The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
IT WAS A SEASON OF SUPERLATIVES
From offensive powerhouses to stingy defenses, area teams had it all in the 2017 regular season
This season had it all. Blowouts, close games, lots of points, very few points, upsets, complete domination — you name it and it probably happened.
Let’s look at the numbers and give out some season-long superlatives to see which teams can claim which honors:
MOST LIKELY TO SCORE OFTEN » This award goes to Lorain. The Titans scored 406 points this season for an average of 40.6 points per game. Honorable mention: Avon (401, 40.1), Olmsted Falls (387, 38.7), Midview (353, 35.3), Clearview (339, 33.9), Bay (339, 33.9).
LEAST LIKELY TO GIVE UP POINTS » With four shutouts on the season, Bay wins the award as the only area team to have not given up more than 100 points on the season. The Rockets gave up 84 points for an 8.4 average points against this season. Honorable mention: Clearview (140, 14.0), Firelands (141, 14.1), Avon (162, 16.2), Rocky River (165, 16.5), Avon Lake (175, 17.5)
MOST LIKELY TO BLOW OUT A TEAM » Keystone earns this one. In the Wildcats’ four wins this year, they have outscored their opponents by 158 points for a 39.5-point average margin of victory.
Honorable mention: Rocky River (202, 28.9, 7 wins), Midview (212, 26.5, 8 wins), Elyria Catholic (79, 26.3, 3 wins), Clearview (234, 26.0, 9 wins), Bay (255, 25.5, 10 wins)
MOST LIKELY TO SQUEAK OUT A WIN » On the other end, North Ridgeville is the most likely to barely emerge with a win. The Rangers’ three wins this year have come by a combined 38 points for a 12.7-point margin of victory. Disclaimer — teams needed more than one win to qualify. Honorable mention: Columbia (67, 13.4, 5 wins), Oberlin (71, 14.2, 5 wins), Fairview (53, 17.7, 3 wins), Avon Lake (114, 19.0, 6 wins), Olmsted Falls (178, 19.8, 9 wins)
MOST LIKELY TO PLAY IN A CLOSE GAME » The Raiders earn this award. Columbia’s games have seen a point differential of 150 points for an average of 15 per game. Honorable mention: Avon Lake (151, 15.1), North Ridgeville (164, 16.4), Elyria Catholic (165, 16.5), Fairview (199, 19.9), Olmsted Falls (202, 20.2)
New Pirates leader
There is nothing normal about Rocky River senior Dameon Crawford scoring touchdowns.
However, his second quarter touchdown against Elyria Catholic on Oct. 27 was more than just another score.
When Crawford crossed the goal line, be became the leading scorer in Pirates’ football history.
Crawford ended his career with 222 points, passing the mark of 216 set by Jon Gipson from 2005-07.
It is not the first record set by Crawford. As a junior, the running back set the mark for season scoring with 120 points, topping David Dunne’s mark of 116 set in 2007.
Crawford also departs
the Pirates ranking fourth in career rushing yards (2,918) and second in season rushing yards (1,590 in 2016), trailing only Mike Milano’s mark of 1,678 set in 2003.
The champs are here
The Morning Journal area brought home three conference championships this year.
• Avon won its second straight Southwestern Conference title, going 9-0 in conference play.
• Bay won its third straight Great Lakes Conference title, but it’s first ever outright GLC title, going 6-0 in conference play.
• Clearview won its first Patriot Athletic Conference title since 2009 and fifth overall, going 5-0 in conference play.
Undefeated roundup
Two teams in The Morning Journal area completed a perfect regular season in 2017:
• Avon jumped to an early lead and never looked back, securing sole possession of the Southwestern Conference title as well as a second-straight 10-0 season in a 63-35 victory over host Berea-Midpark. The Eagles received touchdowns from Chis Mullins and Kyle Kudla on passes from Ryan Maloy, with Maloy, Tony Eberhardt, and Aaron Endrizal scoring on the ground. Mullins had two receiving scores, while Maloy had three rushing touchdowns and Eberhardt had two. Carter Gosselin capped the Avon scoring with 34-yard field goal in the fourth quarter.
