The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
EAGLES SOAR
Eagles overcome slow start, set up rematch with Olmsted Falls
Avon’s David Orlando (9) flexes his muscles after picking off Medina Highland quarterback Carson Gosselin during the Division II, Region 6 semifinal on Nov. 10. The top-seeded Eagles went on to beat the Hornets, 28-10, on move on to the regional finals.
Before the season, Avon coach Mike Elder said a 10-0 season wouldn’t be good enough.
A regional final berth has to mean something.
The No. 1-seeded Eagles topped No. 4 Medina Highland, 28-10, in the Division II, Region 6 semifinal at Strongsville High School on Nov. 10. Avon advanced to face Olmsted Falls in a regional final
on Nov. 17 at a site to be determined.
The Eagles (12-0), playing without starters Tony Eberhardt and Vlasi Pappas, rushed for 135 yards, led by sophomore Nick Perusek’s 42 yards on 10 carries and two scores. Quarterback Ryan Maloy tossed for 183 yards on 18 of 25 passing. Avon also lost star linebacker Kyle Kudla during the game.
Avon had a sluggish first half, and trailed 10-7. After the Eagles failed on a fourth down rushing attempt early in the third quarter, the defense bailed them out, stopping Highland on a fourth-and-4 from the 20-yard line, forcing an incomplete pass midway through the third.
Avon responded on the ensuing
drive when senior wide receiver David Orlando caught a key 22-yard pass on third-and-long, followed by Perusek galloping for a 5-yard rushing score to take its first lead, 14-10, with over a minute in the quarter.
The Eagles defense again came up huge to open the fourth quarter, forcing a Highland fumble, recovered by senior safety Chris Mullins on their own 46yard line.
Perusek scored on the next drive on a 2-yard run, which was set up by Orlando’s 22-yard catch, and Avon extended its lead to 21-10. On the next drive, Orlando came up with an impressive one-handed interception, returning it to the Hornets’ 20-yard line. Maloy put the icing on the cake with a 5-yard rush with 6:25 remaining and a 28-10 Avon lead.
Mullins led Avon in receiving with 101 yards on eight catches.
Despite the sluggish start, Elder knows its simply playoff football.
“Two weeks in a row we’ve gotten off to slow starts. Give credit to your opponents when that happens,” Elder said. “In that first, we moved the ball up and down the field and you feel disappointed when you have a touchdown called back. At halftime, we thought we were doing some good things, but we were losing the football game.”
It was Perusek’s first week back since fracturing his hip.
“This moment is indescribable,” he said. “Running in the end zone and giving each other chest bumps, it’s indescribable. For the regional finals, it’s going to be a tough week. We just have to play our hardest and hopefully we win and make it to states.”
A win over Olmsted Falls (11-1), who the Eagles beat, 31-7, in Week 2, would clinch Avon’s third state final four appearance in program history. Maloy certainly knows what’s at stake.
“We need to have a great week of preparation,” Maloy said. “We need to listen to all the details our coaches are telling us and we need to come with an edge and attitude every day.