DELAWARE — Miles Hall sits quietly on the bus listening to music to get himself mentally prepared for the night ahead.
It’s how the Buckeye Valley senior transforms from mild-mannered and polite to a dominant force on the offensive and defensive lines for the Buckeye Valley football team.
Hall sits there with headphones and visualizes what’s to come.
“I just listen to music and just think in my mind that I’m going to dominate,” Hall said. “(It’s) next play, next play, next play mentality. (I) just really flip the switch.”
It’ll be a similar scene Oct. 9 when the Barons travel to Columbus Academy, an important matchup that will determine whether Buckeye Valley will make the playoffs.
The Barons are 5-2 overall and 2-0 in Central Buckeye League play. They are currently 15th in the Division IV, Region 15 standings. The top 12 make the playoffs.
A win over the 5-2 Vikings and 5-2 Whitehall next week puts Buckeye Valley in a better position for the playoffs.
It also puts them in the driver’s seat for a league title, something the program hasn’t achieved since 2008.
Hall has been an anchor for the Barons since his freshman year. The 6-foot-4, 300-pound tackle is the son of defensive coordinator Andrew Hall, who played at Mount Union.
The younger Hall began playing flag football in the fourth grade and fell in love. He started getting playing time at Buckeye Valley as a freshman. He was just 215 pounds back then.
Hall entered the program as a center but moved to tackle because of need. That’s where he’s found a home.
“As a freshman, he started to rotate in — probably taking 40-50% of the snaps,” Barons coach Grant Georgic said. “Since then, he’s been a staple on our offensive line.”
Georgic sees some of himself in Hall. A Buckeye Valley graduate in 2010, Georgic was also a four-year player as a two-way lineman.
“It’s kind of like seeing your son grow up,” Georgic said. “You see gradual improvements. The thing that sticks out is that he’s a natural introvert. But when he hits the field, his desire to play physical, hard-nosed football has always been there.”
So, when Georgic sat down with Hall after the season, the coach asked him to become more vocal.
“(I told him he’s) a respected young man,” Georgic said. “People recognize that if (he’s) asking them to do something, (he’s) going to do it right alongside them.
“When we started off-season lifting and progressed into the summer, Miles has continuously developed his voice in a very positive, but demanding way of his teammates,” he continued. “That’s been really nice to see from a leadership standpoint.”
Becoming a vocal leader has been an adjustment.
“Whenever I was in the recruiting process — talking to coaches — I think that really helped,” Hall said. “It really helped get my confidence up, talking to people I’ve never met before.”
Hall is committed to play at Saginaw Valley State University, a Division II program in University Center, Michigan where he’ll study business.
Buckeye Valley is a run-first offense. The Barons have gained 1,458 of their 1,784 total yards on the ground. Ben Schirg has 107 carries for 592 yards and six touchdowns and Austin Heminger has 105 carries for 533 yards and five scores.
The Barons have held opponents to 13 points over the last two games. Mason Matheny has 43 tackles and two interceptions, Luke Schibler has 37 tackles, Ben Clark has 35 tackles and Schirg has 31 tackles, including five tackles-for-loss, an interception and a safety.
“We’re still far from a finished product,” Georgic said. “There’s been some growing pains. Our goal is that we’re playing our best game last. Wherever that takes us, we’ll be O.K. with that.”
