Records for Lamar Sperling, but Hoban falls to Toledo Central Catholic in OHSAA football state final
CANTON ― Archbishop Hoban possessed the talent and belief of a champion.
But a lack of discipline and organization early haunted the Knights despite a valiant comeback attempt.
First-half letdowns combined with a strong performance by Toledo Central Catholic resulted in the Knights failing to write the fairy-tale ending they desperately wanted for the 2022 high school football season.
Hoban faltered Thursday night in its quest to capture the program's sixth state title, losing 28-21 to Toledo Central Catholic in the Ohio High School Athletic Association Division II championship game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
“I'm proud of the whole team. I'm proud of the coaching staff. We just fell a little bit short today not playing the first half we wanted to," Hoban coach Tim Tyrrell said.
Instead of avenging last year's 21-10 state championship loss to Cincinnati Winton Woods, Hoban finished runner-up for the second consecutive season.
It's a tough pill to swallow for senior leaders Lamar Sperling, Jason Martin III, Jayvian Crable and Drew Holt, among other Hoban players, who had used the memory of the 2021 state final as motivation all season.
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In his 10th season at Hoban, Tyrrell fell to 5-2 in state title games.
“[There were] some small mental issues that we had throughout that game, but it happens. It's high school football, and we tried to play as perfect as we can," Tyrrell said. "The kids have the biggest heart, so it wasn't a situation where our kids weren't trying. It just wasn't our night, and that happened sometimes.”
The Knights' championship run began seven years ago when they defeated Toledo Central Catholic 33-20 in the Division III state final at Ohio Stadium in Columbus. This time, TCC had the upper hand.
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Hoban (14-2) and Toledo Central Catholic (15-1) entered their most recent showdown with a strong sense of familiarity. The two teams began scrimmaging each other in 2015, a tradition they maintained Aug. 5 at Dowed Field in Akron. Toledo Central Catholic's only loss in a state title game was its 2015 meeting with Hoban. The Fighting Irish previously won state championships with coach Greg Dempsey in 2005, 2012 and 2014.
Named Ohio's Mr. Football on Thursday afternoon, Sperling rushed 40 times for a Division II title-game record 356 yards (8.9 average) and three touchdowns.
“I just tried my hardest to help the team out," said Sperling, who has committed to continue his career as a running back with the University at Buffalo. "Obviously, I couldn't do it by myself. The holes were there, so I took them, and if they weren't, I bounced it out. I was just trying to do better from the first half because we didn't come out how we wanted to.”
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Although Hoban rallied after trailing by 21 points at halftime, the hole it dug early proved to be too much to overcome.
With 7:06 left in the fourth quarter, Hoban committed an illegal substitution penalty and surrendered a crucial first down with TCC lined up to punt on fourth-and-2 from the Fighting Irish 33-yard line. Hoban finished the game with 12 penalties for 91 yards.
However, the Knights still registered a stop on defense and took possession at their 25 with 4:55 left in the fourth quarter following a punt.
Hoban advanced to its 42, where it faced fourth-and-3. Sperling rushed for 2 yards and was tackled short of the line to gain by TCC junior defensive lineman Mike Cannings II. The play was reviewed by the officials and resulted in a turnover on downs with 2:24 remaining.
The Knights then completed another defensive stop, leading TCC to punt on fourth-and-13 from the Hoban 47.
Hoban took control at its 17 with 15 seconds remaining. On second-and-10, junior quarterback JacQai Long's desperation pass was intercepted by senior defensive back Winston Delp with time expired.
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After trailing 28-7 at halftime, Hoban came alive on both sides of the ball.
The defense registered two stops and held TCC scoreless in the third quarter.
On offense, the Knights scored on two of their three third-quarter possessions.
Tyrrell explained his goal at halftime was to help his team settle down.
“You just calm down," he said. "You just try to go in [the locker room] and be calm with the kids. We just talked about one play at a time.
“We thought we cleaned up defensively just a tackling problem. We just were missing tackles [in the first half]. So you're just talking to a group of kids that you know are good enough and you could make a good run. You've just gotta clean things up and play slower mentally and just take one play at a time and don't rush things. That's what we were able to do. We just fell a little bit short on a couple series.”
Sperling rushed for a 49-yard touchdown on third-and-17, and Hoban cut TCC's lead to 28-14 with 7:50 left in the third quarter.
Facing third-and-goal on Hoban's next possession, Sperling rushed for a 1-yard TD, and the Knights sliced the Fighting Irish's advantage to 28-21 with 38 seconds remaining in the third quarter.
