The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Pioneer tale: Elyria statement electrifies
As the final seconds ticked off the clock in Elyria’s 27-7 win over Elyria Catholic on Aug. 28, the Pioneers ran into the south end zone at Mercy Health Field at Ely Stadium.
As some players shouted, “This is our city,” others waved goodbye to the Panthers while shouting, “This is our house.”
And as the pandemonium died down, Pioneers coach Devlin Culliver came over and addressed his team.
For the entire offseason, Culliver and the Pioneers felt they were ridiculed on social media by teams from all over the region — Elyria Catholic included. In that postgame huddle, Culliver told his team they wouldn’t have to endure that anymore.
“We took it personally,” Culliver said. “Just because you did well last year and we didn’t
doesn’t mean that you’re a better team this year.”
In the time since Culliver was hired as Elyria’s coach, he’s talked about changing the culture around the Pioneers’ football program. That culture shift was on full display Aug. 28, as the Pioneers outgained the Panthers in total yards, 207-92.
One-hundred ninety-two of the Pioneers yards come on the ground, which is something Culliver planned around based on the weather.
When Culliver realized most of the game was going to be played in wind and rain, he ditched the Pioneers’ original game plan and focused on the ground game.
It worked.
“We played bully ball,” he said.
“We knew once the rain started to come that we were going to have to change our game plan. We know we’ll run the ball well no matter what, so we went with that.”
Of those rushing yards, 150 came from senior running back Jahiem Atkinson. Atkinson, who rushed for 1,034 yards and two touchdowns last season, contributed part of his success to the Pioneers’ presence up front.
“All the credit to the offensive line,” he said. “They were blocking really well and opened up a ton of lanes.”
While the Pioneers ended up having a stellar game on offense, that wasn’t the case at the beginning of the game, as neither the Pioneers nor the Panthers could get much going on offense, in large part due to the pounding rain. While both teams scored early touchdowns through the air — with Elyria opening the scoring on a touchdown pass from Daylan Sharlow to Andrew Palos before the Panthers answered on a touchdown pass of their own from Steven Navalinsky
to Jaret Frantz — the first half was defined by mishandled snaps, dropped passes and player slipping all over the turf.
“We just knew we couldn’t make as many mistakes as them,” Culliver said. “They’re a good team. They went to the playoffs last year. We were able to overcome our own mistakes.”
Sharlow finished 2-for13 for 46 yards to go along with a touchdown and an interception, while Navalinsky finished 10-for-28 for 116 yards and a touchdown. As a team, the Panthers finished with negative-24 yards rushing.
The Pioneers were able to take advantage of one of those Elyria Catholic mistakes halfway through the second quarter when sophomore linebacker Isaiah
Johnson picked up an Elyria Catholic and ran it in from 20 yards out to give Elyria a 14-7 lead — one that the Pioneers would never relinquish.
“It feels good,” Johnson said. “I worked hard all offseason, and we really worked hard on defense to be prepared for the start of the season. That was a really electrifying play, and I could tell that really fired everyone up.”
In addition to Atkinson’s dominance in the running game, sophomore running back Lance Glover also put together a strong performance on the ground, rushing for 51 yards and a touchdown.
“All summer long I’ve been telling them that their experience from last year is supposed to mean something,” Culliver said. “They’re not rookies anymore, so they shouldn’t play like it.”
Last year, the Pioneers picked up their first win of the season in Week 2 with a 7-6 win over Bedford. This year, they’re starting the season with a dominant victory over a playoff team from the year before.
“It’s exciting,” Culliver said.
“It’s something we can build on. We have a different mindset this year.”