Hoban Dominates Brush 49-0 to Advance in High School Playoffs

By Robert Huff

MACEDONIA, OHIO – The​ ​Brush​ ​Arcs​ record​ ​setting​ ​offense​ ​was​ ​derailed​ ​by​ ​an​ ​Archbishop​ ​Hoban​ ​team​ ​who look​ ​like​ ​they are​ ​on​ ​a​ ​mission,​ ​thus​ ​ending​ ​the​ ​career​ ​of​ ​Brush​ ​senior​ ​standout​ ​quarterback Godwin​ ​Joe in Hoban’s 49-0 victory in the Regional Semifinals Friday night in Macedonia.​

​Joe​ ​had​ ​a​ ​school​ ​and​ ​career​ ​record​ ​breaking​ ​season​ ​in​ ​passing​ ​touchdowns​ ​and total​ ​offense​ along with a number of​ ​other​ ​accolades,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​being​ ​named​ ​a​ ​candidate​ ​for​ ​Ohio’s​ ​Mr.Football award.​ ​

On​ ​this​ ​night,​ ​Hoban’s​ ​game​ ​plan​ ​had​ ​him​ ​step​ ​for​ ​step​, and it worked to perfection.​ ​Unable​ ​to​ ​break off​ ​the​ ​flashy​ ​runs​ ​from​ ​the​ ​pocket​ ​that​ ​led​ ​to​ ​four​ ​touchdowns​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​last​ ​week​ ​against Hudson (including​ ​the​ ​overtime​ ​game​ ​winner),​ ​Joe​ ​often​ ​turned​ ​to​ ​his​ ​arm.​

With tough weather ​conditions​ hampering him and trying to rally from down early, the​ ​passing​ ​game​ ​of​ ​Brush was​ ​not​ ​in​ ​sync​ ​all​ ​night.​ ​After​ ​starting​ ​off​ ​the​ ​game​ ​with​ ​an​ ​interception​ ​on​ ​Hoban’s​ ​first​ ​drive​ ​of the​ ​game​ ​by​ ​senior​ ​Quinton​ ​Woodall,​ ​the​ ​Arcs​ ​were​ ​not able​ ​to​ ​capitalize​ ​on​ ​the​ ​turnover.​ ​

The Knights​ ​would​ ​not​ ​be​ ​denied​ ​on​ ​their​ ​second​ ​drive​ ​of​ ​the​ ​game,​ ​with​ ​freshman​ ​Shane​ ​Hamm connecting​ ​to​ ​senior​ ​Jalen​ ​Knight​ ​for​ ​the​ ​31-yard​ ​touchdown​ ​strike​ ​over​ ​the​ ​fallen​ ​defender​ ​for the​ ​Arcs.​

​Back​ ​on​ ​offense,​ ​Joe​ was ​intercepted​ ​on​ ​the​ ​next​ ​drive​ ​by​ Hoban ​junior​ ​Matt​ ​Salopek​. This set up​ ​the​ ​Knights​ ​up​ ​for​ ​another​ ​scoring​ ​drive,​ ​this​ ​one​ ​being​ ​punctuated​ ​by​ ​a​ ​32-yard touchdown​ ​scamper​ ​by​ ​junior​ ​running​ ​back​ ​Tyris​ ​Dickerson.​ ​

This​ ​opened​ ​the​ ​floodgate​ ​of scoring​ ​for​ ​Hoban.​ ​Next​ ​scoring​ ​on​ ​two​ ​even​ ​longer​ ​runs​ ​on​ ​their​ ​next​ ​two​ ​drives​ ​of​ ​the​ ​game​ ​in a​ ​66-yard​ ​touchdown​ ​run​ ​by​ ​sophomore​ ​Deamonte​ ​Trayanum,​ ​and​ ​another​ ​by​ ​Dickerson.​ ​His second​ ​of​ ​the​ ​game,​ ​this​ ​one​ ​being​ ​from​ ​73-yards,​ ​gave​ ​the​ ​Knights​ ​the​ ​28-0​ ​halftime​ ​lead.

