Ohio State football recruiting targets Elbert Hill, Eli Lee among stars on Hoban's defense

Elbert Hill walked onto the Archbishop Hoban football team's sideline with a look of frustration and sat on a blue bench late in the fourth quarter Friday night at Dowed Field.

Hill knew he had come extremely close on multiple occasions to changing the game in favor of the Knights.

A pick six, a crucial forced fumble and a kickoff return for a touchdown were all possibilities for Hill in crunch time of previously unbeaten Hoban's 14-7 loss to Lakewood St. Edward.

Eli Lee could relate to the dissatisfaction of his young Hoban teammate.

On the St. Edward offense's second play from scrimmage, Lee intercepted a pass from St. Ed's starting quarterback Casey Bullock and returned it 6 yards for a touchdown, giving Hoban a 7-0 lead with 10:01 left in the first quarter.

Hoban (8-1), however, was shut out on offense and ultimately suffered its first regular-season loss since Oct. 21, 2022, when the Knights fell 41-20 on the road to St. Ed's (9-1).

Hill and Lee expressed disappointment Friday night, but made it clear they aren't discouraged.

“We have a powerful team,” Hill said. “We needed this to teach us a lesson 'cause we were getting too comfortable with everything. But we can bounce back, come together as a team and get ready for the playoffs.”

After clashing in last year's regular-season finale, Hoban went on to become the Division II state runner-up and St. Edward the Division I state champion. Their meeting this fall was highly anticipated enough for MaxPreps.com to name it the top Week 10 game in the nation, and Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman was in attendance.

Both Hoban and St. Ed's expect to be contending for a state title a month from now, and Lee has big-time high school games in his bloodlines.

Lee's father, Ben, played defensive end for Mogadore's 1996 state championship team. His uncle, Tommy Lee, starred at running back when Mogadore captured another Division VI state title in 2002.

A generation later, Eli Lee is with a powerhouse program. Hoban has won five state championships during the Tyrrell era, but it has been runner-up in each of the past two seasons.

“My mindset's to win the state championship,” Lee said. “I mean, that's been the team mindset since the first day of lifting in the offseason.

“We lost. Obviously, that sucks. We know we've got to get better now. We know we've got to practice harder — do everything just times 10 now for the playoff run.”

Hoban's Elbert Hill, Eli Lee and Sam Greer announced they will attend Ohio State vs. Penn State football game

Hill, a sophomore cornerback, and Lee, a junior inside linebacker, have a combined 20 college football scholarship offers and are invaluable contributors to one of the best defenses in the state.

They have each received an offer from Ohio State and will make unofficial visits along with Hoban sophomore offensive tackle Sam Greer when the Buckeyes host Penn State on Saturday.

Update on Eli Lee and Ohio State: Archbishop Hoban 3-star linebacker commits to play football for Buckeyes

Asked whether he has thought about potentially playing on the same college defense as Lee, Hill said, “I talk to my boy every day about offers and we just have a great talk, so hopefully that happens.”

Hill's fifth interception — and third pick six — this season almost happened against St. Edward.

With 11:49 left in the fourth quarter and the score tied 7-7, Hill jumped the route of senior wide receiver Brian Sullivan and broke up a pass from St. Ed's backup quarterback Thomas Csanyi, who replaced an injured Bullock in the second half.

Hill, 5 feet, 10 inches and 165 pounds, conceded he should have caught the ball along Hoban's sideline and raced away.

“I almost had it, and I could have took it to the crib and got my team up on the board and we could have executed and probably could have won it,” Hill said. “But we all had mistakes.”

With about 5:45 left to play, Hill tackled St. Edward sophomore running back Brandon White at the end of an 18-yard run and nearly stripped the ball as they went to the ground.

Six plays later, White rushed 13 yards for the game-winning touchdown with 3:39 remaining.

Still, Hill gave Hoban a glimmer of hope when he returned the ensuing kickoff roughly 37 yards to midfield. But the offense stalled, Hoban coach Tim Tyrrell elected to punt on fourth down and the St. Edward offense chewed up the final 2:38 to prevail.

“They had great blocks for me [on the final kickoff],” Hill said. “All I needed to do was beat two more people, and we could have had a tied game. We always got a shot. We don't ever give up on the play.”

Hill has returned interceptions 55 and 56 yards for touchdowns this season. He has returned a kickoff 92 yards for a TD. He moonlights on offense, too, and has rushed for TDs of 19 and 42 yards.

Lee said he considers it “about a 50-50 chance” Hill will score whenever he touches the ball.

How Akron Hoban football player Elbert Hill has shown all of the recruiting attention he has received is justified

Despite barely playing varsity last year for Hoban, Hill became a high-profile college recruiting target this past offseason by dominating and showing his 4.3 40-yard dash speed at major camps.

In addition to Ohio State, the Cleveland native who lives in Garfield Heights and is nicknamed “Rock” has offers from Michigan, Notre Dame, Penn State, Miami, Pitt, Tennessee, Colorado, West Virginia, UNLV, Boise State, Temple, Central Michigan, San Jose State and Akron.

Hill's father, also named Elbert, told his son before this season he would need to prove himself on the field and at the varsity level. Hill has made his dad proud with his performance for the Knights and dedication to academics.

“Rock is such a talent,” Tyrrell said. “He's so explosive. I've had very little kids — and I've coached some really good ones — that explosive. He's only a sophomore. We just keep saying, 'Imagine when he gets stronger.'

“He's a physical corner. He makes tackles. He does everything he's supposed to do. We knew going into it how good he was, and everyone saw the offers and him doing those things on the speed. But he's a talented kid, and he's really, really smart. When you're that good, sometimes you become unfocused, but the bigger the game, the bigger he plays. So I'm excited about him. I'm excited to coach him for two more years.”

Ohio State Buckeyes offered Archbishop Hoban football's Eli Lee a scholarship in early October

Lee, 6-3 and 215 pounds, will have one more season before he plays college football. His six offers are from Ohio State, West Virginia, Iowa State, Akron, Massachusetts and Toledo. The Ohio State offer landed two weeks ago when Buckeyes assistants Jim Knowles and James Laurinaitis called Lee.

Now Lee is determined to prove he is worthy of the opportunities.

“I take everything as motivation — everything that happens to me,” said Lee, whose family recently moved from Mogadore to Akron. “I obviously haven't made it yet.”

Week 10 results: Ohio high school football scores for Greater Akron/Summit County

Against St. Ed's, Lee compiled at least a dozen tackles and scored Hoban's lone touchdown, his first pick six since he had one for the school's freshman team.

“He's just one of those kids that just doesn't stop trying to get better, so that's the impressive part with him,” Tyrrell said. “Even though he gets offers, it doesn't let him kind of sit back and relax. He's constantly challenging himself and taking coaching.

“He made a great, unbelievable interception. He got us our only score. But he has the ability to do really special things in the future, and he knows he still needs to get better.”

The same can be said about Hoban as it enters playoff mode.

Another star on Hoban's stacked defense: Jordan Pritchard-Sewell opens eyes of opponents and teammates with dominance

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Hoban football's Elbert Hill, Eli Lee among keys to defense