by Avon – The Avon Eagles (2-0) hosted the Canton McKinley Bulldogs (1-1) in a non-conference game for week 2 of OHSAA high school football. The Eagles were able to scratch out a 21 to 14 win in this battle of defensive power.
The first half was a battle of defenses. For the Canton McKinley Bulldogs they played lights out defense for the first half, leaving the Avon Eagles struggling for any momentum. The Bulldog defense held the Eagles to third downs nowhere close to the first down mark. Avon also was able to come out to a huge defense stand but the Bulldogs were able to capitalize off an Interception and 2 defensive pass interference penalties on the Eagles cashing in an 8-yard touchdown pass to #19 Darius Hill. After that touchdown it just came back to the defenses with both the Eagles and the Bulldogs not allowing any more points in the first quarter. One missed opportunity was a 50-yard catch and Run by the Bulldogs that would’ve been a touchdown, but to the relief of the Eagles it was called back for holding.
While the Bulldog’s defense shined in the first quarter the second quarter was the Eagle’s defense time to shine. The Eagle’s defense was able to grab 3 sacks and was also able to hold the Bulldogs at the line of scrimmage multiple times. The Eagle’s offense was able to find a weakness in the Bulldog’s defense and was able to grab two touchdowns. One, a 14-yard throw to #9 Cole Kepner and the other, a 39-yard catch and run to #12 Grant Barr. The Bulldog defense still proved to be a strong force grabbing one of their own sacks and were able to hold the Eagles multiple times to some four and outs. Heading into halftime the Eagles 14, Bulldogs 7.
Going into the third quarter it was all Eagle defense, clobbering the Bulldog offense anytime they got. Both the Eagle offense and eventually the Bulldog offense were able to pull together some momentum but both offensive pushes were stopped by the defense. These defensive powerhouses both held and did not allow any more points for the rest of the third quarter.
Offensive and defensive fireworks started to happen in the fourth quarter. The defensive fireworks happened first with the Eagles grabbing yet another sack leading to a Bulldog Punt. Then we thought we had excitement as Avon’s quarterback Nolan Good got blown up by pressure and tried to throw it away, but the Bulldogs were able to scoop and score, until the referees called it back as an incomplete pass, wiping away the defensive touchdown. Avon would then go charging down the field only to get stopped by a Bulldog interception in the end zone. The Bulldogs would not be able to cash in on this opportunity and had to punt it away. Avon took it and ran, literally. #16 Tyler Kaufmann was able to run it in for a 17-yard touchdown.
The Bulldogs were unfazed though as quarterback #7 Kam Montgomery tossed a 45-yard bomb to #84 Xavier Harris. Shortly after that a little 9-yard toss to #3 D.J. Britt for a touchdown to give the Bulldogs life. The Bulldogs would then go and try for the onside kick and the Bulldog’s do the unlikely and recover the kick. They are unable to cash in on this opportunity though because of the powerhouse Avon defense, sacking them twice and blocking the last-ditch pass attempt to let the Avon offense on to the field in victory formation for the 21 to 14 win.
Player of the game for Avon was wide receiver #8 Matt Maxey. While he was not able to get a touchdown pass, he was vital in the success of the Avon Offense. He had 9 catches with two of them being for 30 or more yards, totaling 145 receiving yards on the night.
For Canton McKinley the player of the game was wide receiver #84 Xavier Harris. He also did not get on the board but was the Bulldog’s rally man with a big 45-yard catch, totaled 92 receiving yards on the night. He was able to catch the ball 5 times, all of these stats came in the second half.
You cannot leave out the officials’ stats for tonight though, they had a huge effect on the game. 31 total flags, 19 on Canton, and 12 on Avon with it totaling a change of 272yds.
Canton McKinley (1-1) will take on Cass Tech (0-1) next week on September 6th. The Avon Eagles (2-0) will take on Glenville (1-1) next week on September 6th.
