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Avon Lake, OH – Behind another massive home crowd, the Avon Lake Shoremen did not show any signs of slowing up this season. Facing the Cougars of St. John the Baptist (NY), the ALHS defense could not be denied. The ALHS defense forced 5 turnovers, ultimately winning 38-7.
Behind their upperclassmen, the Shoremen defense forced 4 first half turnovers. On top of that, the Cougars remarkably only passed the 50 yard line once during the half. The only time SJBHS reached midfield was behind their star returner Andrew Simmons IV’s 88 yard kick return.
To start the game, the madness started with a 17 yard loss after Derek McCrum made the tackle on the Cougar’s QB after a big over snap. After a the Cougars were forced to punt, the first play of Shoremen offense was a big one. Senior QB Jeremy Dzik picked up right where he left off last week, connecting with senior WR Isaac Richardson on a 50 yard touchdown pass.
Later in the first quarter, luck seemed to turn the Cougar’s way as they made an incredible interception in their own endzone. On the ensuing play, their luck seemed to run out as senior Pierden Pepe got the ball right back with an interception.
After the Shoremen were unable to convert on the turnover, the Cougars took over on offense. That same drive, Junior Hayden Blosser picked off SJBHS quarterback Michael Wheat in Cougar territory. The very next play, Dzik found Derek McCrum for a 22 yard touchdown, as he was making plays on both sides of the ball all night,
Again, the Shoremen defense was causing havoc as senior Keegan Rudduck caught yet another pick for ALHS. The next drive kicker Ian Walsh banged home a 25 yard field goal to make it 17-0.
The next kickoff is where Simmons IV had his massive 88 yard kick return. Again, the Cougars couldn’t get anything to go as senior Avery Viancourt made another one of his many big plays during the night. The first play to follow the big return, Viancourt jumped on the ball after a Michael Wheat fumble.
After a missed Shoremen field goal, Viancourt had a sack on third down to get the ball back for Avon Lake. Dzik then found his man Matthew Stuewe, who was dodging defenders for a big 24 yard gain. The next play, Wade Nelson started his massive night with an 8 yard touchdown. At this point, Nelson was at 8 carries for 80 yards but was nowhere close to being finished.
Andrew Simmons IV had another monster return, on the kickoff, but the Shoremen defense showed dominance again. This time it was senior LB Jason Krukowski getting the third down sack and the ball back for the Shoremen.
Wade Nelson’s monster night continued as he legged out a 67 yard touch down right before the half ended. Nelson’s night ended with 147 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns on 10 touches.
The second half started as more of the same story for the Shoremen defense. On the first drive of the half, Keegan Rudduck had his second interception of the night.
Following the pick, it was Anthony Benedict’s time to take over at running back. Benedict showed some exciting flashes, rushing for 105 yards and a TD during his second half sample size.
As Benedict came in, Jeremy Dzik’s night ended. Although only completing 6 passes, Dzik still finished with 120 yards and 2 touchdowns. S
Sophomore QB Owen Fach then took over as well. His night consisted mostly of QB runs, which the Cougar defensive line read well. The SJBHS defense was able to get a turnover on downs, swinging the moment a tad.
With 8:38 left in the 4th, Cougar’s QB Michael Wheat was finally able to make something happen. The QB broke out of the pocket, trucking Shoremen defenders resulting in a 35 yard TD run.
Ultimately, this was the only bright spot for the Cougars. The Shoremen defense was just too dominant, forcing turnovers and sacks all night. The Shoremen pick up more momentum with the 38-7 win, heading into next weeks rivalry game against Avon undefeated.
The players of the game were running Wade Nelson (again) with 147 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns, Avery Viancourt with 3 TFLs, 1 sack and the fumble recovery. , and last but not least Keegan Rudduck with 2 interceptions.
Avon lake is tough this year ,they are a well coached and have a lot of weapons.Should be a great match up vs Avon next week! Go Shoremen .