North Canton Hoover wins road playoff game over Columbus St. Francis DeSales on last-second field goal
COLUMBUS, Ohio – Paul Koskovich was angry after he missed an extra point attempt wide left late in the first quarter of North Canton Hoover’s Division II, Region 7 playoff opener Friday at St. Francis DeSales.
The Hoover junior kicker became even more frustrated when he shanked the ensuing kickoff out of bounds and then watched helplessly as the Stallions rallied from a 13-point deficit to take a 1-point lead in the second half.
But Koskovich came through for Hoover when it mattered the most by drilling a 22-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give the Vikings a 23-21 upset win over the Stallions.
“I was really frustrated, because I felt like I let my team down and that I was the reason we were behind, after I missed that extra point,” Koskovich said. “I always think about the seniors on our team and how I want to do well for them, and I was mad when I shanked that kick to the left and then did the same thing on the kickoff.
“I was nervous at first when I realized that the entire game was going to come down to my field goal. But after DeSales called a timeout to try to freeze me, I calmed down and my nerves turned to adrenaline. I thought I had shanked it again at first, but when it went through the uprights, it was the best feeling I could have asked for.”
Hoover, which is seeded 11th in Region 7, improved to 6-5 overall and will compete in a regional quarterfinal Nov. 3 at third-seeded Uniontown Green (8-3). The sixth-seeded Stallions finished 5-6 overall.
Hoover coach Brian Baum was confident enough in Koskovich and his special teams unit that he allowed the clock to run down to three seconds remaining before calling time out.
“Paul makes this kick 100 times every day in practice, so we knew he could do it, even with all of that pressure on his shoulders,” Baum said. “Paul was hot after he missed that extra point and then he screwed up the kickoff, so we calmed him down and told him to focus, because we knew we were going to need him later in the game, and he really came through for us.”
Hoover quarterback Carson Dyrlund used both his arm and his legs to engineer the Vikings’ game-winning drive, which started at Hoover’s 43-yard line with 3:13 remaining.
Despite being hampered by a pulled hamstring in recent weeks, Dyrlund scrambled three times for 21 yards on that final possession, including an 11-yard run on a critical third-and-3 play.
Dyrlund finished 18-of-29 passing for 189 yards, with a touchdown and one interception, and rushed for 31 yards on nine carries.
“Our quarterback really can’t run the way he does when he’s healthy, but he gutted it out and had some big runs and throws to set up our winning field goal,” Baum said.
Wide receiver Mason Ashby also had a big game for the Vikings, hauling in 10 catches for 90 yards and a touchdown, and scoring a touchdown on special teams.
One play after DeSales quarterback RJ Day tossed a 9-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Michael Walker to knot the score at 7-7, the speedy 5-foot-8, 155-pound senior returned the ensuing kickoff 88 yards for a touchdown to give Hoover the momentum back.
It was Ashby’s second kickoff return for a score this season and fourth of the past two seasons.
“My eyes lit up when I saw the ball coming, because this was only the third time that I’ve had someone kick it to me since I returned one for a touchdown against (Canton) McKinley (on Sept. 22),” Ashby said. “I was excited because our wedge block is really good. I saw a hole in the wedge, sprinted through it, and I don’t think I ever got touched as I kept running to the end zone.”
Ashby then capped a seven-play, 72-yard touchdown drive, by catching a pass in the flat and outracing a DeSales cornerback into the left side of the end zone to put Hoover ahead 20-7 with 2:02 remaining in the first quarter.
“There was just one dude over top of me on an out route and he couldn’t catch me,” Ashby said. “(Wide receiver/cornerback) Zac Braucher gave me a great block at the goal line, and no one touched me on that touchdown either.”
Braucher had eight catches for 99 yards and intercepted a pass from Day – who is the son of Ohio State head coach Ryan Day – in the second quarter.
“We wanted to set the tone early, and we did,” Braucher said. “My interception helped change the momentum in the second quarter. I baited their running back on a wheel route, and was able to step in for a pick.”
Senior tailback Kyler Miraglia also rushed for a team-best 35 yards on nine carries, including a 26-yard scoring burst up the middle that gave Hoover a 7-0 advantage on the game’s opening drive.
“It was nice to get Kyler going early because he’s been running on a bum ankle,” Baum said. “DeSales came right back to tie the game, and then Mason made a huge play on that kickoff return to give us the momentum. Mason isn’t big but he’s really, really fast. I was shocked that they kicked it to him, because most teams pouch it to us, because of our speed.”
However, the Stallions kept fighting and cut their deficit to 20-14 going into halftime when Day threw a 3-yard touchdown pass to Walker as time expired in the second quarter.
Day’s pass was tipped in the air by two different Hoover defenders, but Walker was able to maintain his concentration and nab the ball in the end zone.
Walker ended up making seven receptions for 50 yards and two touchdowns to finish with a single-season team-record 49 catches for the Stallions, one ahead of 2022 graduate Kyle Nicely.
“We tried to be aggressive by going for a touchdown at the end of the half, and after we pulled within six points, I said ‘let’s go win the second half.’” DeSales coach Ryan Wiggins said. “Michael’s had a really good year leading us in receptions and yards, and that was a big play to give us momentum heading into the second half.”
DeSales opened the third quarter with a seven-play, 63-yard drive to take a 21-20 lead after fullback Max Shulaw plowed his way into the end zone over two defenders from a yard out.
Shulaw set up his own scoring run with a 61-yard reception to move the ball to Hoover’s 3 just two plays earlier.
“It was a feeling-out process for our defense in the beginning, but we started to adjust and play well, especially after the first quarter,” said Shulaw, who is the defending Division II state wrestling champion at 215 pounds.“We entered the second half down by a touchdown, so when we got to their 1, I knew I needed to punch it in to change the tide of the game. It came down to the wire, and unfortunately, we didn’t come out on top.”
The 6-1, 220-pound University of Virginia wrestling recruit, who also played every defensive down at linebacker, resembled a battering ram on both sides of the ball. Not only did Shulaw make several forceful tackles and an interception, he also rushed for 99 yards on 23 carries and had two receptions for 63 yards.
“(Shulaw) was one of the most physical running backs I’ve ever faced,” Hoover junior linebacker Cole Rembielak said. “He’s big and strong, but we had to stop him, so when we collided, I just made sure I didn’t let him go.”
Day finished 15-of-20 passing for 169 yards and two touchdowns, and he completed his final 11 attempts, including going 9-of-9 for 116 yards in the second half.
But the freshman quarterback had to scramble away from pressure throughout the entire game and was sacked four times, as the Stallions failed to score in the fourth quarter before losing on the final play.
“We shot ourselves in the foot by giving up some big plays on defense, but we persevered in the end,” said junior defensive tackle Evhan Bell, who also blocks for Hoover’s field goal unit. “When we lined up for the field goal at the end of the game, my heart was pounding and I just hoped he would make it.
“Paul’s a good kicker, but I was just in shock as I watched it go through the uprights. I wanted to cry, because I was so happy for our entire team.”
