by Despite coach Mike Elder saying afterward that the Avon football team is just a shadow of what it’s going to be, the Eagles looked pretty darned impressive Friday in manhandling the St. Ignatius Wildcats in the season opener for both teams.
Avon turned a dominant first quarter into a 21-0 lead early in the second and then never looked back, as St. Ignatius twice battled back to within two touchdowns but then watched helplessly as the Eagles pulled away to a 42-21 victory in a game played at Cleveland Browns Stadium.
“Truth be told, we’re a shade of what we’re going to be,” Elder said. “We were good enough today to get a win, but we’ve got to go get better for Week 2.”
As is often the case, the game came down to the play of the interior lines, as the Eagles pushed around the Ignatius defense on the way to 245 rushing yards. On the other side of the ball, Avon’s front seven gave the Wildcats fits, holding the hosts to just 84 yards on the ground.
“Our offensive line and our tight ends specifically, did a great job of collapsing edges,” Elder said. “I thought we were more physical up front in the run game. We were able to run the ball and they weren’t, and I thought that was the difference in the game.”
Avon used a host of ball carriers, led by Cam Wendell, who had 103 yards on 18 carries. The junior also scored the first touchdown of the game, reaching the end zone less than 3 minutes into the contest on a 3-yard run. Tyler Kaufmann, Quiante Smith, Nick Colburn and quarterback Nolan Good all had quality carries as well, and each scored a rushing touchdown. Good also had a TD pass of 14 yards to tight end Ty Beerbohm.
However, despite the diverse and powerful display put on by the Avon offense, the story of the game was the defense. Elder has been saying throughout the preseason that his team’s defensive front seven is among the best in the state, and the Eagles certainly showed it against St. Ignatius.
Junior linebacker Ryan Stolarski was the leader of the pack, but the entire defensive unit had a hand in holding down the St. Ignatius offense.
“(St. Ignatius has) a physical offensive line with a really good back, and I thought we shut the run down,” Elder said. “When you do that, you’ve got a really good chance. I’m so proud of our front side. You know who they are and how good they are. I thought the back end did a really good job, too, with the exception of one play. Defensively, it was really outstanding.”
Avon was at its best in the first quarter. The Wildcats managed only 14 yards of offense on three possessions during the first stanza and didn’t get their initial first down until 8:54 remained in the second. In the meantime, the Eagles had two possessions that ended in touchdowns, with Wendell opening the scoring and then Good finding Beerbohm from 14 yards out, making it 14-0.
“We scored on our first two possessions, and, honestly, that gives you a lot of momentum and a lot of confidence,” Elder said. “I think that was very big.”
Although the lead was never less than 14 points after the Eagles dominated the first quarter, there were some nervous moments for the Eagles in the third quarter. The Wildcats scored on a 34-yard pass from Daniel Chalhoub to Owen Colwell to cut the margin to 28-14, and on Avon’s next possession, the Eagles were forced to punt for the first time in the game.
Avon’s punt only traveled 24 yards, and the Wildcats took possession near midfield on their own 46-yard line. The drive continued to the Avon 38 before the Eagles tightened up defensively, holding St. Ignatius to minus 2 yards on a short pass to Ohio State recruit Cody Haddad, followed by Stolarski sacking Chalhoub for a 13-yard loss on fourth-and-four.
“That definitely changed the momentum of the game,” Stolarski said. “It was fourth down, and we sent in the full house. We sent in more guys than they could block. I got left free up the middle and I made the play.”
The Eagles took over on the St. Ignatius 47 and needed just eight plays to reach the end zone, with Kaufmann’s 11-yard scamper putting the lead back up to 21 points at 35-14.
Colwell scored the final TD for the Wildcats, reaching the end zone from 4 yards out with 7:15 to play. Avon was forced to punt on the ensuing possession, but this time Owen Warrick boomed a 44 yarder that was downed on the Ignatius seven. On third-and-one from the 16, Chalhoub was sacked by Jason Gillespie. As Chalhoub was falling to the ground he lost control of the ball, which ended up in the lap of Avon’s Owen Garcia on the 3-yard line.
Three plays later Good scored on a 1-yard run to complete the scoring.
Avon hosts Canton McKinley next week, while St. Ignatius will face Mentor.
