CANTON, Ohio — As Archbishop Hoban’s football players gathered around coach Tim Tyrrell following their 31-24 win Friday night against Avon in an OHSAA Division II state semifinal, Tyrrell preached about expectations.

Or the perceived lack of them for Hoban entering this season.

“Nobody, starting this year, gave you a chance,” Tyrrell told his players. “You were rebuilding. You were young. You were inexperienced. Your schedule was too hard. Everything was stacked up against you.”

Hoban graduated all but five starters from last year’s 35-6 state championship win against Massillon.

That’s why Tyrrell alluded to the odds against his team.

“If you watched the first three games,” he said of this season’s start, “and said we’re going back to a state championship, everyone would have laughed at me.”

No one is laughing at Hoban’s accomplishments, which have led it back to a state title game for the sixth time in seven years. The Knights (12-3) will play Cincinnati Winton Woods (12-3) on Thursday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton.

They got there with a new-look lineup, except for those returning starters who happen to anchor the offensive up front.

That offensive line, led by senior left tackle Keshawn Haynes, guards Colton Burkhart and Drew Holt with center Michael Noe, are familiar with plowing the way toward state title contention during a long season.

They allowed junior quarterback Jayvian Crable, stepping in for four-year starter Shane Hamm, to adjust to his new role. They gave him time to make throws, when needed, or play to his strength as a runner.

Junior Lamar Sperling also has benefited from that effort, churning out several 200-yard games or better. He had 270 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries last week against Avon.

“Just having them, it’s a blessing,” Sperling said. “It’s an honor to run behind them. All of them work hard in practice and even harder in the game. You’ve got to love them.”

Tyrrell looked ahead last year after the state finals at Massillon, knowing he would have a much younger team while expecting the line to be the anchor. For that reason, he leaned on some lesser experienced linemen for seasoning that could pay dividends now.

It did.

“It was huge,” Tyrrell said last week. “You’ve got Colton, Keshawn and Noe, Holt. You throw in a sophomore. We had another junior playing the first half of the season. We had a freshman playing 20 snaps (Friday) night. We’re getting better at the right time, and we need one more week.”

That sophomore, Will Satterwhite, and freshman, Nate Cross, will be back next year with Holt.

They also had 6-foot-5, 395-pound junior tackle Keon Johnson for the first half of the season after he transferred from Stow. Johnson is sitting out the second half of the year to comply with OHSAA transfer rules, which led to Haynes’ move midway through the regular season from guard to tackle.

“It’s a lot easier now,” said Haynes, whose first start at tackle came during a 33-27 loss to St. Ignatius at Byers Field, the same site as Friday’s win. “My first showing at tackle at Byers field was awful. I took that loss on myself.”

At tackle, Haynes had to adjust to the speed of edge rushers.

Hoban’s propensity to run helped that adjustment. Haynes credited practice. Not only did he change spots up front, but so did Holt by moving from right guard to right tackle. Burkhart flipped from right tackle to left guard with Satterwhite stepping in at right guard.

“The way we practice football is you don’t practice a tackle or guard,” Haynes said. “You go to practice the line. We all take snaps at tackle, guard and center just in case.”

They helped Hoban to 459 yards, including 392 on the ground, last week against Avon.

“We’re a very run heavy team and they get beat up every week,” Crable said Friday of his line. “They come in every Saturday morning, beat up and they recover by Friday and execute the game plan as well as anyone could ask them to.”

Sperling has rushed for 2,813 yards this season with 41 TDs. In five playoff games, he has 1,290 yards and 20 TDs on 146 carries.

He credits the line, but Haynes said earlier this year that blocking for Sperling comes with a sixth sense of when he will score.

“It’s almost expected at this point,” Haynes said. “If I get a pancake block, you look up and he’s 40 yards away for a touchdown.”

About the game

What: Division II state championship

When: 7 p.m. Thursday

Where: Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton

What to know: Hoban’s matchup with Winton Woods is a rematch of the 2017 state championship, won 42-14 by the Knights. This is Winton Woods’ first appearance in the state championship since then. Hoban, the defending state champion, is in its sixth state final in seven years and seeks just as many titles. Winton Woods prevented an All-Northeast Ohio state final with a 20-7 win against Green. The Warriors overcame 383 yards passing from Trevor Van Horn by picking him off three times. Offensively, they are led by senior running back Tyrek Spikes. He eclipsed 200 yards rushing in three playoff games and had 128 yards last week against Green.

How to watch: Spectrum News 1 will televise the games, which can be found here for subscribers. The OHSAA also is streaming games, which can be found here. Ticket information can be found here.

Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on Twitter (@mgoul) or email (mgoul@cleveland.com).