Hoban football’s view on its OHSAA state semifinal rematch with Avon
The Archbishop Hoban and Avon football teams will meet in an OHSAA Division II state semifinal for the second consecutive year. Here’s Hoban’s view.
AKRON — If it’s a Division II state semifinal in high school football, there’s a good chance Archbishop Hoban and Avon will be playing. The two renew their fight Friday when the Knights (12-2) and Eagles (14-0) square off for the sixth time in eight seasons with a spot in the state final on the line.
The winner plays either Cincinnati Anderson (14-0) or Big Walnut (13-1) at 7 p.m. Thursday.
Follow along here for live updates, highlights and in-game analysis:
Elbert Hill came off his cornerback position and played center field instead, coaxing Nolan Good into an interception. Hoban trails 7-0 but has the ball on the Avon 43 with 10:54 left before the break.
The Knights couldn’t do anything with the field position and punted it back to the Eagles.
Nolan Good drove the Eagles 81 yards on 11 plays and took 4:51 off the clock. Cam Wendell went in from 5 yards out. It’s 14-0 Avon with 5:01 left in the second quarter.
The Knights drove to their own 48 but had to punt. Avon takes over up 7-0 with 11:41 left on its own 13-yard line.
Hoban has been whistled for seven penalties for 45 yards in the first quarter. That three offsides, three false starts and one personal foul.
Hoban’s Brayton Feister has seven carries for 28 yards.
Avon’s Nolan Good has completed 4 of 8 passes for 59 yards.
Tyler Kaufmann runs for a 1-yard touchdown and Owen Warrick kicks the extra point to give Avon a 7-0 lead with 8:06 remaining in the first quarter.
Avon QB Nolan Good completed 4 of 5 passes for 59 yards on the drive that covered 87 yards and was 11 plays and took 3:54. Grant Barr had two catches for 26 yards, Ty Beerbohm had one catch for 24 yards and Matt Maxey had one catch for six yards. Quiante’ Smith had one carry for 11 yards.
This rivalry has been completely one-sided in the past as Hoban has won every contest.
The Knights went on to win state titles in 2017, 2018 and 2020 after wins over the Eagles. Hoban finished as state runners-up in 2021 and 2023 after beating Avon.
The Knights are making their ninth state semifinal appearance in the last 10 seasons. This is the 11th time Hoban has reached the state semifinals in school history and 20th time it has reached the playoffs. The Knights own five state titles (2015-18, 2020) and finished second three times (2021-23). The Knights are 61-14 in the postseason. Coach Tim Tyrrell is 206-75 overall and 141-24 at Hoban.
Hoban’s defense has allowed 40 total points in four playoff games and features senior Eli Lee (Ohio State recruit), Tanner Mintz, Tylan Boykin (Eastern Michigan recruit), Elbert Hill and Payton Cook. Hoban’s offense features sophomore RB Brayton Feister, who runs behind a line led by Nate Cross and Sam Greer as well as tight end Tayte Crable.
Cross committed to Kent State on Sunday and Crable committed to South Florida last month. Hill has scholarship offers from around 30 colleges, including Ohio State, Tennessee, Oregon, Michigan, USC, Alabama and Notre Dame. Greer is heavily recruited, too, including offers from Ohio State, Florida, Michigan, Miami and Oregon. Feister’s scholarship list includes offers from Wisconsin and Kentucky.
Greer, Feister, Nick Crawford, Lee, Mintz, Hill and Boykin were first-team all-district selections.
The Eagles have made the state semifinals six of the last seven seasons and have reached the semifinals nine times but have only reached the final in 2011, when they lost 42-28 to Trotwood-Madison in Division II. This is the 18th time Avon has reached the playoffs. Avon is 41-17 in the postseason. Coach Mike Elder is 250-54 overall and 200-31 at Avon.
The Eagles are led by quarterback Nolan Good, Kent State commit and Northeast Lakes District Offensive Player of the Year. Offensive tackle Jeremiah Kelly is a Cincinnati commit. Cornerback Jakob Weatherspoon has offers from Ohio State, Notre Dame, Cincinnati and Wisconsin among his 17.
Good, Kelly, Weatherspoon, receiver Matt Maxey, tight end Ty Beerbohm, center Connor Bingham, defensive end Sam Toniolo, defensive lineman Jason Gillespie and linebacker Owen Garcia were first-team all-district selections.
Number | Name | Position |
Offense | ||
0 | Payton Cook | WR |
11 | Grady Falkenstein | WR |
13 | Jackson Calloway | WR |
15 | Tayte Crable | TE |
18 | Brayton Feister | RB |
19 | Trent Hayden | QB |
40 | Jonathan McDaniel | FB |
51 | Rylee Pickering | OL |
54 | Nate Cross | OL |
70 | Sam Greer | OL |
71 | Joseph Burkeen | OL |
77 | Braylin Parker | OL |
Defense | ||
1 | Elbert Hill | DB |
2 | John Johnson | DB |
4 | Tanner Mintz | LB |
6 | Lawrence Cherry | DB |
7 | Ace Brown | DL |
10 | Tylan Boykin | DB |
20 | Nick Crawford | DL |
21 | Jaiden Daniels | DB |
24 | Patrick Kinsell | LB |
27 | Owen Turner | DL |
33 | Eli Lee | LB |
Special teams | ||
5/80 | Ethan Roksandich orJeremy Hammel | P |
5 | Jeremy Hammel | K |
Number | Name | Position |
Offense | ||
4 | Ty Beerbohm | WR |
5 | Nolan Good | QB |
8 | Matt Maxey | WR |
9 | Cole Kepner | WR |
12 | Grant Barr | WR |
16 | Tyler Kaufmann | RB |
52 | Jack Fitch | OL |
53 | Addison Hanna | OL |
59 | Eian Englehart | OL |
73 | Jeremiah Kelly | OL |
77 | Matt Hauck | OL |
Defense | ||
1 | Ryan Stolarski | LB |
2 | Aiden Atkins | DB |
11 | Jakob Weatherspoon | DB |
15 | Alex Rivera | DB |
17 | Alex Falasco | DB |
27 | Jerry Clements | DB |
28 | Owen Garcia | LB |
50 | Nolan Robke | DL |
63 | Jason Gillespie | DL |
73 | Jeremiah Kelly | DL |
87 | Caedam Bemmett | DL |
Special teams | ||
90 | Jensen Petro | P |
92 | Owen Warrick | K |
Contact Brad Bournival at bbournival@gannett.com and follow him on Twitter at @bbournival. Michael Beaven can be reached by email at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal.com and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
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