COACH OF THE YEAR

Every year, Mike Elder is in the running for this award, and often it seems he gets passed up because another coach turned a team around, made a deep playoff run or took an injury-plagued team further than it should have gone. That’s not to say Elder has come up short in other years, rather, it’s a testament to how successful he’s been year in and year out that an undefeated season and conference title don’t seem like enough for him to win the award. However, this year Elder could not be denied — and be sure there were some strong candidates in Bay’s Ron Rutt, Firelands’ Ryan O’Rourke, Clearview’s Mike Collier and Olmsted Falls’ Tom DeLuca. But what made Elder rise to the top? In addition to leading the Eagles to a state semifinal with a 13-0record and SWC title, it was his adaptability along the way that make him stand out. Tight end Vlasi Pappas, arguably the Eagles’ best receiver this year, went down with a season-ending injury in Week 2, so Elder adjusted the play calls and personnel to ensure Avon’s passing game was still top-notch. Running back Nick Perusek was injured in Week 5, but Elder continued to use the right people to make sure the run game didn’t suffer. Lead rusher Tony Eberhardt missed the regional semifinal and final with mononucleosis, but did that stop the Eagles from winning when the competition was the hardest? No, because Elder made sure his team was ready. To put it simply, the Eagles would be a solid team with anyone calling the shots, but they are an elite team because Elder is in charge.