Sam Greer, Caleb Jones return to lineup as Hoban football rolls past Barberton
The Archbishop Hoban football team is getting healthy at just the right time.
Senior running back-defensive back Caleb Jones and sophomore left tackle Sam Greer returned from injuries Friday night to help Hoban earn a 41-7 win over Barberton in a Division II, Region 5 quarterfinal at Dowed Field.
Hoban freshman Brayton Feister ran for 104 yards and two touchdowns on three carries and Jones ran for 59 yards and one touchdown on seven carries.
"Sam came back great and the offensive linemen did very well," said Jones, who had missed the previous three games. "All of the running backs were running behind the linemen and we passed the ball well. When the O-line does great that means touchdowns on the field on offense. ... It feels great to win our final game on our home field."
Hoban advanced to play Painesville Riverside in a regional semifinal on Nov. 10 at a site to be determined by the OHSAA.
Sam Greer joins Josh Greer up front for Hoban
Greer lined up along the offensive line with senior left guard Jvon Lindsey, senior center Nate Townend, junior right guard Nate Cross and senior right tackle William Satterwhite, a Tennessee recruit.
"This was the first time since August that we had these guys together on the offensive line," Hoban coach Tim Tyrrell said. "It is awesome that you are able to do that at this point of the season. You wish you had it all year, but it is one of those situations where we have to get better week to week now. We have pretty much the starting offensive line in for the first time, and it is Week 12. We are excited about it and we are going to keep getting better.
"Practices are different than a normal Week 12. We are going at it because we have to get them live reps, which isn't normal in Week 12. ... It is also nice to have Caleb back because now you have a one-two punch with him and Brayton. You saw that tonight where both of them are popping runs."
Greer's older brother, senior Josh Greer, was Hoban's starter at tight end. The Greer brothers helped Hoban win a Division I boys basketball state championship in March.
"It was a lot of fun to play next to Josh," said Sam Greer, who is 6-foot-8 and 300 pounds and returned from a broken leg suffered in a preseason practice. "I have been waiting for that the whole year. We have been excited for it the whole year to play next to each other and then I got hurt.
"I didn't know if I was going to be able to play with him during his senior year, but I ended up playing and this was a lot of fun."
Sam Greer has football scholarship offers from Ohio State, Michigan, Florida, Miami of Florida, Purdue, Tennessee, Louisville and Central Michigan. Akron and Kent State have offered him a basketball scholarship.
"Jvon Lindsey was our starting left tackle when I was out and he really helped me a lot," Sam Greer said. "I kept asking him about all of the plays."
Josh Greer, who is 6-4 and 240 pounds, opened the season as Hoban's tight end for the first five games. He has football offers from Marist, Gannon and Mercyhurst.
"I have been playing left guard and Von has been left tackle before tonight," Josh Greer said. "I was at left guard for the Walsh and the Glenville games. I was supposed to move back to tight end, but [sophomore] Braylin Parker got hurt, so I continued to play left guard against St. Edward, St. Francis and last week's playoff game against Ellet.
"... Sam had a really bad injury. I didn't know if he would be able to come back. I am happy that this was the game he could come back and play. This was just in time for us to play our last game here at Dowed Field."
How Hoban advanced to a football regional semifinal
Hoban scored three touchdowns in the first half to take a 20-0 halftime lead. Junior Tylan Boykin threw a 39-yard TD pass to senior Jalen Hightower, Jones ran for a 7-yard TD and Feister sprinted for a 60-yard TD run.
The Knights almost scored again on a passing play near the end of the second quarter, but Magics juniors DaJuan Owens and Micryn Miller forced a fumble on the 1-yard line and senior Kenneth Larry recovered the ball in the end zone for a touchback.
Hoban's offense took the field for two plays in the third quarter and scored on both plays. Boykin connected with Hightower on a 43-yard TD pass and Feister broke free for a 38-yard TD run.
"We have all of our pieces back healthy and we showcased what we could do tonight," said Satterwhite, who is 6-4½ and 285 pounds.
Knights sophomore Elbert Hill IV grabbed an interception in the first quarter and returned a kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
"The victory was wonderful," Hill said. "We all go out and play for our seniors. We don't know when our last down is. Everybody on the team is giving 100 percent in everything that we do. We ball out together. These are my brothers and I love them. I am happy for the seniors because this was their last opportunity to play a high school football game on this field."
Hill has 15 scholarship offers, including from Ohio State, Michigan, Penn State, Colorado and Miami of Florida.
Boykin finished 7-of-8 passing for 157 yards with the two TDs, both to Hightower.
Hoban senior and Holy Cross recruit Jordan Pritchard-Sewell recorded two sacks. Juniors Eli Lee (Ohio State), Tanner Mintz and Nick Crawford along with seniors Devin Bell (Miami of Ohio), Rickey Williams (West Virginia) and Tysen Campbell (Central Michigan) were also disruptive defensively.
Dominic Wilson, Kenneth Larry and Angelo Harper guide Barberton
Barberton senior quarterback Dominic Wilson completed 25 of 35 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown. Magics senior Angelo Harper caught Wilson's TD pass, an 11-yard strike in the third quarter.
Larry recorded eight catches for 68 yards, and seniors Noah DeHart, Xzavier Macon, Robert Davis and sophomore Donte Swain Jr. accounted for the other 17 receptions.
"We had almost every game of Barberton and we were watching them," Tyrrell said. "They have a really good offense. They score a lot of points. Coach [Tony] Gotto does a great job. They have talented receivers, a heck of a back and I really like that quarterback. That kid throws under pressure.
"... That is a good team. They took Aurora to the last second and that kid [Dylan Crasi] had that ESPN highlight interception. We were watching that on film and rewound it like 50 times. Coach Gotto has a really good team. My hat goes off to him. I love coach Gotto's offense. I always watched him when he was at Tallmadge as the offensive coordinator. I was a young, stupid coach at Aquinas and I used to go watch them play in the playoffs. I think he is one of the better football minds in Northeast Ohio. It is always fun to go against him."
Michael Beaven can be reached at mbeaven@thebeaconjournal and is on Twitter at @MBeavenABJ.
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Sam Greer, Caleb Jones return as Hoban football wins in OHSAA regional
