• Follow us on Twitter @buckeyeplanet and @bp_recruiting, like us on Facebook! Enjoy a post or article, recommend it to others! BP is only as strong as its community, and we only promote by word of mouth, so share away!
  • Consider registering! Fewer and higher quality ads, no emails you don't want, access to all the forums, download game torrents, private messages, polls, Sportsbook, etc. Even if you just want to lurk, there are a lot of good reasons to register!

'10 OH RB Erick Howard (Ohio U Walk-On)

Jump to latest Follow Reply
Sort by date Sort by votes
Sunday Special: Howard to return for Vikings
Back gets green light after changing plans to relocate to Washington
Sunday, August 17, 2008
By Todd Porter

If you never really left home, can you return? At Hoover High School, absolutely and with open arms.

Vikings head coach Don Hertler Jr. can breathe a little easier entering Friday's season opener because his best player, running back Erick Howard, has returned to Hoover.

Howard flew to the Seattle area, where it was thought his family would relocate. However, that plan has changed after the junior went out early to start working out with his new football team.

Hoover Athletics Director Don Shimek contacted the Ohio High School Athletic Association to find out how the school should handle Howard's return within the rules.

Essentially, Howard had to miss Friday night's scrimmage because he needed another acclimation day. He missed most of Hoover's two-a-days.

"Everything is on the up and up," Hertler said. "We're going by the book with the state."

The Howards' residency never changed, according to Hertler. While Howard went to Washington, his mother remained in North Canton.

"As far as I know, he will start and complete the season at North Canton," Hertler said.
Click to expand...

CantonRep.com | The Canton Repository | Canton, Stark County & Northeast Ohio News, Community Events & Classifieds
 
Upvote 0
Scout $

8/23

By Bill "Bank" Greene at the Ohio State site. Howard says that Ohio State is his clear leader at this point, but that he is also interested in Michigan and Miami. He is happy to be back at North Canton after a short time in Seattle, and is focused on football and his grades.
 
Upvote 0
m_23mhec_hoover_dunbar.jpg


THERE HE GOES AGAIN Hoover High School running back Erick Howard gets past a Washington (D.C.) Dunbar defender en route to his third touchdown run of the second quarter during the Vikings' 41-22 season-opening win.
REPOSITORY SCOTT HECKEL
Click to expand...

CantonRep.com | The Canton Repository | Canton, Stark County & Northeast Ohio News, Community Events & Classifieds

The following offensive series, Hoover gave the ball to its talented junior running back Erick Howard.

The Vikings never looked back.

"Howard ran hard for us tonight," said Coach Hertler. "His determination really showed."

Howard, who finished with 185 yards on 22 carries, charged the Hoover offense in the second quarter by breaking tackles on several impressive runs. That sparked the Vikings to a 20-point second quarter and a 27-8 lead.
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
IMHO, Howard has one heck of a chance to be the Stark County POY for the next couple years. Friday is going to be a big test against a very talented Louisville team. They took it from the Vikings last year.

As for Erick's purported grade issues, 1) he's a junior 2) Hoover is an excellent district with distinction, as long as he can pull the Minimum GPA for entrance, I'm sure he'll be prepared for the ACT.

I'm hoping I can get out and see Howard next weekend since my Fiancee will be gone at her bachelorette party. They play Donald A Wilson out of Ontario Canada
 
Upvote 0
GoodLifeSean;1241610; said:
IMHO, Howard has one heck of a chance to be the Stark County POY for the next couple years. Friday is going to be a big test against a very talented Louisville team. They took it from the Vikings last year.
Click to expand...

Howard did not have much running room in a 22-0 loss to Louisville on Friday. Louisville's 5-3-3 defense is designed to take away the run. They did successfully.
Louisville is well coached and loaded with athletes this year. They made a great playoff run last year losing to Cincinnati Anderson in the State D-2 finals.
Howard's contributions against Louisville included some receiving yards, return yards, but most notably stellar play on defense at Mike!
He was all over the field, best pass rush off the blitz and tough to block.
I believe he may be equally productive/valuble at the college level as an OLB or safety based on his performance Friday night.
 
Upvote 0
Hoover 48, Wilson 17
Hoover's Erick Howard ran for 155 yards and four touchdowns in an easy win vs. Wilson (Ont.). North Canton rushed for 218 total yards, compared to Wilson's 34.


The Vikings scored all but one of their touchdowns in the first half for an impressive 42-7 lead at halftime. Howard set the tone early scoring Hoover's first touchdown on a 2-yard run. He followed with another in the first quarter on a 4-yard run. Greg Beck scored on a 47-yard reception from Vikings quarterback Brett Tulodzieski and Howard followed with a 70-yard touchdown run. Howard's last touchdown came on a 1-yard run in the second quarter to end the half.
Click to expand...


Hoover beats Wilson, 48-17 | Friday Night Ohio
 
Upvote 0
If you want to see what Howard is capable of, try and find highlights of his games against Massillon Perry and Uniontown Lake, both of which I watched live. The stats for those games do not do him justice. (Perry- 220 rushing; 97 receiving; 3 TD; Lake- 336 rushing; 15 receiving; 4 TD) He sheds tacklers like Jim Brown and finishes runs like Walter Payton. He has great balance, vision, agility, and power with above average speed. Not to mention he does all of this while every team is stacking the box to stop the run. He runs much bigger than he looks.
 
Upvote 0
CantonRep.com | The Canton Repository | Canton, Stark County & Northeast Ohio News, Community Events & Classifieds

From the article
Just how good is Louisville? Look at the statistics
Click to expand...

Louisville is a DII school but through week 7 has the highest bi-level average point rating inclusive of all divisions in Ohio.

? Take out Carrollton's 0-7 record and Louisville's other six wins have come against teams with a combined record of 32-10.

? Hoover running back Erick Howard is averaging 199 yards a game against defenses not named Louisville this season. Against the Leopards in Week 2, he ran for 18 yards on 11 carries.
Click to expand...
 
Upvote 0
Film

Powerful and good balance. Questionable lateral quickness and loses speed off of his cuts. The field looked wet, not sure if that anything to do with it and it was only one game. However, he looks like a possible offer candidate but I think we'll shop around the country first.
 
Upvote 0
I see a RB with very good vision...Doesn't seem to be missing many holes...Obviously this is one game of his best plays, but he seems to see the cut back lane, even if it is 2, 3 or 4 gaps over...

He seems to be a cutback runner which is very good for our system, doesn't like to go down, falls forward on contact...

I think that the field had to do with him looking slow on cutbacks...BUt good balance to stay up on his cuts on a wet field, and staying at full speed on most of his cuts...
 
Upvote 0
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top