Graham’s Daniel Hoke grinds out critical yardage during a dogfight with Benjamin Logan. Hoke’s TD and 2 point conversion in OT put the kibosh on the Raiders very real and credible upset threat. (Press Pros Feature Photos by Angie Greenwood)
Behind the running of the Hoke brothers and a stellar defense, the Falcons overcome kicking issues and a 14-point deficit to win 32-24 on the opening night CBC-Mad River Division action.
Bellefontaine, OH – Among the benefits of growing up together for Graham senior Daniel Hoke and his junior brother Jakob Hoke is that they possess a natural ability to communicate and understand each other.
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They’ve turned that into a major advantage on the football field as well, particular in times like Friday when the duo played a vital role in the outcome of what could prove to be a key CBC-Mad River contest at Benjamin Logan.
The Falcons trailed by as much as 14 and didn’t take their first lead until early in the fourth quarter, but the combination of the older Hoke’s power with his younger Hoke’s speed—and a steady defense—helped them rally for a 32-24 overtime win.
Daniel Hoke ran for the game-winning touchdown and the two-point conversion in overtime as his team improved to 5-1 on the opening night of league action.
“If I’m not feeling it, he can get the ball, and if he’s not feeling it, I can get the ball,” Daniel Hoke said. “That’s what we were doing when both of us were in the backfield. He’s probably (weighing) 190 and I’m probably 220, but he’s faster and can do it all. Our OL is the best in the CBC, and they’re going to keep doing what they do.
“We knew (Benjamin Logan) was good, and I think we came out a little flat-headed after (beating London 10-7) last week, but we knew what we had to do and got it together at halftime.”
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Graham lost to London in each of the past five seasons by an average of 35.6 points.
The Raiders, meanwhile, haven’t posted a winning record since 2016 but have gotten better in each of Paul Jenne’s three seasons as coach—including going 5-5 a year ago and winning three of their first five this fall.
Benjamin Logan’s Rhett Newman celebrates after 5-yard TD run to put the Raiders up 14-0 at the end of the first quarter.
They seemed poised to keep their strong start going when they blocked a punt with 10:30 left in the opening quarter and turned it into a 20-yard touchdown return by Owen Weaks.
Benjamin Logan then drove 61 yards on 10 plays on its first possession from scrimmage, with Rhett Newman capping the drive with a 5-yard scoring run on the final play of the first quarter for a 14-0 lead.
“We just never quit, kept going, kept going, kept going, and it paid off,” Jakob Hoke said. “We had some ups and downs versus Urbana our rivalry game (in a 42-34 loss Sept. 11), but we’ve bounced back.”
On the possession after Newman’s touchdown, Graham seemed to find its footing as Jakob Hoke ran for 19 yards on the first play and senior quarterback Gage Stull hooked up with senior wide receiver Brody Jenkins deep down field for a 68-yard touchdown.
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The Falcons struggled in the kicking game all night, however, beginning with a missed extra point after that score.
Jordan Pender finds a crease and scores on a 26-yard run to make it a 21-12 over Graham.
With 10 minutes left in the first half, Graham put together a 10-play, 80-yard drive that was capped by a 4-yard scoring run by Daniel Hoke. This time the Falcons’ two-point conversion run attempt failed, making it 14-12.
An interception by Raiders senior linebacker Hayden Hites gave them the ball at the Graham 38 with 4:10 left in the first half, and they turned that into a score—a 26-yard touchdown run by senior Jordan Pender that gave them a 21-12 lead.
“It was a great game, and those guys are a great football team,” Graham coach Richard Clark said. “The CBC-Mad River has become good football, and every week you’re going to have teams that play like this. Week in, week out, it’s fun to be a part of it. It’s fun to watch, and I’m glad football in the CBC is getting better.
“I thought our kids answered well. We were down 14-0 in the first quarter. We came out a little flat after last week’s win, but they answered.”
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On Graham’s first drive of the second half, it marched 59 yards on eight plays, with Stull hooking up with Jenkins for a 39-yard pass to move it to the Benjamin Logan 2 and setting up a scoring run by Daniel Hoke on the next play that made it 21-18.
Graham’s Gage Stull finds Brody Jenkins for a big gain to the Raider 2 yard line.
The Falcons took their first lead with 9:20 left in the fourth quarter when Daniel Hoke added a 2-yard touchdown run, but their kicking woes continued as the extra point was blocked.
Benjamin Logan senior kicker Brandon Heater, meanwhile, has been a weapon in his role all season, and although he missed a 51-yard field goal attempt into the wind in the first half, he seized on his next opportunity.
After the Raiders’ ensuing drive stalled at the Graham 33 with 5:11 remaining, Heater smashed through a 50-yard field goal that tied it at 24.
Graham reached the Benjamin Logan 42 with 2:05 to go in the fourth, but Hites posted back-to-back tackles for loss to force fourth-and-11 and a punt.
After the Raiders couldn’t get anything going on their final drive of regulation, Graham used seven running plays to score on its first overtime possession–including Hoke running in from 3 yards.
Considering some of the kicking issues, the Falcons thought it best to go for two, and Daniel Hoke plunged in to make it 32-24.
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The Falcons were stuffed for negative yardage on each of their first two runs that followed, and on fourth-and-15 from the 25, junior quarterback Adam Tinsman threw incomplete into the end zone to seal the win for Graham.
“Our kicking game didn’t do real well tonight,” Clark said. “Up until this point it’s been money, so I don’t know what happened. I felt like going for two was the right answer at the end of the game.
“(The Hoke brothers) first of all are both phenomenal kids in the classroom, and at home they’re great human beings. On top of that, they’re both fierce competitors. I would give the ball to either one with the game on the line. It’s a coin toss who I’m going to give it to. I’m lucky to have them on the team.”
Benjamin Logan is 3-3, but the three teams it has lost have a combined two losses. It will look to bounce back next Friday at North Union.
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“They’re a great running team, but we couldn’t get much generated, especially right there when we needed to in overtime,” coach Paul Jenne said. “We’ve got a game next Friday. We’re going to work on getting better at what we do. We’re going to watch the film, learn from our mistakes, and try to get better for next week.”
Jakob Hoke finished with 148 yards on 21 carries, and Daniel Hoke had 87 yards and four touchdowns on 26 rushes. Stull completed eight of 12 passes for 132 yards with one touchdown and one interception.
The Falcons went 1-9 and 3-8 during Clark’s first two seasons as coach before improving to 8-3 a year ago and will look to keep things going in league play next Friday when they play at Northwestern.
“I’ll be honest—I don’t know that they had a whole bunch of yards on us the whole game,” Clark said. “We just played sound, disciplined defense. That’s the key to beating us, and that’s the key for us beating them. You’ve got to be able to tackle someone, and if one guy doesn’t his job, it’s going to go. Our guys did a good job of staying disciplined.
“Honestly I think we let one slip away against Urbana, but we’re 5-1, so I’m happy right now.”
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