Could not create a preboot volume for APFS install

When you openDisk Utility click on View in the menubar and select Show All Devices.

Disk Utility will now show you the Disk and its indented Volume(s).

To Erase your Disk properly select the Disk (Apple SSD, or similarly named),

Click on Erase.

Give the Disk a name,

Format: Mac OS Extended (Journaled) or APFS for High Sierra and above.

Scheme: GUID Partition Map.

Click on Erase.

When Done quit Disk Utility.

Click on Reinstall OS press Continue.

Your mac will need to be connected by cable to your router for a quicker and more reliable connection.

In future if you want to reset your mac(s) don't bother with the increasingly unreliable Apple Recovery Servers.

Download a copy of the High Sierra full installer and make a bootable USB installer.

How to create a bootable installer for macOS – Apple Support

Within this article are links to download various mac operating systems like High Sierra,

you need to be using the Safari browser to click on the links.

As @BDAqua mentioned, especially as APFS ( new Apple Filing System ) normally on High Sierra will only convert SSD drives to the newer apple file format. Rotational Drives like yours will probably remain the older HFS Journaled format during the installation of High Sierra

Generally speaking of an older Mac that needs MacOS Extended Journaled Format & then allowing the Installer to auto change it to APFS.