CANTON, Ohio — Archbishop Hoban's quest for a second consecutive state high school football championship in Division II fell short on Thursday, as the Knights were beaten by Winton Woods, 21-10, at Canton's Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
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Hoban finishes the season 12-4 and in the unfamiliar position of being a state runner-up. Tim Tyrrell's team began their dynasty by winning the Division III championship in 2015 and 2016. The Knights moved up to Division II and captured state titles in 2017, 2018, and 2020.
Winton Woods used a mix of tough defense and a multi-faceted running game to dethrone the Knights. The Warriors as a team ran for 288 yards against Hoban, led by Ty'Rek Spikes' 153 yards on 22 carries. Spikes, QB Austin Ellery, and running back KC Spears each scored touchdowns.
Hoban got on the board first with a 20-yard Charlie Durkin field goal early in the second quarter. But their offense could never quite get untracked. The Knights trailed 14-3 at halftime, but got a boost thanks to a fumble recovery for a touchdown by linebacker Caleb Kepler early in the third quarter. Winton Woods responded quickly with a 53-yard scoring run by Spikes on the ensuing drive.
Knights running back Lamar Sperling finished with 121 yards on 24 carries.
"I'm darn proud of these kids," Hoban head coach Tim Tyrrell said after the game. "You know sometimes you run into a team that on that day is better than you and we got beat today. It wasn't for a lack of trying. We weren't as good as what we needed to be to win the game."
Three other Northeast Ohio teams will look to bring home state championships as action continues in Canton this weekend. On Friday, Chardon will face Hamilton Badin in the Division III title game at 3 p.m. St. Edward will then look to capture the Division I championship against Springfield at 7:30 p.m. Saturday night, Kirtland will square off against Versailles in the Division V state championship game at 7:30 p.m. You can hear all three games live on WKYC.com.