The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
SOARING EAGLES
Avon takes the field for its clash Sept. 4 with Olmsted Falls. The Eagles rallied to prevail in a thriller, 35-32. Check out Adam Schabel’s recap of that game, along with all high school football coverage,
For the second week in a row, the game came down to the final minutes for Avon.
After trailing Avon Lake in the closing minutes of their Week 1 contest, the Eagles found themselves in a similar situation.
They came out on top yet again.
Avon quarterback Niko Pappas hit running back Devon Hunter on an 18-yard catchand-run touchdown with just over a minute left to give the Eagles (2-0, 2-0 SWC) a 35-32 road win over Olmsted Falls (11, 1-1 SWC) on Sept. 4.
“We knew what we were getting into coming in here,” Avon coach Mike Elder said. “Olmsted Falls sets the standard for toughness in our league,
and we try to match that every year by our offseason workouts and our weight-room program. Tremendous respect for Coach (Tom) DeLuca and their program.”
The battle between two top-tier teams in the Southwestern Conference didn’t disappoint.
“This is just SWC football, and if you don’t do the work in the offseason, these guys will expose you,” Elder said.
“We do the work in the offseason, and at times we were getting exposed, so it’s a physical team. I’m proud of our kids to keep battling, fighting and finding a way to get a W.”
The back-and-forth affair began with Olmsted Falls jumping on top of Avon early in the first quarter when Bulldogs quarterback Charlie Ciolek hit wide receiver Jimmy Cooney on a 10-yard score. Running back Andrew Parkowski tacked on a two-point conversion to give Olmsted Falls an 8-0 lead.
Avon responded in a big way, as Pappas hit receiver Mike Matlack on a 55-yard touchdown pass to pull the Eagles within one point at 8-7 with just over five minutes remaining in the opening quarter.
It was a neck-and-neck contest, with each team answering the other team’s scores. Hunter gave Avon a 21-18 lead at the half after breaking free for a 55-yard score.
The Bulldogs had a hard time slowing down Hunter. The senior racked up 210 yards rushing and tallied three total scores, two rushing and one receiving.
“It felt good to come out and play,” Hunter said. “Last week wasn’t the week that I wanted, but I felt good on the field this week.”
Olmsted Falls’ defense came up with a big play just before the end of the third quarter. Avon was trailing, 25-21, when Pappas handed the ball off to Hunter, who was stuffed at the 1-yard line on fourth down, turning the ball over to the Bulldogs.
The Eagles’ defense wouldn’t be outdone.
On the ensuing Bulldogs’ possession to start the fourth quarter, Avon stripped the ball away deep in Olmsted Falls territory. Pappas and the Eagles took full advantage of the opportunity, as the senior hit Michael Ptacek on a nine-yard TD pass to give the Eagles a 28-25 lead with 8:08 left in the game.
The Bulldogs weren’t done yet.
Olmsted Falls put together a lengthy drive that was capped off by Parkowski’s second TD run of the game with 4:43 left in the contest. That score helped the Bulldogs regain the lead at 32-28.
“The effort was awesome,” Olmsted Falls coach Tom DeLuca said. “They played like we thought they could play and how they are going to continue to play. I think we are a really good football team, and I think we are going to get even better. The effort tonight was great. We played a good, hard football game against a really good team. The fans got their money’s worth.”
Avon did what it does best as it rallied in the final minutes to win the game. Pappas led the Eagles on a lengthy drive and hit Hunter for the game-winning touchdown.
“That was crazy,” Pappas said. “I knew I was going to go with him. That’s a fast dude out of the backfield. He’s hard to guard, and he was open.”
Avon defensive back Jackson Blodgett stepped in front of a Ciolek pass and intercepted the ball to seal the contest.
“I saw (Ciolek) go out and I knew I had to make a play,” Blodgett said. “I saw the ball coming and did what I had to do.”
Pappas threw for 194 yards and three scores in the contest. He added another 26 yards on the ground. The senior wants to see his team come out with a bit more energy to start their games.
“We have to start picking it up in the beginning (of the game),” Pappas said. “We come out a little soft sometimes. We need to be a little more physical and get to it more in the beginning. We usually pick it up, stay together and it shows a lot of heart. It’s something we can work with.”