Fitch drops 26-12 contest

North Canton Hoover rallied on Mike Wright's running to beat the Falcons.
& lt;a href=mailto:kovach@vindy.com & gt;By JOHN KOVACH & lt;/a & gt;
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
AUSTINTOWN -- There were two different kinds of games played in the first and second halves between the Austintown Fitch and North Canton Hoover high school football teams Friday night at Falcon Stadium.
The Falcons dominated the first half with 196 yards rushing and two touchdowns by senior running back Eric Chine, and a strong defensive performance, to stake a 12-3 halftime lead.
But the Vikings turned the game around in the second half behind a powerful rushing attack led by senior running back Mike Wright and his two touchdowns, plus a potent defensive display, to rally for a 26-12 victory and extend their unbeaten streak to seven games.
"I can't account for it. It's like the kids quit," said Fitch (4-3) coach Neal Kopp of the Falcons' second-half letdown. "We didn't match their intensity."
Coach Don Hertler of Hoover said his team came out to play in the second half.
Motivated to play
"We didn't make any adjustments. We just played harder. We are smaller than most of the teams we play, so we have to play harder," said Hertler.
"The bottom line is that we blocked and tackled better in the second half and completed some passes."
Hoover entered the game ranked No. 2 in Division I, Region 2 of this week's computer poll, while Fitch was rated No. 7 in Div. I, Region I.
Fitch took a 12-3 first-half lead on Chine's TD dashes from the 3 and 1 in the first and second quarters, respectively, while Hoover managed only Andrew Dahl's 29-yard field goal in the opening period.
Wright strikes twice
But then Wright scored two TDs in the third period on runs of 8 and 65 yards and senior running back Alex Ramsey tallied from the 1 in the last period, to power Hoover's comeback.
Wright finished with 186 yards rushing in 15 carries, while quarterback Sam Cerreta completed 6-of-18 passes for 79 yards, with Brian Drukenbrod catching four aerials for 73 yards. Ramsey added 42 yards rushing in 18 carries.
Dahl also contributed an extra-point kick, while Cerreta threw a pair of conversion passes to Chaz Keeney and Drukenbrod.
Two different halves
Chine led Fitch with 120 yards rushing in 23 carries, but all except 12 of the yards came in the first half. Senior running back Miles Williams added 114 yards in 19 carries, but all except 24 of the yards were delivered in the first half.
Fitch finished with 233 yards rushing in 53 attempts, but 196 of the yards materialized in the first half. John Mang was 0-for-3 passing. The Falcons had 13 first downs.
Hoover wound up with 221 yards rushing in 34 attempts -- 183 of the yards churned out in the second half. The Vikings had 14 first downs.
The tide turns
"The turning point was when we didn't come off the football and block in the second half," said Kopp. "There is no reason how you can totally dominate in the first half, [and then squander that].
"We stopped fighting."
Hertler said he made an offensive change in the backfield in the second half that gave Hoover more of a 1-2 rushing punch.
"We took the fullback [Chris Zaluski] out and inserted Wright and Ramsey [at the same time]," he said.
"Wright stepped up and took over the second half. Ramsey played, but was banged up."
Fitch dominates early
Chine's first TD capped a 78-yard, 13-play drive, while his second TD climaxed an 80-yard, nine-play march.
Dahl's field goal came on the 13th play of a Hoover drive from its 20 to the Fitch 12.
Wright's first tally put the lid on a 73-yard, seven play advance, while his second TD, the 65-yard breakaway, capped a four-play, 79-yard drive. Ramsey's TD climaxed a 10-play, 67-yard march.
& lt;a href=mailto:kovach@vindy.com & gt;kovach@vindy.com & lt;/a & gt;