by Next men up award
Avon Lake WR/QB Jake DePaul
Reason – The Avon Lake Shoremen had not beaten the Avon Eagles in 4 straight tries. 2 of those 4 losses came in the playoffs, and all 4 of those games were the only losses the Shoremen had in both 2019 and 2020.
This game was personal, and Avon Lake was suddenly without their starting QB Jeremy Dzik. What could have become disaster, became a magical night to remember for Jake DePaul who stepped into the role of starter and absolutely balled out to lead Avon Lake to a 30-24 victory in front of a packed house.
From there, DePaul would bounce back and forth between snaps at QB and WR, but continued to do whatever asked of him. When star wideout Matthew Stuewe went down to injury, DePaul had to step it up more than ever.
Marc Reed of Midview
When the season started and with offseason workouts centered around an offense being run by Ethan Surdock, the Middies’ had a lot of buzz around them because of the loaded senior class they had coming back. Who would have guessed that after the loss of Surdock week one, that a junior named Marc Reed would not only step up, but also show out!
What Reed did this year reminded me of more than a few football movies and shows over the years. Not only did he step into the role of starting quarterback, but he absolutely flourished in it. Reed would finish with a county high 1866 yards along with 13 touchdown passes.
I’d challenge this with Isaiah Johnson from Elyria