Federal League football: Ashby, Braucher cooking for Hoover; Lake looks to bounce back
NORTH CANTON — In Hoover head coach Brian Baum's mind, his offense's big plays have a lot to do with the big boys up front.
The Vikings have their dangerous duo of senior Mason Ashby and junior Zach Braucher clicking in the passing game as they prepare to make the short trip north to face Lake on Friday, and Baum thinks a big reason for that is the development of the Hoover offensive line.
"Our line is starting to gel and that's giving us a little more time and room to find some guys," Baum said. "It all starts up front."
Up front has been a major question for Hoover (4-3, 1-2) since it had to replace all five starters from last season across the offensive line.
Sophomore Jack Ziarko, and juniors Oliver Curd, Sam Gorman, Matt Brown and Brant Daugherty start on the Hoover line this season, with senior Nick Woodard rotating in. That group is in for a major test this week against an aggressive Lake front seven led by linebacker Charlie Christopher and defensive end Ryan Lippe.
The last two games, Ashby has combined for 18 catches for 222 yards and three touchdowns. That is in addition to a 98-yard kickoff return he took back for a score against McKinley two weeks ago.
The last three games, Braucher has combined for 25 receptions for 334 yards and four TDs.
Ashby and Braucher combined for 115 catches for 1,570 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. This season through seven games, they're at 88 receptions for 1,024 yards and 11 TDs.
"Both Braucher and Ashby are having nice years for us," Baum said. "It makes it tough on a defense when you have two receivers that can motor and do some things. They work well together. They block for each other, too. You watch a lot of their catches, it's short, they get a nice block from the other or you have John Collins coming over and blocking and that's able to spring them."
Senior quarterback Carson Dyrlund is the QB for Hoover. He's thrown for 1,253 yards and 13 TDs and rushed for 264 yards and another six TDs.
"Their quarterback is really good," Lake head coach Dan DeGeorge said. "They have three good receivers. They can throw the ball around and score some points. They've been battling in a lot of close game, similar to us in a lot of ways."
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Bounce-back Blue Streaks
Lake, which shared the Federal League title last year and advanced to a regional final as part of a 12-2 season, suffered its first league defeat this season in last week's 29-22 loss at McKinley.
The Blue Streaks brought back several key players this season, creating some major expectations. But injuries and choppy play on offense and special teams have plagued Lake. There is a sense the Blue Streaks haven't hit their top gear despite a 5-2 record, including 2-1 in the league.
"I told my kids after Friday's game we can win the rest of our games or we could lose the rest of our games," DeGeorge said. "Our league is tough. We're going to have to show up and be more consistent than we were last Friday."
'Milk' does GlenOak good
With Adrion "Milk" Burt 100% healthy for the first time in a while, GlenOak wanted to get the multi-talented junior some work at quarterback during last week's game against Jackson.
He certainly put in some work. Burt rushed for 199 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries to lead the Golden Eagles to a 21-16 win.
"The plan was to bring him in in the third series, and that's what we did," GlenOak head coach Scott Garcia said. "They were doing some things to take Jamar (Johnson) away and we were able to turn Milk loose. He kind of took over the game."
Garcia said he plans to play both Burt and senior Cole Anderson at quarterback again this week when GlenOak (3-4) plays at Louisville (1-6).
Green defense has a 'Just' cause
Green's defense has been a strength for the Bulldogs, and Josh Just has a lot to do with that.
The senior safety leads the Federal League with five interceptions, including one he returned for a touchdown in last week's win against Louisville.
Just, called a "really smart football player" by head coach Mark Geis, is a three-year starter for the Bulldogs.
"I think Josh Just is one of the better defensive backs in the league," Geis said. "He's tackling really well. He's covering really well.
"He's been really consistent over the years, but now he's taking that step forward and making plays at critical times."
Quarterbacks better be careful throwing against Green. In addition to Just, junior cornerback Antonio Martin has four interceptions.
Reach Josh at josh.weir@cantonrep.com
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This article originally appeared on The Repository: High school football | Federal League news: Key to Hoover big plays