After​ ​being​ ​held​ ​to​ ​8​-of​-​24​ ​120​ ​yards​ ​and​ ​an​ ​interception​ ​in​ ​the​ ​first​ ​half,​ ​Joe​ ​was​ ​looking​ ​to change​ ​the​ ​Arcs​ ​fortunes​ ​in​ ​the​ ​second​ ​half.​ ​This​ ​was​ ​not​ ​to​ ​be,​ ​as​ ​Brush​ ​just​ ​didn’t​ ​seem​ ​to mesh​ ​well​ ​all​ ​night.​

​High​ ​snaps​ ​through​ ​the​ ​center/quarterback​ ​exchange​ ​left​ ​and​ ​right.​ ​Joe​ ​with high,​ ​overthrown​ ​balls​ ​all​ ​night.​ ​And​ ​a​ ​ground​ ​game,​ ​led​ ​by​ ​junior​ ​running​ ​back​ ​Mitchell Kellogg’s​ ​43​ ​yards​ ​in​ ​the​ ​first​ ​half,​ ​was​ ​shut​ ​down​ ​in​ ​the​ ​second​ ​half.​

​The​ ​Arcs​ ​best​ ​scoring chance​ ​of​ ​the​ ​evening​ ​ended​ ​with​ ​a​ ​quarterback​ ​sneak​ ​from​ ​the​ ​three​ ​yard​ ​line​ ​resulting​ ​in​ ​a fumble​ ​on​ ​the​ ​goal​ ​line​ ​by​ ​Joe​ ​that​ ​was​ ​recovered​ ​by​ ​the​ ​Knights​ ​in​ ​the​ ​endzone​ ​for​ ​the touchback.​

​Hoban’s​ ​next​ ​drive​ ​ends​ ​with​ ​a​ ​10-yard​ ​touchdown​ ​run​ ​by​ ​Dickerson,​ ​his​ ​third​ ​and final​ ​of​ ​the​ ​night​ ​making​ ​the​ ​score​ ​35-0.​ ​Salopek’s​ ​second​ ​interception​ ​of​ ​the​ ​game​ ​returned​ ​to the​ ​house​ ​for​ ​the​ ​score,​ putting the final nail in the​ ​victory​ ​for​ ​Hoban.​

​Adding​ ​a​ ​final​ ​score​ ​late​ ​in​ ​the fourth​ ​quarter​ ​on​ ​the​ ​ground​ ​by​ ​senior​ ​quarterback​ ​Jacob​ ​Simmons​ ​made​ ​the​ ​final​ ​score 49-0​ ​in​ ​favor​ ​of​ ​Hoban.​ ​

“He’s​ ​a​ ​great​ ​player,” Hoban head coach Tim​ ​Tyrell​ said of Joe.​

“​It’s​ ​really​ ​hard​ ​to stop​ ​him,​ ​so​ ​you​ ​just​ ​gotta​ ​try​ ​to​ ​contain​ ​him.​ ​He​ ​was​ ​still​ ​able​ ​to​ ​sneak​ ​out​ ​and​ ​do​ ​some different​ ​things​ ​to​ ​us,​ ​but​ ​i​ ​think​ ​our​ ​defense​ ​did​ ​a​ ​very​ ​good​ ​job.​ ​We​ ​have​ ​some​ ​very​ ​good linebackers,​ ​and​ ​defensive​ ​lineman​ ​who​ ​got​ ​pressure​ ​early​ ​which​ ​made​ ​him​ ​run​ ​around​ ​a​ ​little bit.​ ​But​ ​we​ ​had​ ​some​ ​linebackers​ ​that​ ​could​ ​really​ ​run​ ​with​ ​him,​ ​such​ ​as​ ​Deamonte​ ​Trayanum who​ ​were​ ​able​ ​to​ ​run​ ​step​ ​for​ ​step​ ​with​ ​him,​ ​so​ ​that’s​ ​always​ ​a​ ​plus.”​

​Hoban next will take on ​Barberton​ ​for​ ​the​ ​first​ ​time​ ​since​ ​2014,​ ​in​ ​a​ ​game​ ​some​ ​are​ ​calling​ ​the “Summit​ ​County​ ​Superbowl.”