The Archbishop Hoban Knights may be the best team in the state of Ohio, and for most of this night, they certainly looked like it.
Hoban was in control from almost start to finish in a 42-28 victory over the Massillon Washington Tigers to win the OHSAA Division II state football championship. It’s the fourth straight state title for the Knights (15-0), who have also won 29 games in a row.
Running back Tyris Dickerson was the star on offense, rushing for 211 yards and a 13-yard touchdown that opened the scoring for an early 27-0 Hoban lead. Dickerson also caught a 35-yard scoring pass from quarterback Shane Hamm, who tallied 185 combined yards and four total TDs.
On the defensive side, Luke Bauer led the way with nine total tackles (two for a loss) and a sack. Devin Hightower and Matt Salopek also added interceptions.
Massillon (14-1) did manage to make things interesting, however, after a 67-yard strike to Avdrik Ford cut the deficit to 34-28 with 9:13 to go. Zion Phifer also added two touchdowns, but it ended up being too little, too late.
The storied Tiger football program has still not won a state championship since the dawn of the playoff era in 1972.