by 2023 Edition
After a year off from the tradition in 2022, both schools carried it on once again Black Friday of 2023.
Archbishop Hoban used a thrilling second half comeback to advance to the OHSAA Division II State Championship with a 17-14 win over Avon tonight form Byers Field in Parma. They used a masterful second half rushing attempt to get the job done in comeback fashion after falling behind 14-3 in the third quarter.
Hoban relied heavily on a running game as they struggled to pass the ball in the cold wind all evening. They used a combination of 4 different rushers, including their quarterback Tyler Boykin to move the ball. Boykin ran for 49 yards on 10 carries. Brayton Feister went for 56 yards on 10 carries while also catching 2 passes for 15 yards.
The bulk of the second half damage came from Caleb Jones and Xavier Williams. Jones carried the ball 13 times for 73 yards with a touchdown while Xavier Williams picked up 108 yards on 7 carries with a touchdown. Jones and Williams were the difference makers tonight.
Jakorion Caffery looked good once again for Avon with 15 carries accumulating 112 yards and a touchdown. Blake Elder held his own and has a very bright future, the young quarterback went 13 of 26 passing for 140 yards with a touchdown. The young man stood tall under the brightest of lights, an nearly led a thrilling last second drive to win or tie the game.
His main threats were Cole Kepner who had a key 10-yard catch in the first half to move the chains. Matt Maxey grabbed 3 balls for 53 yards. His main threat, especially on the final drive was Grant Barr as he finished the night with 6 catches for 50 yards, but all of them clutch!
The Knights forced a three and out to start the game and began their possession from their own 40. They wasted no time dialing up the running game with big chunks from Brayton Feister and Xavier Williams to get them deep into Eagles territory. They eventually faced a fourth and one from the 6-yard line of Avon. A false started moved it back a bit however and it forced the Knights to try a field goal in which they missed from 27 yards out to keep the game scoreless. The first quarter ended by that same score, 0-0 after 12 minutes.
The Eagles opened the second quarter on the move. Big passes to Maxey got them moving this time, and they cashed in with a 17 yard Elder to Maxey strike. This gave the Eagles the 7-0 lead with 8:26 to play in the first half. It was an 8-play drive that captured 63 yards and took 2:53 off the clock.
Connor Rowlison picked off a Boykin pass deep in Knight territory moments later, giving the ball back to Avon on the Knight 26-yard line. Sadly, for the Eagles, they couldn’t cash in, and the drive went backwards with penalties which led to a turnover on downs.
Hoban took over with 1:34 to go in the first half and started charging away. The big play coming early on an 18-yard draw from Tyler Boykin. Facing a 4th and 7 from the Avon 27-yard line with 30 seconds to go, Hoban, then tried a deep shot over the middle that was no good, however the defensive back ran right into the receiver to draw the flag. The Knights settled for a 25-yard field goal from Jeremy Hammel to cut into the lead 7-3 at halftime.
Avon survived a failed onside kick attempt to start the second half by getting a huge fourth and short stop to get the ball back unscathed, still up 7-0. The Eagles instantly took advantage with a 66-yard Caffey run to set up shop inside the Hoban 10. The Eagles scored on the very next play with a Caffey 6-yard touchdown run. With 8:17 left to play in the third quarter, Avon held a 14-3 lead over Hoban.
Hoban stuck to the run late in the third, and began to move the ball at will. After a few runs by Boykin, they turned to Xavier Williams for a quick strike 39-yard touchdown run. It was a 4 play, 57-yard drive in a 1:35, to close the gap to 14-10 with 2:18 to go in the third quarter.
Elbert Hill picked off an Eagle pass on the opening play of the fourth quarter, to start their next drive on the Eagle 35-yard line. They then turned to Xavier Williams again who got them moving quickly with a 14-yard run, followed by a Caleb Jones 13-yard run. Shortly after, Hoban took their first lead of the game with a 4-yard touchdown run from Caleb Jones. This earned the Knights a 17-14 lead with 10:17 to go in the game.
Avon had one last chance at it, down 17-14 with 1:59 to play in the game as they took over from their own 25-yard line. A 12-yard pass to Barr got it cooking for Avon. Two more passes to Barr kept it moving and before you knew it, it was first and ten Avon from the Hoban 26-yard line with 43 seconds left to play. Another pass to Barr got it even closer. All of this led to a 44-yard Owen Warrick field goal attempt that was right to down the middle, but short, as Hoban held on for the thrilling win.
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