Lexington Minutemen @ Hoover
Friday, Sept 10, 2010
SITE: North Canton Memorial Stadium, 7:30 PM
RECORDS: Lexington 2-0, Hoover 2-0.
LAST WEEK: Lexington 23 - Shelby 20; Hoover 28 - Louisville 25.
LEXINGTON -- Two big pass plays in the third quarter and a stingy second-half defense were just what Lexington needed to rally for a 23-20 win over visiting Shelby Friday night.
"We made a couple of adjustments and, basically told the kids at the half, you're getting smacked right in the mouth and it's going to be how you respond," Lexington coach B.J. Payne said. "In the first half Shelby pushed us around.
"That Shelby team is very, very good."
The Whippets rushed for 250 yards in the first half and forged a 14-10 lead at the half. It could've been more,
but a procedure penalty wiped out a Shelby touchdown just before the first quarter ended and the Whippets
wound up with no points on that surge.
"We were called for ten penalties and you can't make that many mistakes against good football teams and
then we gave up big plays in the second half," Shelby coach Chris Solis said.
Lexington (2-0) emerged from the locker room and put two touchdowns on the board in quick-strike fashion.
Junior Quarterback Collin Michael stepped up to avoid the rush and rifled a strike to A.J. Beddow that
went for a 70-yard score to put the Minutemen on top 17-14 with 10:06 remaining in the third quarter.
Shelby had to punt on its next series after losing 40 yards in penalties and Lex struck again. With the
Shelby coaches yelling for the defense to watch out for the hook-and-ladder, Michael hit Troy Wolf with
a pass and Wolf quickly shoveled the ball to running back Derek Gallik streaking down the sideline.
Gallik raced 60 yards for the touchdown and a 23-14 margin with 6:44 left in the third quarter.
"That (hook-and-ladder) was something we worked on all week and we told the kids it was going to give us a chance to win the game," Payne said.
Shelby held the ball for almost eight minutes to start the fourth quarter and came away empty again on an incomplete pass on fourth down inside the 6 with 4:09 to play.
The Whippets (1-1) recovered a fumble and four plays later scored on a Will Lance 1-yard run with 53 seconds remaining. Lex blocked the extra point and Shelby trailed 23-20. The Whippets were flagged for touching the onsides kick within 10 yards, sealing the game.
On the other side, Michael showed why Division I scouts are buzzing around him. The 6-foot-5 junior quarterback completed 12-of-18 passes for 232 yards and three touchdowns. Beddow had three catches for 132 yards and two touchdowns and Gallik had 79 yards rushing and 74 yards receiving.
"I knew from the time Collin Michael was in junior high that he had a chance to be special," Payne said. "We have a lot of good skilled people this year."
Shelby fumbled the opening kickoff and Lexington recovered at the Whippet 19. The Whippets came up with a goal line stand and then drove 99 yards in seven plays for the game's first touchdown. Yates had a 54-yard run during that drive and scored from three yards out to stake Shelby to a 7-0 lead.
Lexington answered with a 57-yard touchdown pass from Michael to Beddow and the game was tied at 7-7 with 4:46 left in the first quarter.
C.J. Hassman booted a 28-yard field goal with 6:38 to play in the second quarter that gave Lex a 10-7 lead and Lance made it 14-10 for Shelby on a 6-yard run with 2:32 before the half.
FIGURING THINGS OUT
Hoover, with 16 seniors on the roster, is off to a 2-0 start after beating Louisville.
“I’m really happy for this group of seniors that have hung in there,” Hoover head coach Don Hertler Jr. said. “They did something that we haven’t done in three years.”
That would be beat Louisville.
The Vikings were awfully effective against Louisville when they went to a five-wide,
empty-backfield look. Quarterback Austin Appleby made good decisions and strong throws,
while his offensive line did a solid job giving him time.
Hoover still is transitioning from the Erick Howard era and figuring out an offensive identity.
“Right now we’re trying to be balanced,” Hertler said.
“We can’t milk the clock like we used to, so we’re a little different.”
GAME NOTES:
After two weeks of looking at 5-3 defenses, Hoover must adjust to Lexington’s 3-3 stack.
Hoover junior QB Austin Appleby is coming of age. He has thrown for five TDs and
no interceptions in 52 attempts.
WR Joe Housos (eight receptions, 98 yards, two TDs) and
TE Jon Nutt (six receptions, 117 yards, three TDs) have emerged as favorite targets along
with RB Ryan Choong, who is a threat to run it or catch it.
LAST MEETING: Hoover won, 41-20, last year.
Source: Mansfield News Journal, Canton Repository
Hoover Vikings Football
Hoover Vikings Football
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Lexington QB, Collin Michael
Austin Appleby
