by Avon Lake walked into Avon undefeated, while Avon had a 2-1 record coming into this year’s Silver Rail Rivalry game. Last season Avon Lake lost twice to an Eagles team that went to the state semifinals. The Shoremen planned on flipping the script even without starting quarterback Jeremy Dzik.
The Eagles started off fast with a three-play drive that ended in a 35 yard touchdown run by Jakorian Caffey. The Eagles soon extended their lead with a 50-yard field goal from Nathaniel Vakos.
The Shoremen began slow until an explosion of points in the second quarter. Jake DePaul got the nod today as signal caller and opened the scoring with a 46-yard touchdown pass to star wide out Matthew Stuewe. The point after was no good leaving the game at 10 to 6.
Avon Lake would get the ball back and kick a 45-yard field to get within one point. The second quarter would continue in the favor of the Shoremen as all three units would put together a complete quarter.
Avon Lake drove down the field and DePaul broke the plane on a QB sneak to take the first lead.
Avon would stall out on their following possession and attempt to punt it in their side of the field. The Vakos punt was blocked and Pierden Pepe scooped the ball at the five yard line and scored.
DePaul would toss up one last touchdown in the first half to his favorite target Stuewe. The 10-yard grab TD grab was courtesy of the interception and great field position set up by Pepe. Stuewe would finish the half and the game with 110 yards, two touchdowns and five receptions as he wouldn’t be targeted the rest of the game.
Avon Lake’s 30 unanswered points took this one to half with a score of 30-10.
The Eagles came out of the locker room motivated as they would stop the Shoremen and score a quick seven points. Sam DeTillio found Caffey underneath and he went untouched for the 6-yard TD.
Arnold would score another touchdown as a receiver with about seven minutes left in the game to make it 30 to 24.
The Shoremen once again drove near the redzone before penalties pushed them back near the 50. A positive gain on the ground edged the Shoremen into field goal range. Owen Wiley had the distance but just barely missed to the left. The missed field goal kept the score at 30-24 and Avon had one last chance to take the lead with about 4 minutes left.
Avon drives down the field with a mix of pass and run to get close to the Shoremen 30-yard line. As Sam Detillo handed the ball off to Caffey, the ball hit the ground and a pile of Shoremen jumped on it with just two minutes remaining.
Avon Lake ran the ball right through the heart of the Eagles and killed the clock.
DePaul would take a knee in victory formation and the Avon Lake students rushed the field to celebrate a win over Avon for the first time since 2018.
Avon fought hard to get back into the game, but their efforts were too little too late. The loss by six takes them to 2-2 on the season and 0-1 in the SWC. Caffey would be the main bright spot for the team as he finished with 187 total yards and three touchdowns. They play at Elyria next Friday, trying to get back in the win column.
Avon Lake’s strong second quarter and tough defense was enough to hold the Eagles back as they move to 4-0 on the year. The Shoremen take home the Silver Rail and will look to defend the trophy next season. Avon Lake will welcome Berea-Midpark next Friday as they look to stay perfect on the season while conference play continues.
Jake DePaul is our player of the game as he was the surprise signal caller for the Shoremen. He was able to get past the Eagles defense on his feet and with his arm. DePaul eclipsed over 200 total yards while scoring three total touchdowns.
And Jakorion Caffey seems to have been illegally recruited. He shouldn’t even be going to Avon, he should be at Clyde High School. If proven a job was given to a parent to get Caffey, using Elders HR position, might be trouble for that program.