Wild finish ends in victory for Shoremen

A little luck, a few big plays and a gritty effort propelled Avon Lake to a huge win.

The Shoremen, who trailed by as many as 14 in the second half, rallied to tie the game. Konner Riggs gave the host Shoremen the lead with four seconds left with a three-yard touchdown run and a late touchdown gave them a 4028 Southwestern Conference win Oct. 6.

“Our offense definitely sparked in the second half,” Avon Lake coach Matt Kostelnik said. “Our leadership stepped up and we just started clicking in the second half.”

Trailing, 21-7, early in the third quarter, Avon Lake (5-3, 4-2) trailed, 28-20, midway through the fourth quarter. Behind the running of Riggs and some timely passing by Jack Mikolich, they moved the ball down the field.

Riggs capped the drive with a two-yard run. The drive was helped by a pass interference penalty on the Comets.

Needing the two-point conversion, Mikolich’s pass was tipped and sophomore Creed Bolognia caught the rebound to tie the game.

The Shoremen defense held Amherst (4-3, 3-3) to a three-and-out and got the ball back with 2:09 left in regulation.

Three straight Milkolich completions moved the ball near midfield. Riggs (28-121) had four straight runs to push the ball into Comets’ territory. Mikolich

threw for 181 yards and rushed for 78 yards. But his poise is what impressed Kostelnik.

“He did a great job of keeping everyone calm,” Kostelnik said. “Jack did a got job managing (the game).”

A completion and a Riggs’ run gave the Shoremen a first-and-goal and a timeout with 18 seconds left. On first-andgoal, Riggs bulled his way into the end zone to cap the comeback and give the Shoremen a 34-28 lead. Matt Saunders recovered a fumble on the ensuing kick-off and scored from two yards out for the final margin.

“I was just thinking let’s get it in,” Riggs said. “I told the line, ‘Let’s pound it in’ and we went for it.

“Jack probably had the best game of the season so far. The line did great job making holes for me.”

The Shoremen trailed, 21-7, early in the third quarter, but rallied after recovering the ensuing onside kick. Mikolich hit Jake Marinelli from 20 yards out and scored on a 15-yard run to trim the deficit down to 21-20.

Devin Holmes (6-53) caught his second touchdown pass of the game — a six-yarder from Matt Fairchild to make it a 2820 lead. Before Avon Lake rallied to tie the game and eventually secure the win.

“I’m proud of our players and I’m proud of the heart they showed,” Amherst coach Mike Passerrello said. “We had opportunities.

Some of them we took advantage of. Some of which we didn’t.”

Amherst running back Kennedy Scagliozzo had a fantastic game. He threw touchdowns passes of 69 and 19 to Evan Shawver and Holmes respectively. He also rushed for 119 yards and scored on a three-yard run to give Amherst a 21-7 lead early in the third quarter before the Shoremen started their comeback.

With three tough games left on the schedule, there is little time for Avon Lake to savor the win.

“We’ve got to shore some stuff up,” Kostelnik said. “It was nice to see our leadership step up and they played great. It was impressive and I’m proud of them.”