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Both teams’ defenses shined throughout, but the Avon Eagles were able to put away the Canton McKinley Bulldogs 28-7 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. After McKinley tied it late in the third, the Eagles outscored them 21-0 the rest of the way. Star RB Jakorion Caffey finished with 79 yards rushing and two scores.
Eagles Strike First
After both teams traded punts to start the game, Avon made the most out of their second possession. Beginning at the Bulldogs 47, the Eagles took 12 plays to finally punch it in the end zone, courtesy of an 11-yard run from Caffey.
The Bulldogs were forced to punt on their first three drives but would find their way onto the scoreboard late in the first half. Starting on their own 32, McKinley would drive deep into Avon territory, and Nino Hill would plow in from two yards out to even things up at 7-7.
With just under four minutes remaining in the half, the Eagles would strike again as QB Nolan Good threw a dime to Cole Kepner in the corner of the end zone to make it 14-7 Avon at the half.
Defense Dominates Second Half
Plagued with bad starting field position for most of the first half, the Bulldogs would start their second possession of the third quarter deep in Eagles’ territory. Unfortunately for McKinley, the Avon defense would get a big sack on fourth down to end the threat.
Early in the fourth, junior RB Tyler Kaufmann took the handoff on third down and scampered in from 29 yards out to put Avon up 21-7. McKinley would find themselves near midfield on their next drive but turned the ball over on downs.
On the ensuing possession, Jakorion Caffey would cap off a seven-play drive with his second touchdown of the night, this time from five yards out. With time running out, the Bulldogs would drive deep into Avon territory but were halted yet again. When the dust settled, the Eagles came up with a big 28-7 victory on the road.
Keys to the Game
Games are won or lost in the trenches, and Friday night was no different. While there were numerous penalties on both squads, Avon managed to win the line of scrimmage, opening holes for Caffey on offense and keeping QB Keaton Rode from setting his feet.
While early-season rust can explain some mistakes, both teams combined for 13 penalties on the night, something they will need to clean up going forward.
Next Week
Avon moves to 2-0 on the season with the win and faces a massive test in Week 3. The Eagles will welcome the Glenville Tarblooders (2-0) next Friday night in one of the premier games in Northeast Ohio. The Tarblooders took down Olentangy Liberty 34-10 on the road Friday night.
Canton McKinley falls to 1-1 in the young campaign and will look to get back into the winning column next Friday night when they travel to Dublin Coffman (2-0). The Shamrocks beat Centerville 22-14 at home in Week 2.
Top Performers
Avon
Nolan Good: 11-20 124 yards TD 38 yards rushing
Jakorion Caffey: 19 carries 79 yards 2 TD
Tyler Kaufmann: 7 carries 62 yards TD
Canton McKinley
Keaton Rode: 8-17 92 yards 10 carries 51 yards
Nino Hill: 18 carries 80 yards TD
Scoring Summary
1st Quarter
Avon 3:02- Jakorion Caffey, 11-yard run (Owen Warrick kick good)
2nd Quarter
McKinley 3:44- Nino Hill, 2-yard run (Keaton Rode kick good)
Avon 0:31- Nolan Good to Cole Kepner, 26 yards (Warrick kick good)
4th Quarter
Avon 9:33- Tyler Kaufmann, 29 yards (Warrick kick good)
Avon 1:41- Jakorion Caffey, 5-yard run (Warrick kick good)
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | FINAL | |
| Avon | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| McKinley | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
