The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Eagles soar in Game 1
Avon defeats Avon Lake in Game 1 rivalry
A year ago, Avon was on the other side of a tough game with rival Avon Lake, but this time around the Eagles wasted no time stealing a win in the teams’ most anticipated game of the season.
Avon (1-0) found itself down, 127, with more than five minutes to play in regulation when standout running back Nick Perusek broke free for a 16-yard touchdown run to give the Eagles a one-point lead before a failed two-point conversion.
The defense went to work holding Avon Lake deep within its own territory, and an incomplete pass on fourth down set up an Avon drive that all but secured the win. Quarterback Danny Zeh muscled three yards for a first
down with less than two minutes to play, giving Avon a 13-12 win.
“It was awesome,” Perusek said. “This might have been the best game I’ve ever been a part of, definitely the most fun game I’ve ever been a part of.”
Perusek showed why he’s widely regarded as not only one of the top running backs, but one of the best high school football players in Lorain County.
The senior finished with both of Avon’s touchdowns when he caught a 23-yard pass from Zeh midway through the first quarter to put the Eagles up, 7-0, and again in the fourth quarter to give his team the lead.
He finished with 81 yards on 20 carries and caught four passes for 29 yards.
“We knew they were going have a really tough defense going in and our offense didn’t really start clicking until we got our passing game down and that’s what really opened up the run,” Perusek said.
Zeh had a generally positive showing in his first game under center after backing up All-Ohio quarterback Ryan Maloy for two seasons.
He finished 14 of 22 with 112 yards and a touchdown on a night where the Avon
Lake pressure forced him to make tough play after tough play. And his only misstep was an interception in the end zone late in the second quarter.
“Danny was under duress and pressure and I don’t know that we always put him in the best situations in this game but for the most part, he made one bad decision, but he’s a first-year starter in a pretty big atmosphere so he’ll grow up and get better,” Avon coach Mike Elder said.
Elder could not express enough how proud he is of his team to find a way to win against a defense that he knew would be one of the toughest his team would face all season.
“That defense that we
just played is one of the best I’ve seen on film in a long, long time and that’s no fluke,” he said. “We knew what we were getting into in this kind of game. ... What about the belief of our kids.”
“They never quit. They’re programmed and conditioned to keep playing until the end.”
Unfortunately for Avon Lake, it was penalties that kept the Shoremen from truly taking over the game, as they finished with 14 penalties for 114 yards when the playoff-like atmosphere seemingly got to the offensive line.
“We can erase those penalties in a 13-12 game, but we can’t beat ourselves,” Avon Lake coach Matt Kostelnik said. “We played
tough tonight but we came up a point short.
“The idea is we got to get back, got to play Shoremen football and do what we do best.
Gage Duesler had Avon Lake’s lone touchdown, a four-yard run, and finished with 45 yards while Harry Hebert added 22 and Michael Corbo 70.
Hebert added two field goals of 30 and 34 yards, respectively.
Avon Lake travels to Clarksville to face ClintonMassie next week while Avon prepares to travel to Lorain.
“(The win) gives us such a wave of momentum and it will really help us throughout the whole season, especially next week against Lorain,” Perusek said.