by Perhaps the most intriguing matchup of the opening week of the high school football season involves Avon and St. Ignatius, teams that have never faced each other on the varsity level.
They will meet at 7 p.m. Friday at Cleveland Browns Stadium. Coming off a season that saw them win 14 of 15 games and reach the Division II state semifinals for the sixth time in seven years, Avon is ranked No. 3 in the Kee On Sports Top 25 preseason rankings, while St. Ignatius, which struggled to a 3-9 mark last year, comes in at No. 8.
“We like to try to play at Browns Stadium and we like to get a matchup with a great team that, to be honest, will bring fans, which we figured Avon would,” said St. Ignatius coach Ryan Franzinger. “We have a great relationship with the Browns. We know it’s exciting for the kids and for the fans. Overall, it’s a great experience.”
The two programs have played each other on the lower levels, but this will be the first varsity matchup between teams that have admired one another from afar.
“They’re a great program, obviously, with a storied tradition,” said Avon coach Mike Elder. “We feel we’re one of the top programs in the state of Ohio, too. Because of that and the proximity, they were willing to host us at Browns Stadium this year and then we get them at home next year.”
Franzinger had this to say about Avon: “They’re fantastic. You look at their record—over the last 5-10 years they’re probably with a 90% winning percentage. That’s really impressive, no matter what you’re doing and at what level and what sport. They’re well-coached. They have a number of fine athletes, good line play, just an outstanding program, one that we respect a lot.”
As far as the struggles faced by the Wildcats last year, a season that saw them lose eight of their first nine games before rallying late in the season to reach the second round of the Division I playoffs, Elder said he and his players aren’t buying it.
“A lot of people look at their record from last year and say, ‘Oh, you want to play them when they’re down,’” Elder said. “Those people don’t have a clue. They don’t recognize how hard of a schedule St. Ignatius plays. I don’t think anybody in the state of Ohio plays a tougher schedule. They don’t back away from anybody. They want big-time competition just like we do.”
Franzinger said the Wildcats aren’t running away from what happened last year, but they also aren’t dwelling on it. It was bound to be a season of transition anyway, as it was Franzinger’s first year as head coach following the remarkable 40-year career of Chuck Kyle. This year the team is trying to achieve a balance between learning from last year while also looking toward the future.
“(Last year) was a motivator for the off-season,” Franzinger said. “You can’t really forget it entirely. But we didn’t really want the 2024 season just to be kind of the inverse or the antithesis of 2023. We accepted what happened. We didn’t play good football. But we’re not going to forget what we learned. We played amazing teams last year and we struggled in some areas. But as we’ve moved closer to the new season, we’ve sunk our teeth into, ‘What’s the 2024 Wildcats going to look like?’”
This season-opening matchup with St. Ignatius is the start of a Murderer’s Row of non-conference games for Avon, as the Eagles next host traditional power Canton McKinley followed by a home game with Glenville. Those first three opponents have won 16 state titles, with the Wildcats having won 11, McKinley three and Glenville two.
Elder, who has led his team to eight consecutive Southwestern Conference titles, said the expanded playoff format has allowed teams to strengthen their schedule and to look at non-conference games as almost scrimmages or preseason games.
“With 16 teams making the playoffs, we look at the non-conference games as glorified exhibition games,” he said. “Our goals at Avon are to win the SWC championship, beat our rivals (Avon Lake), make the playoffs and win a state championship. If we start 3-0, that’s great, but we’ve accomplished none of our goals. If we go 0-3, that’s not great, but we haven’t lost any of our goals. We just want to play big-time games, figure out who we are, what we’re good at and what we need to get better at. We’ll learn from these games and move on.”
A closer look at the rosters reveals that both teams are loaded with talent that can and will play on the next level.
St. Ignatius boasts two-way standout Cody Haddad, an Ohio State commit, along with Minnesota commit Grant Washington at running back and junior offensive lineman Will Conroy, who has an offer from Ohio State, among many others.
Haddad, who missed much of last season due to injury and then pulled his hamstring at the regional track meet last spring, is expected to play safety in college, but he is a definite threat at receiver as well. When asked if Haddad is healthy and expected to play both ways, Franzinger simply said, “Look for No. 12.”
Avon is led by quarterback Nolan Good, who is headed to Kent State next year. Junior speedster Jakob Weatherspoon is a standout at defensive back and receiver and has offers from Ohio State and Michigan among others, and defensive tackle Jeremiah Kelly is a Cincinnati commit.
One of the most intriguing matchups of the game is in the trenches, as St. Ignatius returns all five starters on its offensive line and Avon boasts a defensive front seven that is considered to be one of the best in the area if not the state.
“We feel strongly about our defensive line,” Elder said. “We think they’re as good as it gets. I know they played a lot of guys last year on that offensive line and they’re back. They’ve got Division I talent on that line. Without question, that’s going to be a matchup to watch.”
But when it’s all said and done, both coaches agree that the game’s outcome will come down to one thing.
“Minimizing mistakes,” Franzinger said. “You’re going against a great opponent, it’s week one and you’re in a big venue with some guys making their first starts. Minimizing mistakes is always crucial, but in this game in particular, it’s definitely a high priority.”
Elder echoed his counterpart but put a slightly different twist on his answer.
“There are a lot of keys, but turnovers are going to be big,” he said. “Who’s going to protect the ball on offense and take it away on defense. I think whoever wins the turnover battle in this game, that multiplies their chances of winning. That’s really big, especially in Week 1.”
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