The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Eagles aren’t afraid of regional challenge
St. Ignatius has outscored postseason foes, 20-2
The Avon Eagles did something they typically don’t do Oct. 27 against Strongsville.
Score a lot of goals — six to be exact.
It was the first time this season Avon scored six goals in a 6-1 win, and they did it against a team that was the No. 1 seed in the Division I Elyria District.
Avon (14-2-3) entered the contest with only 36 total goals.
“I honestly can’t tell you why we haven’t scored a lot of goals,” Avon coach Chris Dore said. “Or even why we scored a lot the other day. I think our kids were feeling good and things worked out for us offensively. There’s no real explanation of why someone shoots and scores.”
The Eagles are set to face St. Ignatius (16-1-2), the No. 1 team
in the state, in a Division I, Region 2 semifinal at Brunswick High School on Oct. 31. The Wildcats have blown away their playoff opponents (Parma, St. Edward, North Royalton) by a combined 20-2 score.
Avon and St. Ignatius have never played each other before.
“The focus is always about ourselves,” Dore said. “We don’t worry too much about the opponent we play because we can’t really control who they are or how they play. But I know a lot of their
players, coaching them as youth players in the club level. And during the high school offseason, a lot of them are teammates with our kids. Out of any matchup in our area, it’s the matchup where everybody knows each other the best.”
Although Avon’s style might not always look pretty, it works. Known for its suffocating defense, the Eagles have allowed 13 goals.
Mostly its because of a tremendous backline defense, led by senior Noah Lindon, a first-team AllOhio athlete.
And at times, because of sophomore goalkeeper Ryan Poling, who had four saves in the Strongsville win.
Poling had to step in for Dylan Morris, last year’s Morning Journal Co-Player of the Year.
“We’re still a very humbled team,” Nick Minotti said. “Other teams are very good, but we know we’re going to be very tough to beat no matter who we play.”
Dore, in his 12th year, sports a 143-43-31 career record, and Avon is in the regional semifinals for the first time since 2014.
“The guys in the back have done a very good job in their roles, and I couldn’t be more happy with their performance this year,” Dore said.
As is the case with every team that’s still alive, the motivation is to keep the season going.
The Eagles have a tall task ahead of them, facing a St. Ignatius team that has won eight state titles since 2004. But they’ll be ready. “We understand their quality and tradition,” Dore added. “But we also understand how good we are and how much we want to continue to play.”