Canton McKinley 28 - Hoover 21

September 12, 2014

McKinley holds off Hoover for first win

Mike Popovich, Canton Repository​

CANTON It took longer than they hoped and probably more time than others expected.​

The McKinley Bulldogs could finally rest easy Friday night. For the first time this season, they walked off the field as winners.​

Touchdown runs from Eric Glover-Williams and Chance Young and interceptions by Ja’Quan Young and Steve Roberson in the fourth quarter helped McKinley hold off Hoover 28-21 at Fawcett Stadium. A week after a 48-point loss at Dublin Coffman, the Bulldogs celebrated their first victory in their Federal League opener.​

A heavy weight has been lifted off their shoulders.​

“It’s huge,” said Thom McDaniels, who picked up his first victory as McKinley head coach since the 1997 Division I state championship game. “I’m so happy for the kids. They needed this desperately, it was hard-earned.​

“It wasn’t always pretty, but as I told them, ‘It’s ours now.’ We have to take the outcome, be critical of the things that need to be corrected and get a lot better in a short period of time.”​

McDaniels and the Bulldogs could breathe a little easier when Roberson picked off Hoover quarterback Nicholas Binnie at the McKinley 29 with 2:03 left. Binnie’s 21-yard touchdown pass to Zach Johnson on the previous drive cut the Vikings’ deficit in half.​

With Hoover out of timeouts, the Bulldogs ran out the clock.​

“Coach told us to go out there and make a stop,” said Roberson, a junior linebacker. “… I tried to do what I had to do, read my keys and the pick came to me.​

“It felt great. We finally got a win after three tough losses.”​

Hoover carried a 14-13 halftime lead into the fourth quarter. However, a shanked punt out of the end zone by the Vikings traveled just 3 yards and pushed momentum McKinley’s way.​

Glover-Williams scored his second touchdown two plays later, and Chance Young added the conversion to give McKinley a 21-14 lead. Ja’Quan Young’s interception on the next Hoover drive set up Chance Young’s 17-yard TD run.​

A 14-13 lead quickly turned into a 28-14 deficit for Hoover (2-2, 0-1).​

“Give McKinley credit,” Vikings head coach Don Hertler Jr. said. “They made a lot of big plays, explosive plays, and we lost some opportunities.”​

Binnie was making his start after the Vikings learned late Thursday they would be without Cameron Mayle, who suffered an undisclosed fracture. The sophomore finished 22-of-38 passing for 287 yards and two touchdowns.​

Glover-Williams ran for 117 yards on 16 carries and two touchdowns. Vinnie Serapiglia had seven catches for 108 yards and a TD for Hoover.​

The Bulldogs needed just two plays and 39 seconds to score their first points in two weeks. Glover-Williams ran the opening handoff 11 yards for a first down, then raced 65 yards for his fifth touchdown of the season.​

Hoover quickly regrouped and launched an impressive drive.​

Fourth down completions from Binnie to Serapiglia and Kyle Braucher gave the Vikings a first-and-goal at the McKinley 7. On fourth down from the 2, Braucher lined up behind center, took the snap and scored on a 2-yard run to help Hoover tie the score at 7-7.​

McKinley’s second scoring drive also took just two plays.​

A penalty forced the Bulldogs into a second-and-20 from their own 16. That was no problem for Chance Young. He hit Sherron Jackson down the near sideline for an 84-yard touchdown completion and a 13-7 McKinley lead.​

Binnie led the Vikings back on top. He hit Serapiglia for a 39-yard completion to the McKinley 17 and found Serapiglia again for a 26-yard completion on third-and-13. Eric Sarbaugh’s extra point gave Hoover a 14-13 lead.