The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Week 14 » Playoff capsule
NO. 1 AVON VS. NO. 5 AKRON HOBAN
What: Division II state semifinal When: 7:30 p.m., Nov. 24 Where: Judy Kirsch Field at AutoMart Stadium, 3581 Center Road, Brunswick Records: Avon 13-0, Akron Hoban 12-1 On the air: WDLW-AM 1380, WDLW-FM 98.9, WEOL-AM 930 How they got here: Avon def. St. John’s Jesuit, 2812, in a regional quarterfinal, then def. Medina Highland, 28-10 in a regional semifinal and def. Olmsted Falls, 55-14, in a regional final; Akron Hoban def. Mayfield, 56-27, in a regional quarterfinal, then def. Brush, 49-0, in a regional semifinal and def. Barberton, 42-13, in a regional final. For the record: There have been questions all year about whether Akron Hoban is getting enough respect in the Division II AP poll, finishing the season at No. 5 in spite of being a two-time defending D-III champion. Avon has the opportunity to quash any further discussion as to that matter. But that does not mean it will be easy. On paper, it is eerie how similar the Knights and Eagles are. Both teams feature a balanced offensive attack that leans a bit more on the run game than the pass game. They can both score in droves — Avon averages 39.4 pointer per game to Akron Hoban’s 40.3 — and hold teams to a minimum — the Knights allow and average of 9.5 points per game compared to the Eagles’ 15.2. Both feature a strong-armed quarterback with a high completion percentage in Avon junior Ryan Maloy (184-for-254, 72.4 completion percentage, 2,453 yards, 21 touchdowns) and Hoban freshman Shane Hamm (114-for-164, 69.5 completion percentage, 2,101 yards, 24 touchdowns). Both teams have a clear-cut lead receiver in Avon’s Chris Mullins (63 receptions, 1,190 yards, 11 touchdowns) and Hoban’s Garrett Houser (41 rec., 1,039 yards, 12 touchdowns), but Avon features a strong second option in Dave Orlando (59 rec., 699 yards, four touchdowns). From a running perspective, the Knights feature a load of a running back in junior Tyris Dickerson (212 carries, 1,596 yards, 17 touchdowns) who is complemented well by sophomore Deamonte Trayanum (98 carries, 676 yards, 12 touchdowns). That is not too far off from Avon, who, should he be back from illness, will rely on Tony Eberhardt (121 carries, 867 yards, 14 touchdowns) with a strong complement from Nick Perusek (57 carries, 473 yards, seven touchdowns) and Maloy (98 carries, 788 yards, 13 touchdowns). Defensively, both teams feature an ability to successfully shut down the run while also having lockdown secondaries that will bend at times, but rarely break when it comes to big plays. Expect a big night from Avon’s Kyle Kudla and Mark Steinmetz as they try to shut down the Knights’ run game. For Hoban, the senior trio of Da’Viaun Pete, Reid Allen and Daeshon Martin will be busy all night long. Really, the biggest difference between the teams comes from experience and strength of schedule. That might give a bit of an edge to the Knights. Hoban has played St. Ignatius and D-III state semifinalist Akron St. Vincent St. Mary — losing in Week 1, 17-3, to Ignatius — while facing a total of six playoff teams during the regular season. Avon, while playing an extremely tough Southwestern Conference schedule, faced three playoff qualifiers during the regular season. However, both teams have proven to be top-notch in recent history, with Avon posting a 55-6 record over the last five years, compared to Hoban’s record of 51-12 — including a 40-3 mark over the last three years. In other words, expect this one to come down to the wire in a highly competitive football game that easily could be the true Division II state championship.