With three scores against TCC, Sperling set a new OHSAA record for most touchdowns in a season with 59 (58 rushing and one receiving). Daniel Bangura of Canal Winchester Harvest Prep held the previous record (57 TDs in 2016).
Archbishop Hoban's miscues led to its 28-7 hole at halftime
Hoban actually outgained Toledo Central Catholic 362 to 243 yards. The totals in the first half were 190 to 182 yards in Hoban's favor, but the Knights trailed by 21 points at halftime largely because they committed turnovers and penalties.
A lost fumble and interception by Hoban led to 14 points for TCC, and the Knights were penalized eight times for 61 yards in the first half.
“We came out a little bit flat on both sides of the ball, and you can't spot a good team in a state championship 14 points," Tyrrell said. "That's what we did with two turnovers in the first half.”
Hoban didn't score until Sperling rushed for an 8-yard TD with 6:37 remaining in the second quarter, allowing the Knights to trim their deficit to 21-7.
Sperling was the Hoban offense. He rushed 18 times for 197 yards and a TD in the first half.
On the other hand, the Knights couldn't find a spark in their passing game, with Long going 2 of 8 for minus-3 yards and two interceptions and taking two sacks. Long went 0 for 3 with an interception before halftime. Aside from Sperling, Hoban had minus-7 yards in the first half.
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Meanwhile, TCC senior quarterback Ty'Waun Clark hurt Hoban on the ground and through the air. He rushed 15 times for 77 yards (5.1 average) and two touchdowns and completed 7 of 13 passes for 62 yards and a touchdown without an interception.
Right after Hoban scored for the first time, TCC countered with an 11-play, 72-yard scoring drive. On third-and-3, Clark threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to senior wide receiver Durye'a Hall in the back right corner of the end zone, and TCC extended its lead to 28-7 with 1:24 remaining in the second quarter.
Hoban Knights sabotaged their first three possessions with penalties
Hoban was discombobulated out of the gate, as evidenced by each of its first three possessions being affected by a penalty on special teams or offense.
“We played a little bit sloppy," Tyrrell said. "… You can't start drives first-and-15 or first-and-20 and expect against good teams to be able to do those things.
“I don't know if we were as focused in a short week as we needed to be, and that's on me as a coach.”
Hoban's fourth possession ended with a Toledo Central Catholic pick-six.
On third-and-8 at the TCC 15, Long threw a bit high to Crable, a standout receiver. The ball deflected off Crable's hands and was intercepted by senior defensive back Braden Awls. No one caught him. TCC built a 21-0 lead on Awls' state title-game record 92-yard interception return for a touchdown with 9:22 left in the second quarter.
Hoban Knights find themselves in 14-0 hole at end of opening quarter
Another turnover cost the Knights in the first quarter.
On first-and-10 from the Hoban 44, Long scanned the field for a receiver as TCC senior defensive lineman DeAndre Ellis strip-sacked him. Senior defensive lineman Tyler Jackson recovered the fumble for TCC at Hoban's 31 with 5:10 remaining in the first quarter.
Three plays later, Clark rushed for a 24-yard touchdown, and TCC went ahead 14-0 with 4:16 left in the first quarter.
Archbishop Hoban falls behind Toledo Central Catholic 7-0 early
After the two teams traded scoreless possessions to begin the game, TCC struck first and seized a 7-0 advantage.
Tyrrell played it safe on fourth-and-1 from the Hoban 49, opting to punt instead of go for it during his offense's first series.
TCC took control at its own 8 following the punt and produced a seven-play, 92-yard scoring drive. Senior running back Chris Edmonds had a 48-yard rush during the march and finished with 22 carries for 104 yards (4.7 average). Clark's 1-yard touchdown run with 6:56 left in the first quarter gave TCC an early lead.
“Coaches made just as many mistakes as players did ― probably more ― in the first half,” Tyrrell said.
When the dust settled, Tyrrell reflected on the impact Hoban's 13 seniors made on the program. Sperling, defensive tackle Martin, offensive lineman Holt and others from the class were sophomores when the Knights won a Division II state title in 2020, then made it to the championship game in 2021 and 2022.
“To go to three state championships in a row as a senior group is an amazing thing when you think about it," Tyrrell said. "I know we lost and heads are low and we're upset, but they accomplished things the last three years that most teams can't even dream of."
Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.
On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hoban football falls short in OHSAA state championship game
