Tigers have size, depth, high hopes

HURON — Huron's football team seems to always have talented skill players. Big guys up front, not so much. But this year, the Tigers have some beefy guys at the line of scrimmage. Huron's projected offensive line starters average 250 pounds, and that could be a big plus in the regular season and beyond. "We've got some size this year, and some depth," Huron coach Sam Hohler said. "When we have some good size up front, we feel good about what we can do on offense. "We're a little bigger on the D-line, too, and more physical. We're hoping that will help us stop the run game." The Tigers have enjoyed seven straight winning seasons and have won playoff games in each of the last three. With senior quarterback Landon Hohler returning after amassing nearly 2,000 total yards and 24 touchdowns, optimism abounds in the Huron camp. Hohler is part of an 11-player senior class. Not a big number, but there is talent there that will be helped by plenty of big contributors in the junior class. "When we started working out in January, this class, there's not a lot of them and they know they need help from the juniors and sophomores so they've done a good job of developing team chemistry and leading and making sure things are going well at practice," coach Hohler said. "We had a great offseason in the weight room with these guys and they're ready to go." Huron, which returns 13 starters, opens the season with a stern test as old Sandusky Bay Conference rival Oak Harbor pays a visit in Week 1. Elmwood and Ridgedale in weeks 2 and 4 aren't as formidable. They combined for two wins last year. Huron will replace Ridgedale with Margaretta in Week 4 next year. "That'll be a nice rivalry that we'll renew," Hohler said. "We haven't played Margaretta since 2017 and we used to play them every year for 40 years." The Tigers travel to Genoa in Week 3 looking for some revenge from last year. Huron's two SBC crossovers — Tiffin Columbian and Perkins — will be tough. Huron figures to be a legitimate contender in the SBC Bay. Last year, the Tigers lost three seniors early to injuries and couldn't stop the run in a loss to Edison in the regular-season finale and a second-round Division VI playoff loss to regional champion Bluffton. "By the end of the season with how tough our schedule was, we just didn't have enough gas in the tank to finish it off," Hohler said. "We feel like we have a little more depth this year across the board. If we can stay healthy we feel we can compete for the Bay, and in Division VI if we get the right matchups we can compete for the region, too." Offense Landon Hohler is ready to go at quarterback after being slowed in baseball by a shoulder injury. He threw for 1,316 yards and 10 touchdowns and rushed for 623 yards and 10 scores last year as the Tigers finished 7-5. "A really good dual-threat quarterback," coach Hohler said. "His experience shows in practice. Last year he did a good job at quarterback for us. We can do more because his knowledge of what we're trying to do is pretty high level now. He's got the confidence to go out and do it." His top two targets last season — Tommie McDonald and Jackson McNulty — have moved on to college sports. Plenty of receivers are working to see the field, including returning starter Caleb Staley (11 catches, 100 yards, 2 TDs). Braxton Barrett is another option at receiver. "Caleb's a terrific athlete," Hohler said. "He started both ways for us last year. Braxton's the fastest kid on our team. Terrific all-around athlete." Returning starter Grant Periat also will get work at receiver. Jack Raglow and Austin Sas also fit into the rotation. Huron has two big targets at tight end in 6-foot-5 senior Landon Enderle and 6-4 junior Robert Fisher. Fisher played the last two years at Division I powerhouse Lakewood St. Edward before returning to Huron, where he lives and attended school through the eighth grade. "He was (at St. Ed) for two years and decided to come home," Hohler said. "He already has friends because he knows half the kids on the team. It's been a process, but he's doing a good job with that and he'll definitely help us offensively and defensively. Once he gets some