Grayson County High School’s Ethan Hall has signed to play football at Defiance College.
Hall was a three-year starter at center on the Cougar offensive line. In 2020, he was a key peg on the line that saw Caden Woodcock become only the 11th player in program history to rush for 1,000 yards.
“It was just a great feeling when I got there,” Hall said about Defiance. “The community and everyone was very friendly. As soon as I step foot on campus I knew it was a great fit for me.”
As the starting center, he served as one of the most important non-quarterback positions on the field. His consistency and experience are something that will always stand out to Cougar head coach Bryan Jones.
“It’s an extremely big deal when playing upfront on the line,” Jones said about Hall’s three-year career as a starter. “Typically at the upper levels of football, in our state, it takes some maturity and some grown man strength (to do that).”
Hall specifically mentioned the impact that the Cougar coaching staff had on him getting to this point in his journey as a football player.
“Coach Jones, he always pushed me to my limits and even passed that,” he said. “Coach (Shane) Decker was always there with the fundamentals helping me out. Coach (Chris) Drake always worked with us as far as discipline, coming off the ball only when the ball moves.”
Hall was joined at the signing by his parents, siblings, multiple former/current coaches, extended family members, and teammates.
His mom, Christie, was beaming with pride throughout the entire afternoon.
“I think it was just that hometown feel that he got when we visited there,” she said about Defiance. “It made him like he was in the county still. Everybody was so welcome to him there.”
When asked about how proud she was of her oldest son. She couldn’t find the words to describe it.
“I don’t even have words to express that. Very Proud. Very Proud,” she said.
Ethan Hall credits his parents for everything they have done to get him to this point.
“No one is perfect, but they came really close,” he said. “They’re pretty much the only reason I can do this. They took me back and forth to practice for so many years.”
He specifically mentioned that he strongly considered quitting football after his freshman year, but his dad, Nathan, made sure that he stuck with it.
“I wanted to quit freshman year,” Hall added. “Dad made me show up and here we are now.”
A legacy for an offensive lineman can be hard to create with most skill position players getting the spotlight on the stat sheet. Although, as anyone involved in the game knows, there is no success without success on the lines.
“I really enjoy knowing that, yeah, Caden Woodcock rushed for 1,000 yards and I was blocking for him,” Hall said. “Kaylor Decker was state player of the week, I was blocking for him. It’s great to know. I look forward to being able to tell my little brother, ‘hey I’m better than you.'”
Hall is the third Cougar offensive player to sign to play football at the next level joining quarterback Kaylor Decker and wide receiver Hunter Tomes.
Filling their spots next season is something that Jones and the coaching staff realize might be easier said than done.
“It’s a big void for us,” Jones said. “It is something we are working on now in spring practice to try and get some guys ready to not fill their shoes but step into their shoes and hopefully fill a little bit of that void.”
Hall plans to major in Molecular Biology with an emphasis in Pre-Med. He said that the plan is for him to transition to fullback in the college game.
Defiance is a Division III school located in the northwestern corner of Ohio. The Yellow Jackets are coached by Earnest Wilson. Last season, they finished with a 1-9 record but picked up an upset victory over Mount St. Joseph during the year.
The program has a deep football history including two alums with NFL connections. Ben Davis had a 10-year career playing for the Cleveland Browns and Detriot Lions from 1967-1976. Another alum includes New York Giants defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale who has also worked with the Baltimore Ravens.
Hall and the Yellow Jackets are set to open the 2022 season in early September.
By Sam Gormley, Play-By-Play Announcer/Local Sports
Reach Sam at sam@k105.com
Bottom Row: Etta, Ethan, and Emmett Hall
Top Row: Emilee, Nathan, and Christie Hall
