How Ohio State football target Elbert Hill checked another box as Hoban's season ended

CANTON — Producing at an elite level in his first regular season as an Archbishop Hoban varsity starter: Check.

Continuing to live up to the hype in the Ohio High School Athletic Association football playoffs: Check.

Coming through with an excellent individual performance when the lights were the brightest during Hoban's 7-2 loss to Massillon on Thursday night in the Division II state championship game: Check.

Hoban cornerback Elbert Hill showed throughout his sophomore season why he's worthy of being among Northeast Ohio's highest-profile college football recruiting targets. He has received 15 scholarship offers, including ones from Ohio State, Michigan, Miami, Notre Dame, Penn State, Pitt, Tennessee and Akron.

“I feel like he's going to be that guy,” Hoban senior free safety Ty Campbell said. “As you guys [in the media have] seen, he makes plays in the big games, and he steps up. I think he's going to be really good.”

In a state title game dominated by defense, Hill compiled several highlight plays at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

Hill broke up a fourth-down pass from senior quarterback DaOne Owens to junior wide receiver Braylyn Toles in the back of the end zone with 1:05 left in the first quarter. On the Massillon offense's first play of the second quarter, Hill broke up a screen pass to junior receiver Jacques Carter.

With 7:52 left in the third quarter, a deep pass Owens intended for Toles fell incomplete after Hill broke it up and nearly intercepted the ball. With 39 seconds remaining in the third quarter and Toles the target, Hill had another breakup that could have been intercepted.

“I was in the zone,” Hill told the Beacon Journal. “I was in the right position to make plays for my team. We just came up short, but we're going to be back.”

Hoban is now 5-3 in state championship games, all during the tenure of 11th-year Knights coach Tim Tyrrell.

If Hoban (13-2) is seeking reasons to believe it will return to a title game next season, the presence of Hill must be high on the list. Against Massillon (16-0), he finished with four tackles and four pass breakups and contributed on offense and special teams, too.

Hill rushed five times for 36 yards (7.2 average) and downed a punt by senior Ryan Burns at the Massillon 1-yard line. After Massillon committed a false start penalty, junior outside linebacker Tanner Mintz and senior linebacker Cartier Williams combined to tackle Owens for a safety, giving Hoban its only points with 1:40 left in the first half.

Hoban falls to Massillon football: Turnovers and penalties prove costly for the Knights in the OHSAA Division II state championship game

None of it satisfied Hill, who finished the season with seven interceptions, including two he returned for touchdowns (55 and 56 yards).

“We didn't get the job done,” he said. “We're coming back next year. We're going to get the job done the right way.

“We're going to make sure everybody will hold each other accountable for mistakes we did. We ain't going to let it happen again.”

Hill also insisted he's ready to lead more vocally next season as a junior.

“I'm going to be relied on a lot,” he said.

Hoban football column: The Knights fell in the Division II OHSAA state title game, but QB Tylan Boykin delivered in clutch vs. Massillon Tigers

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

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Ohio State football target Elbert Hill thrived in Hoban loss