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Jackson & Hoover Hook Up
There are numerous storylines surrounding this year’s annual match-up between Hoover and Jackson. Can Hoover clinch a share of the Federal League title? Can Jackson knock off their rival and sneak into the OHSAA playoffs? Or will it be Hoover that somehow miraculously finds their way into the postseason? All of these questions and many others will be answered by 10 PM this Friday night at Robert Fife Stadium when Jackson hosts Hoover in our Aultcare TV Game of the Week.
Coming off a 45-38 loss at Bishop Hartley last week, the Vikings find themselves with a 6-3 record. Even with a win over Jackson this week, that might not be good enough to make the playoffs. However, Hoover will be trying to earn a share of the Federal League title. Hoover is 4-1 in league play, while McKinley is 5-1 and has completed their portion of the Federal League schedule. In last week’s road loss, the Vikings saw some great individual performances by their quarterback and running back. Sophomore quarterback Connor Ashby threw for a pair of touchdowns and ran for another. Running back Adam Griguolo rushed for 169 yards and a TD. The Hoover offense would finish with 388 total yards. Hoover’s defense gave up 498 yards of offense to Hartley, who jumped out to a 28-7 lead late in the second quarter and then hung on for the win.
Jackson’s playoff hopes are still in the balance as well. As of this writing, the Polar Bears are projected to be at #9 in Division 1 Region1 heading into Week #10. The top seven teams are likely to have already clinched playoff spots. Currently sitting at #8 is Strongsville. Only the top 8 teams qualify for the postseason. So Jackson will have to beat their rival and then see what happens elsewhere. Meanwhile, the Polar Bears crushed Green 42-7 last week. Jackson running backs Ethan Adkins and Noah Albright combined to score 5 TDs and rush for over 200 yards in the win. The Polar Bears’ defense surrendered just 184 yards of offense and nine first downs to the Bulldogs. Jackson has won their last two games by a combined score of 76-14.
As always, there’s nothing like Week #10 of the high school football season in Stark County! Be sure to tune in for our Aultcare TV Game of the Week when Hoover visits Jackson. Go to WHBCSports.com to find playback times and channels for our game. And don’t forget to tune in for LIVE TV coverage of McKinley at Massillon on Saturday afternoon. Pre-game starts at 1:30 PM with the kick-off at 2 PM. Isn’t high school football just the best?