by Tomorrow night will be a key SWC showdown in Olmsted Falls that will go a long way in deciding the eventual conference champion. When the Avon Eagles travel to take on the Olmsted Falls Bulldogs. Even after only a week, it is clear to see that these two will be towards the top of the conference all season long.
You can listen to it at the below link that will go live tomorrow at 6:57 pm. After you save that link to your computer or smart phone, keep on reading as I have taken the privilege and great enjoyment of breaking down each team going into tomorrow nights Super Friday Matchup.
THIS IS THE LINK TO LISTEN TO THE GAME LIVE FRIDAY NIGHT https://www.podbean.com/live/6NmLizDun3?action=openLiveRoom&channel_id=6NmLizDun3&live_task_id=kOaqrFzvu6l&utm_campaign=w_share_ls&utm_medium=dlink&utm_source=w_share
Let’s start with the defending champions
Avon Eagles
Coaching – What can I say about Head Coach Mike Elder that hasn’t already been said? He proved last year that no matter the situation, he has an answer for it and his teams are never rattled. He then went out and proved it again last week as the Eagles bounced back from a 24-7 first half deficit on the road against their rivals.
His teams consistently play hard and smart. Low penalty yards, low turnovers and high effort each and every week. It doesn’t matter the opponent, they take care of the ball, don’t commit endless penalties and stay in every game no matter what they are facing.
Passing Attack – Niko Pappas was thrust into action late last season after the untimely injury to Danny Zeh. He stepped right in and kept the wheels on the bus until ultimately going down himself. Pappas showed last week that he has all the tools to be a five-star stud to run this offense. Perhaps the best pure athlete at quarterback since Ryan Maloy, it will be on Pappas to run the show.
Last week Pappas threw for 229 yards against the Shoremen, with 3 touchdowns and also ran for 80 yards scoring a touchdown. Perhaps none bigger than the TD toss to Kam Erskine on third and long in overtime to win it.
He has plenty of excellent weapons to spread it around too, including a now very healthy Mike Ptacek, along with Kam Erskine, Andrew Smith and the highly dangerous Mike Matlak. They also have a deep bench who can be inserted into the game at anytime with a big play ready to happen.
Rushing attack – The Eagles have boasted some of the best runners in Division II for the last decade. This year will be no different as Devon Hunter picks up where Nick Perusek and others before him left off. If you recall, Hunter was another Eagle who stepped up big last year when the roster was decimated with injuries.
Speaking of “big”, Hunter is no stranger to laying out and taking big hits without even blinking. He is vicious and like trying to tackle and also block a buzzsaw. In my humble opinion this 5-foot 11-inch, 210-pound Mac Truck playing tailback and ILB will be the key to how far the Eagles soar this season.
Defense – For years, this too was one of the many strengths as they routinely seemed to shut down any attack they faced. Year after year, the big men upfront stopped everything in their path while the secondary was an absolutely no fly zone.
With Trevor Norman, Gavin Ehrhardt, Kaya Yonkers and the highly talented Jackson Blodgett, the linebacker core looks as strong as ever. The secondary looks every bit as sharp with Johnny Love, Mitchell Dupras, Mike Matlack and Collin Kauffman soaring to the ball.
Special Teams – Nathanial Vakos showed last week in overtime that he has ice water in his veins and is not afraid of the big kick.
Olmsted Falls Bulldogs
Coaching – In the era of the spread offense, coach Tom DeLuca has proven his vision and ability to teach as he continues to run the Triple Option offense. DeLuca has a firm grasp on his team as he is beloved and respected. He also has a solid staff around him as well with coaches Rob Pace, Chris Williams and Carlos Rivera just to name a few. They will have the Bulldogs ready to attempt the upset Friday night at home under those bright lights.
Passing attack – We didn’t get to see much of it with the constant rain last week and the running game working so well, but, past history has shown us that Charlie Ciolek, like Teddy Grendzynski before him, can take care of the ball and not turn it over.
As a first-year starter last year in his sophomore season, Ciolek proved he is reliable and will keep his team calm and composed in any situation. He proved that last week with perfectly timed pitches and a great vision in the triple option, despite the near monsoon.
Rushing attack – With all the heads of the triple option monster last week scoring and rushing at will, the Bulldogs once again look like a well-oiled machine on the ground. DeLuca continues to run one of the very best plug and play offenses around on the ground. Even with names like Spellacy, Howard, Dailey and Wall no longer around they just keep reloading.
Rocco Conti, perhaps the most powerful Italian puncher since Rocky Balboa, ran all over the Midview Middies. Rocco Conti had a big second half to finish with 150 yards and a touchdown. He also caught one pass for 16 yards.
Joining him in that stout backfield is the powerful Andrew Parkowski who plowed in for two scores and 55 yards on 12 carries. We also cannot forget about the Week One Player of the Game against Midview, and that was tailback Ryan Feskanich who scampered for 155 yards, on only 9 touches with two touchdowns.
Defense – The D-Line shutdown McMahon, never letting the Middie rusher get anything going. Perhaps even bigger than that was the fact they had Ethan Surdock running for his life all night. The lone score they let up in the 34-7 shellacking of Midview was on a short field of 16 yards after a shanked punt. They will need to be at their very best against the powerful Eagle attack.
Special Teams – They fumbled several punts last week, and will need to do better. Was it first week jitters, wet conditions, slick footballs coming in and out of the game every few plays, who really knows but we will find out this weekend.
After a rough first kick, placekicker Drew Kanaba was absolute money the rest of the game. The kid was straight nails as he blasted one kick after another with hideous weather coming at him, not to mention a rain-soaked football that had to be like kicking a brick.
A prediction of the final score can be found on page two.