things figured out he's gonna be a weapon for us. "He's an excellent quarterback. Him and Landon are dueling it out. He's got a ton of potential. From an athletic standpoint he is very, very good. He'll play quarterback, tight end or receiver for us." Huron should be able to move the ball on the ground, too. Senior speedster Hayden Wilson split time last year with the graduated Paul Maloney and returns after rushing for 329 yards with a 5.1-yard average. "Hayden had a nice season as a runner; he's a very good threat as a pass-catcher, too," Hohler said. "He's a good track athlete and went to state again. He's a little stronger and more durable. He's a hard-running, physical player." The offensive line returns three starters: center Ben Harkelroad (6 foot, 250 pounds), right tackle Mark Palinski (6-5, 275) and right guard Ethan Roth (5-10, 215). "Those guys coming back will be big for us," Hohler said. "We feel like with those guys and Landon and Hayden, hopefully we can run the ball more effectively this year." Senior Trevor Eck (6-0, 270) starts at left guard and junior Max Jacobs (6-4, 240) is the left tackle. Enderle, Max Muise and Anthony Mazza add depth to the line. Defense Huron must replace its top two tacklers in linebackers Maloney and McNulty. Both standouts made more than 130 stops. The Tigers gave up an average of 14.5 points per game and held five opponents to 7 or fewer points. The defensive line features plenty of depth. Enderle (48 tackles, 2 QB sacks) will start at one end position and Fisher will handle the other side. "(Enderle has) a high motor and plays very hard," Hohler said. "He's very athletic. Good, hard-working farm kid from Huron." Other ends are Jacobs, Tyler Milchen and Amarion Dickerson. Ethan Roth is a returning starter at tackle. Muise, Harkelroad, Eck and Palinski also can play inside. "We've got some big kids who can move a little bit," Hohler said. "A lot of these guys played last year. They're a little bigger and got some experience. When you get late in the season and into the playoffs you've gotta be able to stop the run. We're hoping we'll be better in that regard." Wilson (49 tackles, 2 sacks) will start at linebacker. "He finds the football really well and has a ton of potential, but playing both ways he'll need a break from time to time," Hohler said. Senior Owen Ryan and juniors Austin Sas and Chris Viviano also are in the mix at linebacker. Huron lines up with five defensive backs, including Landon Hohler, who will be a three-year starter at safety. Raglow (2 interceptions) and Barrett (41 tackles) hold down the other two safety spots. Roman Hadala also will get some snaps. Returning starter Staley (59 tackles) and Periat are the cornerbacks. Noah Maloney, Nathan Porterfield and Rocky River move-in Trey Young are other cornerbacks who should see the field. Special teams Landon Hohler will return as the Tigers' punter, but Huron must replace All-Ohio kicker Cam Manner, who is playing for Ohio Dominican. Carter Brennan, a junior move-in from Westerville, will handle placekicking duties. 2025 schedule Aug. 22: Oak Harbor, 7 p.m. Aug. 29: at Elmwood, 7 p.m. Sept. 5: Genoa, 7 p.m. Sept. 12: Ridgedale, 7 p.m. Sept. 19: at Tiffin Columbian, 7 p.m. Sept. 26: Port Clinton, 7 p.m. Oct. 3: at Bellevue, 7 p.m. Oct. 10: Vermilion, 7 p.m. Oct. 17: at Perkins, 7 p.m. Oct. 24: at Edison, 7 p.m. 2024 results (7-5) Huron 38, St. Paul 0 Huron 41, Brookside 7 Genoa 17, Huron 7 Huron 49, Dayton Dunbar 14 Huron 38, Tiffin Columbian 20 Huron 9, Port Clinton 6 Huron 19, Bellevue 7 Vermilion 13, Huron 10 Clyde 20, Huron 7 Edison 28, Huron 3 Playoffs Huron 42, Spencerville 7 Bluffton 35, Huron 0 2025 roster No. Name Pos. Ht. Wt. Yr. 1&emsp;Grant Periat&emsp;QB/DB&emsp;6-0&emsp;180&emsp;112&emsp;Noah Maloney&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-6&emsp;140&emsp;113&emsp;Jack Raglow&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-8&emsp;150&emsp;124&emsp;Roman Hadala&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-10&emsp;155&emsp;115&emsp;Owen Ryan&emsp;RB/LB&emsp;5-8&emsp;165&emsp;126&emsp;Braxton Barrett&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-10&emsp;180&emsp;127&emsp;Nixon