The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Avon, Lorain will face out-of-state opponents
Eagles travel to Florida, Canadian team to visit Lorain
For a couple of premier area teams, the 2017 season is going to feel just a bit different than usual. Lorain and Avon will play against opponents they have never seen before.
Avon’s first is right off the bat as the Eagles open their season on Aug. 25 in Orlando, Fla. at the ESPN Wild World of Sports Complex against Merritt Island, a team that has made nine straight playoff appearances.
Avon coach Mike Elder has constantly stressed to his team this is a business trip and the Eagles need to act like it.
“Our teams have always come out of the gate fast and that’s a tribute to our senior leadership and coaches,” Elder said. “We understand that we’re going down there and it’s a team bonding experience, but we’re going down there to win a football game. I’m very confident we have a mature group that can handle that well.”
Avon initially had a Week 1 opponent in Strongsville, but Strongsville dropped the game and didn’t renew the contract. That left the Eagles to search for a replacement locally, but there wasn’t a good fit.
“I talked to our athletic director, superintendent and our seniors and asked if this is something they’d be interested in,” Elder said. “They said yes and we had to find an opponent.
“Our players said if we had to go down there, then we have to play someone good. Merritt
Island has a storied tradition with some state titles down there. We have our hands full and we’re so excited about this opportunity.”
The Eagles are returning seven starters from last year’s 10-1 SWC championship team, but are still considered the favorites to repeat considering the depth they have.
Junior Ryan Maloy is expected to start at quarterback and he will have a pretty good safety net in senior tight end Vlasi Pappas, who led Avon in catches last season.
Defensively, Avon is led by senior linebacker Kyle Kudla, one of the best in the area who recorded 105 tackles and three sacks in 2016, while linebacker Alex Waters should help form another strong defense.
“On defense, we’re going to be hard hitting and fast, just like any other year,” Kudla said. “We’ve got guys that can fly around.”
Avon is going to get tested right out of the gate, with four of the first five games against playoff
teams from last year.
The Eagles still have a bad taste in their mouth from a year ago losing in the opening round of the playoffs to bitter rival Avon Lake and are eager to get started.
“I for sure still have a bitter taste in my mouth,” Maloy said. “I can’t wait for the season to start, but I also can’t wait for Week 3.”
Lorain
The Titans’ won’t have to travel anywhere on Sept. 22 when Football North comes to the Steel City, a team from Mississauga, Ontario. Lorain has to take care of business before reaching that point, but it’s hard for them not to be excited for that game.
“They have a few fifthyear seniors that are poised,” Lorain coach Dave McFarland said. “They play good football. They come down to play St. Ignatius and Cleveland Heights. I’ll be good for us to have a team out of the country. It’s exciting for our community and I’m real happy (athletic director) Bryan Koury got that.”
Lorain is coming off a 10-2 season and Division-I regional final appearance, but will have a different look. Out are prominent figures like Naz Bohannon, Carlos Chavis, Daesean Brooks and Aaron Huff.
This year’s team features WR/DB Zion Cross, quarterback Justin Sturgill and senior linemen Gabriel Larsosa and Antonio Wyatt.
“We’re molding into a great team,” Sturgill said, who guided this team to 10 wins last season. “We’re trying to find players to make big plays and I feel like instead of having one or two players that did it last year, we have four or five this year
and it’s exciting. I have to step up as a leader and I’m trying to show them that we can actually do this.”
McFarland said the leadership and work ethic has never been better in his four years at Lorain, which is a testament to the culture
that they’ve built.
The Titans open the season Aug. 25 at home against Midview and want to get off to a fast start in 2017.
“We got better players now,” Larsosa said. “We’re all trying to perform better and do the best we can.”