The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
HITS KEEP COMING
Teams vying for spots in Week 11 with regular season drawing to a close
Browns offensive tackle Joe Thomas is down with an injury, ending his snap streak during a Browns and Titans game Oct. 22. He is flanked by trainers, left, and head coach Hue Jackson, right. The Browns are still looking for their first win, losing 12-9 in overtime, at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
It’s Week 10. You know what that means, right?
It’s time to talk some playoffs.
Who’s in? Who’s out? Who has a chance? Why not take a look at it? Here is where all of The Morning Journal area teams stand.
IN» Avon, Olmsted Falls, Bay There may only be three teams on this list, but that’s how it should be. We’re talking about the playoffs.
Now, just because these three teams have claimed a Week 11 does not mean that their respective Week 10s are meaningless. It’s the opposite, in fact. Each of these teams have something on the line in Week 10:
• Avon: The Eagles have not only clinched a playoff berth, but according to computer points guru Joe Eitel, they have also claimed a home playoff game. What Avon has not yet clinched, though, is the No. 1 seed. However, this one is straight forward. If the Eagles top Berea-Midpark in Week 10, they will be the top seed in Division II, Region 6.
• Olmsted Falls and Bay: Both the Bulldogs and Rockets are looking for home-field advantage in Week 11. For Olmsted Falls, the mission is simple: win and play at home in Week 11.
For Bay, it’s a bit more complicated. First and foremost, the Rockets need to win against Valley Forge. Then, it comes down to Level 2 points, or, in other words, the victories gained in Week 10 by the teams that Bay has already beaten this season. Of the nine teams Bay has already beaten, it should take wins by three of them to keep the Rockets at Bay Memorial Stadium on Nov. 3.
OUT » Brookside, Elyria, Fairview, Keystone, Lutheran West, North Ridgeville, Oberlin, Wellington, Westlake CONTROLS OWN DESTINY » Midview
The Middies are the only area team that has a simple mission: Win and in.
However, that’s not a simple task with Avon Lake standing in the way. However, even if Midview drops the Week 10 contest, it would take nearly all of the teams the Middies have beaten this year losing for Midview to miss out — something that is highly unlikely, but still possible.
NEEDS HELP, BUT STILL
LIKELY IN » Lorain, Clearview, Firelands, Columbia
This one is a bit tricky, but here is how it looks:
• Lorain: There are four spots up for grabs in Division I, Region 2, with nine teams fighting for those spots. Lorain needs a win. That is the first step. From there, the Titans need either some Level 2 help or some losses from the other teams competing for the playoff berth. If Lorain can get wins from three or four of the teams it beat this season (and keep in mind it will get one automatically
as Cleveland Heights and Maple Heights face off in Lake Erie League action), the Titans should make the playoffs.
• Clearview and Firelands: This one is the most tricky. In D-IV, Region 14, there are 12 teams fighting for five spots. Heading into Week 10, Clearview and Firelands are in playoff position. However, chances are only one will make it to Week 11.
If both teams win and Bellevue, Bryan and Port Clinton all lose, they both will make it.
That is unlikely, though. More likely is that if both teams win, it’s going to come down to the Level 2 points, meaning which of the teams that each team beat gets victories — at least the ones that don’t overlap. For Clearview, that means the Clippers are rooting for Painesville Harvey, John Hay, Oberlin, Columbia, and Lutheran West. For Firelands, the Falcons will be fans of Edison, New London, Vermilion and Brooklyn.
Off the bat, that gives Clearview a bit of an advantage, having five teams it can get Level 2 points from. However, if the perfect storm of Level 2 points happens, both teams could still see Week 11.
• Columbia: The Raiders are like the Little Engine that Could of playoff contention. At 5-4, Columbia stands about a 50-50 shot at making the playoffs. First, the Raiders must win. Without a win, it’s still possible, but highly unlikely. Even with a win, though, the Raiders need some help. Losses by East Palestine and Youngstown Liberty would go a long way, as well as a win from at least three of the five teams Columbia has beaten.
LONG SHOTS » Amherst, Avon Lake, North Olmsted, Rocky River, Vermilion, Elyria Catholic
Of this group, Avon Lake stands the best chance. Why? Because the Shoremen have Midview on tap. A win over the Middies pushes Avon Lake right back into the thick of the race, and a few favorable Level 2 results could see the Shoremen snagging the No. 8 seed. A long shot, but still possible.
• Rocky River: The Pirates are essentially battling with Glenville for the final spot in D-III, Region 10. A win by the Pirates and a loss by the Tarblooders puts Rocky River in. The problem? The Senate Athletic Conference is so bad that it would take a miracle for Glenville to lose to Rhodes.
• Amherst, North Olmsted, Vermilion and Elyria Catholic: To be blunt, there’s not much chance here. For all these teams, it would require wins and a full slate of win by the Level 2 point providers, plus losses by all noneliminated teams ahead of them, as well as those team’s Level 2 point providers.
Running the field
It has never been more apparent that this season is the year of the running back in The Morning Journal area than it was in Week 9.
