Spartans fall to Hoover, 38-7
Big plays were the
difference in the
outcome of the Federal League game.
By PETE MOLLICA
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
BOARDMAN — Boardman High football coach D.J. Ogilvie knew that North Canton Hoover had a great passing attack. He just didn’t expect it to be as good as it was Friday night.
The Vikings (4-1) passed for 387 yards and four touchdowns and rolled to a Federal League victory 38-7 against the Spartans (3-2).
North Canton Hoover’s senior quarterback Jared Wackerly threw for 354 of those yards and all four touchdowns, while senior wide receiver Matt Wakulchik caught six passes, two for touchdowns and also kicked five extra points and a 32-yard field goal.
Aware of weapons
“We knew coming in that Hoover was an excellent passing team and we knew Wackerly was good and Wakulchik was good, we just didn’t expect them to be near perfect,” said Ogilvie.
“When somebody throws for nearly 390 yards against you that is a pretty special performance,” he added.
“We didn’t play well on either side of the football tonight and once we got behind we were playing right into their hands,” he said.
North Canton Hoover head coach Don Hertler said that the big plays were the difference.
“We came up with the big plays tonight, but really I thought our first drive in the third quarter really sewed up the win,” Hertler said.
“We knew Boardman was going to be tough to run against and we came out in the third quarter trying to establish our running game, but we didn’t want to get conservative, because we haven’t been doing well in the third quarter this year,” he said.
Wackerly was near perfect for the Vikings as he threw touchdown passes of 91 and 25 yards to Wakulchik, 67 yards to Erick Howard and 42 yards to Greg Beck among his 11 completions in 16 attempts.
Sparse Spartans
Boardman never got untracked offensively against the Vikings and didn’t score until 6:20 remaining in the contest when junior Cameron Shaffer finished off a 76 yard drive with a two-yard run.
Both teams started out slowly and the Vikings didn’t score until their third possession and it came quickly.
The Spartans punted to the Vikings 16 yard line and then a holding penalty put the ball at the Hoover 9-yard line.
After Howard got nothing on first down, Wackerly then lobbed a pass down the sidelines that Wakulchik ran under and galloped all the way 91 yards for the score.
The next time Hoover touched the ball it drove 77 yards in eight plays with Wackerly and Wakulchik finishing it off with a 25-yard scoring play.
The Spartans started to drive the ball on the next series, but Damien Jarrett fumbled and Mike Kohler recovered at the Hoover 33.
On the first play Wackerly hit Howard with a little screen pass and he broke into the clear and raced 67 yards for the third score.
Interceptions
Just before halftime Boardman’s Nick Tuminello was intercepted by Howard at the Hoover 39. Wackerly then hit Wakulchik with a 39 yard pass on which he made a one-handed catch while diving for the ball. The drive stalled at the Spartans’ 15 and Wakulchik came on to kick a 32-yard field goal and a 24-0 halftime lead.
Hoover’s first drive of the third quarter was 61 yards and mostly on the ground as Howard dove over from the three.
Tuminello’s second interception, this one by Wakulchik, set up Hoover’s final touchdown as Wackerly connected with Greg Beck on a 42-yard scoring toss on fourth down.
Boardman’s lone touchdown drive came mainly on the ground as Polen, Jarrett and Shaffer took turns grinding out the yardage before Shaffer took it over the final two yards.