Dike&emsp;QB/DB&emsp;5-11&emsp;155&emsp;108&emsp;Blaine Liphart&emsp;RB/DB&emsp;5-8&emsp;155&emsp;109&emsp;Caleb Staley&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;6-0&emsp;180&emsp;1210&emsp;Gavin Feige&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-0&emsp;100&emsp;1011&emsp;Landon Hohler&emsp;QB/DB&emsp;6-2&emsp;10&emsp;1212&emsp;Austin Sas&emsp;WR/LB&emsp;6-0&emsp;170&emsp;1113&emsp;Amarion Dickerson&emsp;WR/DL&emsp;6-1&emsp;175&emsp;1114&emsp;Braden Hall&emsp;QB/DB&emsp;5-10&emsp;140&emsp;915&emsp;Hudson Forbes&emsp;QB/DB&emsp;5-4&emsp;125&emsp;1016&emsp;Nolan Roth&emsp;WR/LB&emsp;5-8&emsp;145&emsp;1017&emsp;Sam Reyes&emsp;RB/LB&emsp;5-10&emsp;145&emsp;1018&emsp;Robert Fisher&emsp;QB/DL&emsp;6-4&emsp;225&emsp;1119&emsp;Tyler Caloway&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-5&emsp;125&emsp;1020&emsp;Michael Solomon&emsp;QB/LB&emsp;5-7&emsp;140&emsp;921&emsp;Brock West&emsp;RB/LB&emsp;6-0&emsp;170&emsp;1022&emsp;Hayden Wilson&emsp;RB/LB&emsp;6-0&emsp;190&emsp;1223&emsp;Carter Brennan&emsp;K&emsp;5-7&emsp;150&emsp;1124&emsp;Chris Viviano&emsp;RB/LB&emsp;5-8&emsp;175&emsp;1125&emsp;David Clay&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-11&emsp;145&emsp;1026&emsp;Evan Stuckey&emsp;WR/LB&emsp;5-8&emsp;145&emsp;927&emsp;Ayden Miller&emsp;RB/DB&emsp;5-8&emsp;145&emsp;1028&emsp;Dalton Finney&emsp;WR/LB&emsp;5-11&emsp;150&emsp;929&emsp;Casey Cox&emsp;QB/LB&emsp;5-11&emsp;185&emsp;930&emsp;Bobby Kurth&emsp;RB/LB&emsp;5-9&emsp;150&emsp;931&emsp;Braden Sas&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;6-0&emsp;145&emsp;932&emsp;Alayna Sullivan&emsp;WR/LB&emsp;5-7&emsp;150&emsp;1233&emsp;Nathan Porterfield&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-10&emsp;155&emsp;1134&emsp;Trey Young&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;6-0&emsp;160&emsp;1135&emsp;Jessiah Taylor&emsp;WR/LB&emsp;5-0&emsp;130&emsp;936&emsp;Louie Jackson&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-4&emsp;115&emsp;937&emsp;Colin Schreiber&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-3&emsp;105&emsp;938&emsp;Ben Driftmyer&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-8&emsp;140&emsp;939&emsp;Landon Enderle&emsp;TE/DL&emsp;6-5&emsp;200&emsp;1240&emsp;Tucker Laird&emsp;WR/LB&emsp;5-10&emsp;150&emsp;942&emsp;Ryan Rogers&emsp;WR/LB&emsp;5-11&emsp;165&emsp;1044&emsp;Micky Fresch&emsp;WR/DB&emsp;5-10&emsp;160&emsp;950&emsp;Mark Palinski&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;6-5&emsp;275&emsp;1151&emsp;Max Muise&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-10&emsp;190&emsp;1152&emsp;Max Jacobs&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;6-4&emsp;240&emsp;1153&emsp;Dylan Jacobs&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-10&emsp;170&emsp;954&emsp;Aiden Wright&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-9&emsp;195&emsp;1056&emsp;Jackson Phillips&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-11&emsp;175&emsp;958&emsp;Elijah Taylor&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-2&emsp;150&emsp;959&emsp;Riley Kieffer&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-8&emsp;155&emsp;1061&emsp;Ethan Roth&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-10&emsp;215&emsp;1262&emsp;Tyler Milchen&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-7&emsp;185&emsp;1165&emsp;Trenton Ollendick&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;6-2&emsp;180&emsp;1067&emsp;Anthony Mazza&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-11&emsp;220&emsp;1168&emsp;Ben Antonelli&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;6-3&emsp;185&emsp;970&emsp;Caden Lowry&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-11&emsp;230&emsp;1071&emsp;Bentley McGraw&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-5&emsp;150&emsp;972&emsp;Jeremiah Huffman&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;5-9&emsp;195&emsp;975&emsp;Ben Harkelroad&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;6-0&emsp;250&emsp;1276&emsp;Blake Reyes&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;6-0&emsp;200&emsp;1077&emsp;Trevor Eck&emsp;OL/DL&emsp;6-0&emsp;270&emsp;1282&emsp;Cash Correll&emsp;WR/DL&emsp;6-3&emsp;185&emsp;9