Avon Lake Shoremen Top Strongsville Mustangs 24-10 To Open Season

Avon lake – A new class of Shoremen picked up their first win as starters tonight with a 24-10 victory over the visiting Strongsville Mustangs.  With so many new faces starting on both sides of the ball, no one was sure what to expect from the Shoremen, but they had several players step up and get noticed in the week one victory.

New starting quarterback Jeremy Dzik had a mixed night, but mostly good with 241 yards on 24 of 36 passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.  The young man is now tasked in following in the steps of Jack Mikolich and Michael Corbo as the new leader of the Shoremen attack.

He will have some serious weapons to throw the ball too.  Matthew Stuewe picked up where is brother Michael left off.  The “younger brother”, you will notice I wouldn’t dare say, “little” went off for a huge opening night!  Stuewe hauled in 9 passes for 112 yards, including one clutch catch after another on third down.

Jake DePaul also had a great night in key moments.  DePaul finished with 80 yards on 9 catches including a 24-yard touchdown.  It’s early, but I already get the feeling we may see some very big things from DePaul, he has explosiveness every time he touches the ball.

Isaac Richardson also caught two balls, for 28 yards.  His touchdown catch from 13 yards out came off a double reflection that you had to see to believe.

Strongsville showed a lot of heart in tonight’s game, and if it wasn’t for some costly penalties, who knows what may have happened.  Down 17-3 in the third quarter, they battled back and made it close for a bit late.

Mustang quarterback Maddux Beard protected the ball well but couldn’t seem to find a groove.  Beard went 11 of 23 for 108 yards.  His biggest play came on a 27 yard touchdown scamper late into the third. His best weapon was Nick Turner who caught 2 balls for 39 yards and also ran for 26 yards.

The Avon Lake Shoremen have been known for their defense and tonight it showed again as they looked impressive.  They pressured the quarterback and held Mustang running backs to under 40 yards total.

What a drive to start the game for the Shoremen after forcing a Strongsville punt.  First year quarterback Dzik led a 17 play, 83-yard drive resulting in a 24-yard touchdown toss to Jake Depaul.  Dzik went 7 of 8 on the drive for 76 yards.  It was long, methodical and effective as Depaul and Stuewe had two catches each on the drive. The first quarter would go on to finish 7-0 Avon Lake as the Mustangs couldn’t answer with their next drive.

Strongsville began their first second quarter drive after a bad interception by the Shoremen gave the Mustangs the ball at the 40 in Shoremen territory. A 21-yard pitch and catch from Beard to Nick Turner put the Mustangs in striking range of pay dirt. The drive would stall however, but the Mustangs did get a 27-yard Field Goal by Will Hryszko to cut the lead to 7-3 with 10:56 to go in the opening half.

The Shoremen took over from deep in their own territory and began another long drive.  This time, connections to Depaul of 16, 4 and 10 yards along with a 10-yard strike to Matthew Stuewe helped Avon Lake set up shop in the red zone.  It was aided along by a few costly Mustang penalties as well. Avon Lake would then have a 3^rd and 8 from the Mustang 13 with a little over 6:45 to play.

Then a sudden bout of freak luck helped Avon Lake find the endzone again. This time on a 3^rd and 8, Dzik threw a laser over the middle that was batted around by two different Avon Lake receivers before falling in the hands of the ever-present Isaac Richardson.  That play, is already an early favorite for play of the season. WOW!  That thrilling play made it 14-3 Shoremen with 6:32 to go in the half.

The Mustangs took a chance with 4:37 to go in the first half, down 14-3 as they decided to go for it from their own 29-yard line on a 4rth and 1.  From the shotgun, they went with a halfback draw to Flannigan who fought hard to get 2 yards and keep the drive going. Despite the gamble paying off, they would eventually have to punt.  The first half would end with the Shoremen still up 14-3.

The Shoremen have the benefit of one of the best kickers in the state with Owen Wiley. They took full advantage of the young man’s strong leg as he connected on a 50-yard field goal on the Shoremen’s opening drive to increase the lead to 17-3. Wiley actually worked out in the offseason with Avon All Conference place kicker Nathan Vakos as well.  Two of the best kickers in the state reside in the SWC.

The Mustangs stepped it up and found success on their first drive of the second half.  It was a long one that covered nearly 80 yards as they methodically and effectively drove the ball down the field with ease at times.

Maddux Beard capped it off with an absolutely beautiful 27-yard run in which he faked everyone out, including the boys in the press box as he sprinted to the end zone with no one near him.  An incredible fake and go by Beard to get the Mustangs back in at 17-10 with 1:44 to go. The quarter would close by that same score.  Remarkable, the third quarter would only see those two drives.

The second half of long drives continued as the Shoremen then went on a 7 plus minute long drive the next time they had the ball.  This time with a steady diet of Jason Krukowski who capped things off with a 6-yard rumble to increase the lead to 24-10 with 5:09 left to play in the game.

Tonights player of the game is Matthew Stuewe of Avon Lake with 9 catches for 112 yards. Also, Jeremy Dzik with 241 yards on 24 of 36 passing with 2 touchdowns and 2 interceptions.