By Codie talley

ctalley@vindy.com

Youngstown

Ursuline head coach Larry Kempe knew that Akron Hoban would try to use their size and speed to try to impose their will on the Irish early and often.

The Knights did just that Friday night. The Irish mustered just 35 yards total on offense, as the Hoban front seven caused chaos for Ursuline all night long en route to a 49-0 victory.

Ursuline quarterback Jared Fabry finished in the negative in both passing and rushing. Fabry did his best to make things happen, but the Hoban defense was up to the test.

“They beat us up front on both sides of the ball. They wanted to impose their will and did it very quickly,” Kempe said.

The lone bright spot for the Irish offensively was Joe Floyd, who ran for 24 yards. Daivon Jones also mustered 31 yards in garbage time. “We didn’t let them set pace and run the ball, which is their forte,” said Hoban head coach Tim Tyrell, an Ursuline graduate and former Youngstown State tight end. “We got after them early and that gave us good field position.”

Despite the tough loss Kempe knows that the Irish will have to regroup and move on to next week.

“We’re 1-2. Its not the end of the world, but we got our butts kicked pretty good tonight,” Kempe said. “We’ve got to find ways to match the intensity of our opponent and play with their motor.”

As for Hoban, the two-time defending state champions left no doubt. After losing a fumble on the Ursuline 11-yard line on their opening drive, the Knights never looked back. A few possessions later wide receiver Garrett Houser out-jumped an Ursuline defender for his first touchdown of the game to put the Knights up 7-0.

Houser found the end zone in the second quarter. He was left wide open and Hoban freshman quarterback Shane Hamm found him in the corner of the end zone to put the Knights up 35-0. Houser finished with 79 receiving yards and Hamm passed for 150.

Tyrell was happy with his team’s performance, although it was a little unexpected. “You don’t expect to beat a team like Ursuline like that. Coach Kempe is a great coach and he has a great staff over there,” Tyrell said. The Hoban offensive line imposed their will, paving the way for 298 total rushing yards for the Knights, led by Coby Campbell with 100 yards and two touchdowns.

“Our offensive line and quarterback played great and our front seven imposed their will,” Tyrell said.

Although his team played nearly perfect Tyrell knows that his team can still get better. “We’ll watch the film and see what we can do to get better on each and every play. You want to get better on every play,” said Tyrell. “We’ll watch the film as if we lost.”

Despite coaching for Hoban, Tyrell was excited to be back home in Youngstown.

“I came down the tunnel. It looks the same. It smells the same and any time I see the green and gold its a good feeling,” Tyrell said. “It means a lot to me and I have a ton of respect for coach Kempe and his program.”

Kempe had just one positive to take away from the game.

“It’s 9:16 p.m. and this thing is over. That’s the only positive,” he said.