Huron's Hohlers born to play quarterback

HURON — Landon Hohler was made for this. Huron's senior quarterback is the third of three Hohler boys, and all three have played quarterback for the Tigers. First there was Jared in 2016. Dylan piled up big numbers in 2021 and 2022. Landon is the last of the line and he'll lead his team onto the field Friday at Memorial Stadium for a big Senior Night showdown against Vermilion. He's been preparing for the moment since his days as a waterboy. "Growing up in the program, I got to watch guys like Cody Thompson and Kyle Kovach (play quarterback)," Landon said. "That's who you want to be. You're their waterboy and you just look up and admire them so much. Watching both my older brothers do it, it's something special for a kid. You really admire those players and that's what you want to do when you're older. "It's come full circle. That's all I ever dreamed of as a kid, and to do it now is very special." Senior Night will be a bittersweet moment for the Hohler family. Sam, Huron's head coach and proud father, will be fully invested from the sideline. Dawn will be in her usual seat in the stands, embracing the moment and the memories that have shaped her boys. "With the other two, I wasn't sad (on Senior Night)," Dawn said. "Now with Landon, it hits different knowing this is it. I feel like I've been doing this for a long time. It will be a lot different next year not having a Huron Tiger. I've loved every second of it." Backyard brawls There was a big age difference between the Hohler boys, which made Jared the de facto coach when they tested each other in a large backyard known as the "sandlot." "(Jared) kind of trained the other two. He was probably as hard on them as any of his peers," Dawn said. "They were out there beating on each other... poor Landon." From no-foul basketball in the driveway to gladiator football on the trampoline, the Hohler boys got after it. The games continued indoors, too. "We're experts on drywall repair," Dawn said. "We let them play ball in the house, but if they damaged something, they had to fix it. We actually made them learn how to do it." Landon looks back on those rough-and-tumble days fondly. "It definitely made me tougher — getting beat up by them all the time," he said. "Stuff was always getting broken. I can remember Dylan throwing a basketball at me and missed and it hit the wall. Another time he broke a flat screen TV." The lessons the boys learned at home translated on the football field. Leadership, toughness, talent. All traits of a good quarterback. "At our house, we were always playing ball in the backyard," Sam said. "Either I was throwing passes to them, or pitching to them or they would play basketball in the driveway. They've always played multiple sports and there's been a lot of throwing and decision making. It just worked out that way. I never pushed any of them to be quarterbacks; it's just how it's been." Sam, a 1990 Huron graduate, was a wingback and outside linebacker in high school. He played linebacker and defensive end at Ashland University. He knows what a good quarterback looks like. "The guys I played with in high school were Pat Legando, Scott Johnson and Gus Johnson," Sam said. "Since we started the run-and-shoot (offense) in 1980, we've always had really good quarterbacks, going all the way back to Jimmy Legando." As a coach — first as an assistant then as the head man — it was natural that Sam's boys would gravitate toward the game. "We're big on flag football here in grades 3-6. Our kids have always played that," Sam said. "These guys also have been managers. I was able to bring them to practice all the time. Coach (Tony) Legando didn't mind that. He was an elementary teacher so he was used to being around kids. The fact that they grew up at the stadium with their friends and the older kids, they took a liking to it." As the head coach, Sam oversees the program. He also made sure his sons had quality coordinators and position coaches to learn the finer points about playing quarterback. "All three of them have been coached by guys who played here," Sam said. "Jared was coached by Joe Harkelroad. Dylan was coached by Mike Mielke and Landon's been coached by Mike and Stephen West. All three were really good quarterbacks, so they had guys who could mentor them where I didn't have to." Big numbers This season marks the fifth in the last 10 in which a Hohler has started at quarterback for Huron. The three have totaled 8,733 passing yards with 83 touchdowns and 2,864 rushing yards for 54 TDs. Dylan, who Dawn says took his first steps at the stadium while Jared was participating in a Punt, Pass & Kick competition, was a first team All-Sandusky Bay Conference Bay Division pick as a senior. He's now a defensive back at the University of Toledo. If he happens to be home on a Friday night, Landon knows he'll have another voice to lean on. Landon says he talks football with his big brothers often. "It's daily. Against Oak Harbor, they were both there on the sideline, pep-talking me, helping me through my reads," he said. "Those are the guys you look up to most — your older brothers. They know what it's like. You look for your greatest role models in those moments, and that's my dad and my brothers in those situations. You look forward to every week you have with them." Landon has thrown for 1,909 yards and 17 touchdowns and has rushed for 208 yards and nine scores this season. He also stands out as a defensive back with 42 tackles and three interceptions. "I've always been a big defensive player," he said. "I love the physicality on that side of the ball. Defense is kind of one heartbeat. I also love offense, but defense has always been my favorite." Huron has scored more than 30 points in five of seven games this season. Landon is the trigger man and is adept at run-pass option looks. "His football IQ is off the charts," Sam said. "He can have a conversation with coach West about what they're seeing in coverage. It's really just like basketball on grass. We're just trying to get the ball to whoever has the best opportunity." Landon also is a standout in baseball and basketball and hopes to play either football or baseball in college. He hurt his throwing shoulder last spring while pitching, and there was some question about whether the SLAP (Superior Labrum Anterior to Posterior) tear would affect his quarterback play this fall. "This summer it was therapy, therapy, therapy," he said. "We worked really hard on my shoulder. Throwing a baseball was really tough. After I tore my labrum, there was always a question if it was going to lead into football. Just the way I threw the football never affected it the way it did with a baseball. "The amount of stuff we did to get my shoulder back to full strength was off the charts. It's been 100 percent lately." Team pride Huron is 3-4 and lost in overtime in the season opener to Oak Harbor and fell by three points to Tiffin Columbian. The Tigers could use a win against rival Vermilion to boost their playoff chances in Division VI. "It's the time of the season when you practice even harder," Landon said. One of the quarterback's most memorable football moments was a 38-20 win against Columbian on homecoming last year. "It was such a team win. We had a great weekend after that; you got to go to homecoming with all your friends," he said. "The one moment I always remember is us singing the fight song with Joe Wood standing up on a table. Everyone and the whole community were really together." The Tigers hope to experience a few more of those magic moments as the weather gets colder and the postseason approaches. "There's a lot of pride around here," Landon said. "It's always fun to go out in front of your hometown with your buddies. You can't beat it. I love basketball and I love baseball, but Friday night lights are something different — and that goes with all the communities in the area. Football's fun and people buy into it." Sam said he hasn't thought much about the Senior Night festivities. After all, there's a game to focus on. "There's a lot of pride there, getting the opportunity to coach your kids," he said. "Just seeing them grow up to be the fine young men they're becoming is pretty special. "I'm sure there will be a moment or two when it sinks it. It'll probably be tough because we've been doing this for a long time."