Instant replay: Howard again wins Mr. Football

COLUMBUS (AP) — Every game, it seemed, an opponent would say something to Erick Howard about his 2008 Mr. Football award.

And they weren’t congratulating him.

When he moves on to college next season, he’ll hear that double.

Howard became the second Ohio prep star to twice win the Associated Press Mr. Football award Wednesday night when he captured the state’s top individual honor for high school players.

So, Erick, did opposing players notice the big award you won a year ago?

“Oh, yeah. All the time. Someone would have a pretty good hit on me and say, ’You’re not Mr. Football today,”’ he said. “They talked a lot of trash and that kind of motivates me even more to play that much harder.”

Howard, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound senior at North Canton Hoover, once again had staggering regular-season stats: 299 carries for 1,957 yards and 26 touchdowns as a running back; 102 tackles, five tackles for a loss, three sacks, four fumbles caused and an interception as a middle linebacker.

Including a playoff game, he rushed for more than 2,000 yards for the second year in a row, pushing his career total to more than 6,000 yards to go with 79 touchdowns and 478 points — all Stark County records.

Howard joins Euclid’s Robert Smith (1988-89), who went on to fame at Ohio State and in the NFL, as the only two-time winner of the prestigious award. The winner is determined by a vote of a statewide media panel.

Hoover coach Don Hertler Jr. said Howard was better as a senior than he was a year ago.

“Gosh, he carried over 300 times. He probably played over 500 snaps each of the last two years,” he said. “To me, he’s a Chris Spielman-type high school player as far as being an every-down kind of a player, offense and defense, and can dominate either side of the ball. During the regular season every nine times he touched the ball he scored a touchdown. With the bull’s eye on his back, everyone played their best game against us by far, he withstood a lot of pounding and a lot of pressure to carry us.”

Howard’s college choices have been narrowed to Cincinnati, Michigan State, Pittsburgh and Ohio State. No one questions his ability or his commitment. He has some classwork to do to raise his grade-point average to ready himself for the next level.

Howard can run inside and punish a defense or can skirt the edge and outrun it. He has terrific acceleration and incredible durability — he started every game the final three years, missing only the second half of two games due to the beating he took on all those carries.

What’s more, Howard has proven to be a responsible kid who has persevered despite some difficult times. His father died in an industrial accident a decade ago, leaving behind Howard’s mother and seven kids. Howard is the youngest.

“My father died about four days after my eighth birthday, so that was kind of hard. It doesn’t bother me any more, but it used to,” Howard said. “My mom is real good to me. She helps me out a lot. She helps me get to work and stuff. And my one brother’s kind of like a mentor for me. He’s graduated and lived in the real world a couple of years, so he’s trying to help me with the [NCAA] clearinghouse for football and things along those lines.”

Howard is the only sibling left at home. He and his brother help support their mother. Erick works at a Canton-area Indoor sports playground featuring batting cages, volleyball and basketball courts. He loves playing with and supervising the kids who visit.

After he won the Mr. Football award a year ago, he worked on himself, too. Not content with his strength and durability, he toiled particularly hard in the summer to get in shape. The results speak for themselves.

Now he wants to improve even more.

“I’ve got good acceleration, I just need to get it to where I’m, like, gone,” he said. “Instead of giving a defense a chance, I just want to be gone.”

Hertler said that even in phys ed class, Howard plays to win. While other kids go through the motions to get through the hour, Howard can’t turn off being competitive.

“He plays everything to win. That’s what separates him a little bit,” Hertler said.

The coach looks at the person his star player, who lived with him for a year, has become and is both impressed and moved.

“He’s matured a lot,” he said softly. “He still has a long way to go, but he’s a pretty nice young man.”

Others nominated for and receiving votes for the Mr. Football award include West Chester Lakota West linebacker Jordan Hicks, Steubenville quarterback Dwight Macon, Columbus DeSales defensive lineman Travis Jackson, Cleveland St. Ignatius quarterback Mark Myers, Logan quarterback Patrick Angle and Ada quarterback Heath Jackson.

Howard will soon receive his second plaque in the shape of Ohio.