Central Catholic's Hoover lives every Ohio kid's dream as a Buckeye
Senior day was already going to look unlike any of the previous iterations at Ohio Stadium.
The usual pomp and circumstance that accompanies the annual ritual was going to be muted, with only a few hundred occupants inside the Horseshoe, no grand ovation from 105,000 adoring fans, and an embrace between player and parent reduced to a socially-distanced wave in the stands.
“Different senior day for sure,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said Tuesday afternoon. “Really, really unique. But we’re really proud of these seniors.”
The festivities became even more quirky less than an hour later after Michigan canceled Saturday’s game.
“I don’t think I was even that upset [about senior day]. I was more upset about the fact that we aren’t playing ‘The Team Up North,’” said Ohio State specialist Zach Hoover, a Central Catholic graduate.
“Growing up an Ohio State fan, that was the game everybody watched. You watched that game because it's the greatest rivalry in sports. Not being able to play that this year is a cap on 2020.”
On a random day in the summer of 2017, Hoover was setting up Stone Oak Country Club for a member-guest outing when he got a phone call. A member of the Ohio State coaching staff was on the other end inquiring about the utility specialist. The Buckeyes were in the market for a jack-of-all-trades who could provide depth.
Hoover didn’t hesitate. The lifelong Buckeye wanted to experience college football’s brightest lights. For three seasons, he’s had a front-row seat to an elite machine.
“It's still hard for me to think about it,” said Hoover, who serves as OSU’s backup punter, kicker, and holder. “I guess I haven’t had a chance to sit down and think, ‘Wow, I got to live out a childhood dream and play at Ohio State.’ I guess that’ll come in the next couple months when I’m done playing.”
The Monclova Township native was twice an All-Ohio selection at Central Catholic, earning first-team all-state honors as a senior punter. He averaged 45 yards per punt, had a long of 60 yards, and was a perfect 54 for 54 on extra points, helping lead the Irish to the state championship game.
In 2014, Hoover was part of the state title team that defeated Joe Burrow and The Plains in what some consider the best Ohio high school game of all time, a 56-52 Central Catholic victory. Hoover punted just two times in the shootout.
“He’s just a great kid,” Central Catholic coach Greg Dempsey said. “For us, it looked like he was going to be strictly a punter. Then he taught himself how to kick. Then he became a nickelback. Then he became a wideout. And he ended up making some huge plays for us.”
“He's become a valuable part of [Ohio State’s] traveling squad due to his Swiss Army knife skills. If he had to, he would catch punts. He’s a great leader. When leaders see a need, they don’t point it out to you, they bring you a solution.”
Hoover’s college plans were set in 2015 — playing for the hometown Toledo Rockets. But Matt Campbell took the Iowa State job, taking virtually his entire coaching staff with him. Two days after accepting the position, Campbell asked Hoover if he was coming to Ames.
After one season at Iowa State, he opted to play closer to home.
“It was hard. The transfer portal wasn’t a thing,” Hoover said. “I basically started sending out film and emails and messages to schools that recruited me out of high school. I was looking at a couple different MAC schools, and then Ohio State called me. It was a no-brainer.”
For parents John and Kelly Hoover, the past decade has been an odyssey, crisscrossing the Eastern Seaboard and the Midwest, visiting nearly every ACC and Big Ten campus in the process. Hoover’s older brother, Chris, was a linebacker at Duke.
“It’s just been a wonderful experience. It’s emotional,” John Hoover said. ‘You start to think about, Wow, this is it. That part of our life is winding down. My wife and I have been traveling the football weekend circuit for 10 years, whether it was an ACC school or Big Ten school. It’s a reality check.”
Zach graduated from Ohio State in May with a sport industry degree, the first taste of an unusual ceremony for the Hoovers as it was conducted virtually. On Thursday night, the Buckeyes had senior tackle, a decades-old tradition where seniors hit the tackling dummy one final time. Parents were able to watch via Zoom.
Entire article:
https://www.toledoblade.com/sports/...ds-dream-buckeye-football/stories/20201212020
