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The Avon Eagles captured the OHSAA Div II State Championship Game with a thrilling 20-13 State Championship victory over Anderson. The survived a late scare, but in the end their defense stood tall in the big win.
Nolan Good finished his Avon Eagle career with a 198 rushing yards and 143 passing yards in a remarkable effort. He had a passing touchdown and a rushing touchdown along the way. His main targets were Matt Maxxey with 83 yards on a score on 3 catches, while Grant Barr had 2 catches and Cole Kepner finished with one.
With the weather being what it was, it was crucial for both teams to move the ball on the ground and they both did. For Avon, Tyler Kaufman had 52 yards on the ground while Quiante Smith had 44 yards. As mentioned, Nolan Good led them with 198 yards.
For the Anderson Raptors, they were led by Justice Burnam with 156 yards on 32 carries while he also passed for 150 yards on 19 of 33 passing. Durrell Turner ran for 70 yards for the Raptors on 10 carries.
The Avon Eagles received the ball to start the game and instantly went to work on the legs of Nolan Good. The Kent State commit took it 71 yards on third and long to the house! Good bounced off three Raptor tacklers until he broke free down the sidelines and was off to the races from there for the early Avon lead 7-0, with 8:15 to play in the first.
Avon had a chance to score again to start the second quarter but couldn’t cash in on a 16-play drive that soaked up over 8 minutes of clock. After they turned it over, Anderson took over and it looked for a moment that Avon would get another stop. A fourth down pass was incomplete for Anderson, but a late flag on the Eagles pegged them for interference and kept the drive alive. It was after the ball had already been tipped, but the flag still flew. It cost the Eagles as a few plays later, Anderson scored on a McClanahan to Burnham touchdown pass with 3:54 to play.
Avon was unfazed however and went right back to work on their next drive. Good wasted no time finding a wide-open Matt Maxxey down the center of the field for a 44-yard touchdown strike to reclaim the lead for the Eagles. We went to half by that same score of the Eagles in front 14-7.
Anderson opened up the second half with a 13 play 87-yard drive to start things off. It resulted in paydirt when Burnham took it in from 6 yards out to bring the Raptors to within one at 14-13 after a missed extra point.
Again, Avon wasted no time responding and went right back to work with a 10 play, 63-yard drive that soaked up 4:50 off the clock and resulted in a 10-yard Quiante Smith touchdown run. Avon went for two points but couldn’t convert, keeping the score at 20-13 with 3:54 left to play in the third.
Both teams had near misses to score in the fourth with Avon putting together a goal line stand and then Anderson picking off Good on a drive that would have sealed the game for the Eagles had they converted. Avon hung on for the 20-13 victory, capturing the OHSAA Div II State Championship.
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