Avon runs wild past North Olmsted

On a seasonably cool Sept. 18 at Joe Firment Stadium, North Olmsted managed to limit Avon’s deadly passing attack, but it didn’t matter.

The Eagles pounded the rock with authority, roaring to a 42-14 victory.

Avon built a 35-7 halftime lead with three Devon Hunter touchdowns and two Niko Pappas scores and never relented. Avon finished with 385 rushing yards, including a 122-yard effort by quarterback Niko Pappas, a 118-yard night for running back Desmond Kelly and a 96-yard game for back Devon Hunter.

Avon remains undefeated with the Southwestern Conference victory, advancing to 4-0 with two regular season

AVON 42, NORTH OLMSTED 14

games left. North Olmsted dropped to 1-2.

“I thought our offensive line was exceptionally physical,” Avon coach Mike Elder said. “Devon and Desmond are powerful backs who are hard to tackle, and when you get behind an offensive line that can move people backwards, it’s tough to stop. But our defense was the highlight tonight. They played really well against a really good quarterback and contained him.”

Avon’s defense swarmed to the ball all night, limiting North Olmsted to 229 yards. Anthony Guercio notched 154 yards and two touchdowns through the air.

Pappas utilized his feet to fire up the Avon offense in the early going. Pappas raced to the edge on a playaction rollout and dashed for an 18-yard touchdown at the 8-minute mark of the first quarter.

North Olmsted’s defense worked hard in the opening quarter, with two interceptions, including an athletic pick by Langdon Kurtz. But the visitors could not take advantage of the opportunities.

Pappas placed Avon back on the scoreboard with 8:36 left in the second quarter. The savvy senior maneuvered around North Olmsted’s defense, scrambling 15 yards for a score. A few minutes later, Devon Hunter juked several defenders en route to a 10-yard score, upping the lead to 21-0.

North Olmsted found its way onto the scoreboard with 3:51 left in the half. Guercio connected with Jared Kelley on a slant route across the middle, and Kelley did the rest. The sophomore snuck by a pair of Avon defenders for a 30yard touchdown strike.

Hunter needed only 24 seconds to summon his response. The senior slipped underneath two North Olmsted would-be tacklers, leaving only dust in his wake on a 39-yard score. Hunter found paydirt again to end the half, this time on an off-tackle run made possible by his physical offensive line. Avon enjoyed a 35-7 lead at half.

“(North Olmsted has) a solid defensive line. Physicality was the biggest thing,” senior captain and center Mason Bingham said. “We had to want it more. Tonight, we did. It was a good night.”

Each team scored a third-quarter touchdown.

Desmond Kelly carried the load for Avon, as the senior scooted 21 yards into the end zone. North Olmsted fought back with a pretty pass from Guercio to Kelley for a 38-yard touchdown.

“One of our goals was to come out ready to play,” North Olmsted coach Tim Brediger said. “Last week, we didn’t do that. We waited until halftime and played a really good third quarter. This week, we played great in the first quarter on defense. Offensively, we sputtered at times.

“That’s a great football program. Football is a numbers game. We have 42 kids, they have 115. Our goal was to be in the game at halftime. It was just a little bit out of reach.”

Berea-Midpark will visit Joe Firment Stadium next week, while North Olmsted will host Avon Lake.