Across the area, there were 81 touchdowns scored in Week 9. Take away the four defensive touchdowns and two special teams touchdowns, and that means 75 touchdowns were scored on offense.
Of those, 56 were scored via runs. Or, another way to look at it, is that 75 percent of the offensive touchdowns in Week 9 were scored on run plays.
Those touchdowns came courtesy of 31 different players.
Further evidence of the run domination is that 14 area athletes rushed for over 100 yards, including three breaking 200 yards
(Clearview’s Drew Engle, Lorain’s Daylin Dower and Midview’s Connor Wolf) an one topping 300 (North Ridgeville’s Shomari Williams).
Undefeated roundup
Through nine weeks, there are two undefeated teams in The Morning Journal area:
• Avon maintained an unblemished record, topping visiting Amherst, 35-7, in a game in which the Eagles started hot and never really let up. The Eagles took a 21-0 lead after one quarter behind rushing touchdowns from Ryan Maloy and Tony Eberhardt, with Maloy connecting on a touchdown pass to Chris Mullins as well. Avon ballooned its lead to 35-0 after three quarters with another touchdown from Eberhardt and Mullins. Amherst capped the scoring on a 55-yard fumble recovery by Greg Rhodes in the fourth quarter.
• Bay improved to 9-0, opening a large lead and then weathering a Richfield Revere comeback to win, 2817. Senior Trey Psota rushed for three touchdowns, with Matthew Cover supplying the other Bay score on a 15-yard pass from Connor Shell. After taking a 21-0 lead, Revere (2-7) scored on a 3-yard run before halftime and then added another ten points to make it a 21-17 game midway through the fourth quarter before Psota scored on a 52yard run to give the Rockets some breathing room.
Playoff picture
After nine weeks, computer points guru Joe Eitel has nine Morning Journal area teams in playoff position:
• In Division I, Region 2, Lorain drops from No. 7 to No. 8.
• In Division II, Region 6, three teams are holding spots. Avon holds steady at No. 1, while Olmsted Falls climbs from No. 4 to No.3. Midview stood still at No. 6. Amherst slipped out of the playoff picture from No. 8 to No. 10.
• In Division III, Region 10, Bay remains at No. 3. Fellow Great Lakes Conference member Rocky River jumped back into the playoff picture, going from No. 9 to No. 8.
• In Division IV, Region 14, Clearview jumped Firelands in the standings, going from No. 8 to No. 7, while Firelands slid from No. 7 to No. 8.
• In Division VI, Region 21, Columbia slid from No. 6 to No. 8.
2-minute drill
• The return of Leighton Banjoff from injury sparked Elyria Catholic to its third victory of the season in a 41-8 victory over Normandy. Banjoff scored the first touchdown of the game on a 38-yard run in the first quarter, and would finish the game with 132 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries. Elyria Catholic (3-6) opened up a 21-0 lead at halftime behind Banjoff and a pair of touchdowns from Andre Rodriguez (nine carries, 44 yards) and extended the lead to 35-0 after three quarters behind scores from Banjoff and Chris Jackson. The Invaders (3-6) got on the board in the fourth on a 1-yard pass from Ryan Dengler to Thomas Sullivan, but Jackson scored again to put the Panthers in front, 41-8.
• Midview (7-2) rebounded from a Week 8 loss to dominate host Lakewood 51-10 and take control of its playoff destiny. The Middies wasted no time building a lead, going up 17-0 on touchdowns by Seth Sanders and Alonzo Banks and a 34-yard field goal by Christian Roig before Attila Nagy got the Rangers (1-8) on the board with a 38-yard field goal. Nick Crum caught a 36-yard touchdown pass from Seamus Higley to put the Middies up, 24-3, at halftime. Midview added 21 points in the third quarter on a pair of Connor Wolfe touchdowns and a 98-yard pick-six by Austin Morris to go up 45-3. Banks added a touchdown in the fourth before Milan Jackson scored for Lakewood.
• North Ridgeville (2-7) senior Shomari Williams found the end zone five times — including the gamewinning score in overtime — and the Rangers escaped an upset attempt by visiting Westlake (0-9) with a 37-30 overtime victory. Williams, who finished the night with 372 yards on 40 carries, scored on runs of 23-, 1-, 8-, 6- and 7-yards, with Aden Vanover supplying the rest of North Ridgeville’s points via extra points and a 26-yard field goal in the third quarter. The Demons were led by quarterback Jacob May, who passed for a pair of touchdowns and 138 yards on a 15-for-26 night. He also rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries. Westlake built a 17-14 lead at halftime and extended it to a 30-17 lead after three quarters, but 13 points by North Ridgeville (2-7) in the fourth quarter forced overtime, where Williams scored on the Rangers’ first possession.
Game balls
Here are some of the top area performers in Week 9:
• Top passer: Avon’s Ryan Maloy threw for 139 yards and two touchdowns on an 11-for-13 night. He also rushed for a touchdown.
• Top rusher: North Ridgeville’s Williams rushed for 372 yards and five touchdowns on 40 carries.
• Top receiver: Avon’s Mullins caught four passes for 82 yards and two touchdowns.