville game.
“You don’t get this opportunity very often to play on Fox Sports on a Thursday night when the whole state can watch you,” Farrah said.
“We enjoy watching those games on Thursday,” Hertler said, “so hopefully both teams can represent themselves well and play well.”
Exclusive company
Hoover senior Erick Howard eclipsed the 4,000-yard rushing mark for his career last week when he ran for 137 yards in just one half. It made him the sixth Stark County back to reach that mark and puts him within 1,100 yards of the county record. Here’s a look at Stark County’s career rushing leaders and their career rushing yards:
1, Morgan Williams, McKinley, 2004-06 5,177
2, E.J. Lilly, Alliance, 1996-98 5,162
3, Scott Weber, Northwest, 2002-05 4,891
4, Ryan Brinson, McKinley, 2002-04 4,772
5, Leon Powell, Minerva, 1986-88 4,307
6, Erick Howard, Hoover, 2006-09 4,094
NETWORK
Hoover Vikings Football
Hoover Vikings Football
Louisville Leopards Game Preview
