The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
SOARING EAGLES
Two Avon players celebrate a touchdown against host Lorain during Week 2 of the high school football season. The Eagles went on to defeat the Titans, 52-28.
The Lorain Titans were hoping to get their season back on track at home, while Avon was seeking their second straight win.
Only one of these could come to fruition as the Titans hosted the Eagles at George Daniel Field on Sept. 6.
The Eagles used their high powered offense to down the Titans, 52-28. Lorain got off to a good start on the opening drive of the game when quarterback Jordan Jackson orchestrated a 10-play, 64-yard touchdown drive. Titans running back Daylin Dower capped the scoring drive with a 6-yard touchdown run.
Avon didn’t get discouraged after watching Lorain march down the field and take a 7-0 lead.
The Eagles answered immediately
on the first play of their first drive of the game.
Running back Nick Perusek took the handoff from quarterback Danny Zeh and sprinted up the middle for a 74-yard touchdown run to even the score at 7-7 with 7:15 remaining in the opening quarter.
“I thought our advantage today would be between the tackles, and it was,” Avon coach Mike Elder said. “That’s where we took over the game. We have to play to our strengths. Out in space, they (Lorain) are really good and I felt good about our defensive adjustments to slow that down.”
Lorain’s defense struggled to contain Avon’s high powered offense led by Zeh and Perusek. Including that score by Avon, the Eagles proceeded to score 31 straight points.
Zeh led the charge by throwing three touchdown passes in that span, two of them went to wide receivers Joey Lance and Noah Mangan, while one went to Perusek.
Lorain showed some fight by scoring right before the half when Jackson connected with Dower on a 19yard touchdown pass. Avon answered with a touchdown with six seconds remaining in the half to take a 38-14 lead into the half.
“Lorain is a good football team and they are going to win their share of games, I promise you guys that,” Elder said. “They have players and athletes.”
Lorain didn’t give up and kept fighting the rest of the way.
The Titans came out of the half and recovered an onside kick on the opening kickoff of the second half. They went on to score three more times.
Lorain head coach Dave McFarland liked the way his players fought in the second half.
“I’m proud of our kids, they played four quarters and they played hard,” McFarland said.
Titans running back Daylin Dower tallied four total touchdowns on the night, two rushing and two receiving.
“He’s a wonderful kid, he fought the whole game and I’m proud of him,” McFlarland said.
In the end, Avon was too much for Lorain to handle, as the Eagles scored twice in the second half to close the game out.
Zeh was in command of the Eagles offense as he threw three touchdown passes on the night.
“It felt good,” Zeh said. I don’t care if I score or if Nick (Perusek) scores, I just want touchdowns on the board. I don’t care how we get them.”
Perusek was a force to be reckoned with on the ground for Avon as he scored three total touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving.
Perusek was surprised when he ran for a 74-yard score.
“I honestly wasn’t expecting it,” Perusek said. “Nobody was there, it was really the line who opened that up and it was wide open and it turned into a track sprint for me.”
Up next, Avon takes on Lakewood on the road while Lorain hosts Elyria Sept. 13.