• Bay completed its first ever 10-0 season by taking down Great Lakes Conference foe Valley Forge, 34-0, securing home field for the first round of the playoffs and the Rockets’ first outright GLC title in the process. As has become the norm, the Bay offense was powered by the run game, with senior Trey Psota (10 carries, 113 yards) finding the end zone three times and fellow senior Mark Olson (7, 109) scoring twice.
The Rockets had a total of 339 rushing yards in the win.
2-minute drill
• Khennedy Scagliozzo was the driving force for Amherst, notching three rushing touchdowns and passing for another in a 41-0 win over Westlake. The win secured the Comets (64) their first winning season since 2010. Scagliozzo finished with 213 yards on 15 carries. The junior put Amherst in front, 14-0, after a quarter on runs of 20 and 54 and extended the lead to 21-0 in the second quarter when he connected with Devin Holmes on a 20-yard strike. A Nathan Soto 59-yard touchdown reception from Matt Fairchild made it a 28-0 game at half, with Scagliozzo adding a 55-yard scamper in the third and Aaron Gonzalez capping the scoring in the fourth on a 9-yard run.
• Oberlin started hot, survived a comeback and then gained some breathing room to finish the season at 5-5 in a 34-20 win over Columbia (5-5). The Phoenix jumped to a 22-0 lead behind Devan Yarber — who scored all five Phoenix touchdowns in the win. Yarber scored on runs of 53 and 5, adding a 48-yard pick six. Columbia then stormed back behind a pair of Cole Schwartz touchdowns with a Jared Bycznski 10-yard scored wedged between to make it a 22-20 game at halftime. Oberlin got some breathing room in the third quarter when Yarber scored on a 49-yard run, with Yarber capping the victory in the fourth when he scored on his second pick-six of the night — a 12 yard return.
• Jack Provenza scored a pair of touchdowns, and Fairview opened a close game up in the second half to finish the season at 3-7 with 29-7 victory over down-the-street rival Lutheran West. Provenza kicked off scoring on a 40yard run, but Lutheran West (4-6) knotted the game on a pass from Rory
Zakareckis to Brett Mather. Provenza struck again in the second on a 58-yard run to give Fairview a 14-7 halftime lead. Adam Nemeth extended the lead in the third quarter on a 37yard field goal, with Declan Jewitt and Demetrius Allen scoring in the fourth quarter to seal the victory.
• North Olmsted (4-6) scored the opening touchdown on a 31-yard run by Darren Anders, but Olmsted Falls did the rest of the scoring, topping the Eagles 49-7, to secure home field in the first round of the playoffs. Olmsted Falls (9-1) had six players score their seven touchdowns, with Luke Lombardo being the only Bulldog to find the end zone twice. The Bulldogs had a 21-7 advantage after the first quarter and ballooned it to 35-7 at halftime, adding two more touchdowns in the second half.
• Shomari Williams scored four touchdowns with Chad Williams supplying the other as North Ridgeville topped Lakewood, 35-11, ended their season at 3-7, winning their final two game and three of their last four. North Ridgeville opened a 21-0 lead after one quarter, but a 35yard field goal by Lakewood (1-9) kicker Justin Crislip made it a 21-3 game at halftime. Shomari Williams punched in a pair of scores in the fourth quarter, with Will Adams adding a touchdown for Lakewood.
Game balls
Here are some of the top area performers in Week 10:
• Top passer: Avon’s Ryan Maloy threw for 262 yards and three touchdowns on an 18-for-22 night. He also rushed for three touchdowns.
• Top rusher: Oberlin’s Devan Yarber rushed for 288 yards and three touchdowns on 28 carries. He also had a pair of picksixes.
• Top receiver: Avon’s Chris Mullins caught four passes for 137 yards and two touchdowns.