Uniontown Lake 20 - Hoover 14
October 17, 2025
Mike Popovich, Canton Repository
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LAKE TWP. — Lake’s defense bent, but didn’t break.
That’s all that mattered in the final seconds of a wild Federal League high school football game on Friday, Oct. 17.
The Blue Streaks held off Hoover 20-14 to stop a two-game losing streak and get their late-season push back on track. The win unofficially clinched a home game in the first round of the OHSAA Division II playoffs for Lake (7-2, 3-2).
The game ended with the Vikings (7-2, 3-2) just 9 yards and an extra point away from a win. They had four cracks at it.
Lake’s defense helped force four incompletions.
“As linemen we knew we had a job to do to make sure we stopped Hoover from getting into the end zone,” Blue Streaks senior defensive end AJ Wood said. “We all came together. We knew we had that job to do, to stop that quarterback, rush him and put pressure on him.”
Hoover quarterback John Collins drove the Vikings 68 yards in the final 1:27. Three straight completions pushed them near midfield. After two Wood sacks, a 25-yard completion to Jack Andes had Hoover on the doorstep at the 9-yard line.
The Blue Streaks were on their heels. They regrouped just in time.
“We stopped them just short enough, thank goodness at the end, to get the win,” Lake head coach Dan DeGeorge said.
The impact of Lake’s defense wasn’t felt just in the final seconds. Two Brady Sommers interceptions gave the Blue Streaks short fields and led to touchdowns.
Matson broke two tackles and outraced a defender on a 34-yard TD pass from Alex Quior that tied the game at 7-7. Matson’s 3-yard TD run just over two minutes later after Sommers’ second interception gave the Blue Streaks a 14-7 lead.
“It’s a two-way game,” Matson said. “Our defense has to be just as good as our offense. I think today our defense was a little bit better than our offense. They really held their own out there. They were able to let us do what we needed to do on the offensive side of the ball.
“Huge thanks to them. We wouldn’t have won this game without their effort.”
Make no mistake. Matson’s effort was also a factor. The senior rushed for 153 yards on 24 carries, including the game winner in the third quarter on a 6-yard run.
“I wouldn’t be able to do any of it without God on my side,” Matson said. “The offensive line, they’re the most important people out there on the field. The offense wouldn’t be able to work without the offensive line.
“With them getting good blocks, I was able to make my cuts and make my reads off them. I just wouldn’t be able to do anything without anyone else on the field.”
Collins ran for a touchdown and Andes returned a kickoff 88 yards for a TD for the Vikings, who came in with a shot at sharing the Federal League title. Their hopes ended with this loss and McKinley’s win over Jackson.
Despite the loss, Hoover clinched a playoff berth in Division II, Region 7.
Lake was coming off back-to-back close losses to Jackson and McKinley.
“We you get hit with some adversity like we did the past two games where you could have or should have won, sometimes that’s even harder,” DeGeorge said. “If you get beat 30-0, you just got your butt beat by a better team.
“The kids were hungry. They didn’t give up. … Good teams respond to adversity, and our kids did that tonight.”
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Source: Canton Repository