Shoremen lead area in AP poll voting

Football

Avon Lake is the highestranked team in this week’s state poll, coming in at No. 4 in Division II. Avon checks in at ninth in D-II. Bay is No. 10 in Division III.

1: (1) Avon Lake (8-0) 2: (2) Avon (7-1) 3: (3) Olmsted Falls (6-2) 4: (4) Bay (7-1) 5: (7) Clearview (7-1) 6: (8) Columbia (5-3) 7: (9) Elyria Catholic (6-2) 8: (5) Amherst (5-3) 9: (10) Rocky River (5-3) 10: (6) Lorain (4-4)

Dropped out: None Watch list: Lutheran West (6-2), North Olmsted (4-4), Fairview (3-5), Firelands (4-4), Keystone (4-4) Comments: Avon Lake (8-0) became the first area team to clinch a playoff spot with a convincing 4921 win over Berea-Midpark. But the Shoremen aren’t anywhere near done with homefield, No. 1 overall seed, a perfect season and an SWC title still on the table . ... Since its Week 3 loss, Avon (7-1) has played like an angry team, averaging 50.4 points per game while allowing only 12.4. ... The offense might be peaking for Olmsted Falls (6-2), which has averaged 48.7 points per game over its last three games. .... For the first time in 23 regular season games, Bay (7-1) was defeated. And it came with four seconds remaining against a very good Elyria Catholic team. Rockets don’t slide for this one, but a loss against Revere would cause a slip. ... Clearview (7-1) keeps responding to tough test after tough test, and it doesn’t get easier for the Clippers with Lutheran West up next . ... Columbia (5-3) rebounded from a loss by blanking Brooklyn, 49-0. The Raiders’ three losses have come against teams with a combined 22-2 record, so a record not matching others in the Crop can be forgiven due to the tough schedule . ... Elyria Catholic (6-2) got the signature win it was lacking this season. But its win over Bay wasn’t just a minor one, it was one that sent ripples not only through both the GLC title race, but also the Division V, Region 18 playoff picture . ... Maybe Amherst (5-3) should be higher in the Crop, but a three-game slide means a tumble will happen. With Avon up next, it’s no guarantee the streak will be snapped . ... Rocky River (5-3) may not be breaking the 7-3 or 6-4 mold it has been in since 2014, but the Pirates have won the proper games to set up a playoff shot . ... Lorain (4-4) has dropped three of its last four with the one win coming against a Division V opponent. To be blunt, what kept the Titans from falling out of The Crop in favor of a team like Lutheran West, Firelands or North Olmsted is that the Titans are in a higher division.