The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Shoremen surging behind defense
For the second season in a row, the Avon Lake football team has its sights set on a regional final berth.
Standing in the Shoremen’s path is Toledo Central Catholic, the second seed in Division II, Region 6. Third-seeded Avon Lake will make the journey west to Toledo on Oct. 30 with the goal of securing a victory in a regional semifinal tilt.
To do that, the Shoremen’s defense will need to stand tall, something the unit has done all season long to help get the team to this point.
“They play 11-as-one football,” Avon Lake coach Matt Kostelnik said. “Eleven hats running to the ball and continuing to pursue hard. We’re going to need another effort like that against TCC.”
Toledo Central Catholic’s offense is averaging 50.8 points per game in six games this fall. In contrast, Avon Lake’s defense is allowing 9.5 points per game and has held opposing offenses to 180 yards of total offense per game.
Something will have to give and the Shoremen are confident in their abilities. They don’t feel the need to change up what they do no matter who their opponent is.
“Our mindset doesn’t change between anyone,” linebacker Nate Cikalo said.
“We’re confident in what we can do. We play to our own strengths and teams have to adjust to us.” — Avon Lake linebacker Nate Cikalo
“We’re confident in what we can do. We play to our own strengths and teams have to adjust to us. So we don’t care who we play each week because we are always going to give our best effort. Game planning does help but at the end of the day, we do what we do best and that is getting to the ball.”
Avon Lake’s defense is a well-oiled machine. All three phases, including the defensive line, linebackers and the secondary, work together as a cohesive unit to stifle opposing offenses week after week.
Outside of surrendering 33 points in their Week 1 loss to Avon in double overtime, the Shoremen haven’t surrendered more than 14 points in any other game this season.
“I think them working together as a complete unit has been impressive for them this year,” Kostelnik said. “I’ve really enjoyed watching them play. We rotate a couple of guys in there at different spots and we’ve had different guys in there at different times because of injuries. It’s been great to see different guys step up in different weeks and players playing consistently and playing hard.”
Quite a few players stand out on the stat sheet for Avon Lake on defense, including senior linemen Kadyn Viancourt and Jacob Sintic. Their numbers through eight games are nearly identical with Viancourt posting 25 tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 9.5 sacks, 7 QB hits and one interception, and Sintic racking up 35 tackles, 13 TFLs, 7 sacks, 3 QB hits and one forced fumble.
Both players have one thing in common; they both get after the quarterback on a weekly basis.
“We work together,” Sintic said. “It helps because we are on the same side. It seems like most of the teams we face ... Olmsted Falls didn’t even run to our side most of the game. It comes down to (the fact that) we’re both good rushers.
“If ( Viancourt) rushes and he get’s to the quarterback, the QB comes to me in the middle. If I get there, the quarterback flushes outside and he gets him. If I don’t get the QB, I can always rely on (Viancourt) to get him.”
Sintic and Viancourt
are a talented pair and work together to punish QBs and running backs. The opposing team has to game plan for both players, not just one.
“You get one or the other,” Viancourt said. “If I go outside and rush the edge and (Sintic) cuts up, he’s right there to make the play. If he rushes up the middle and the quarterback wants to roll out, I’ll be there or Cikalo or Stuewe will be there to make that play. If one of us doesn’t make the play, the other one will.”
In the secondary, defensive back Michael Stuewe has been a standout contributor as has Cikalo at linebacker. Stuewe has posted 34 tackles, 3 TFLs, 4 pass break ups and one forced fumble, while Cikalo has 41 tackles, 5 TFLs, two interceptions, 2 pass break ups and two defensive touchdowns to his name.
Stuewe gives credit to the defensive line for putting pressure on opposing quarterbacks early on during plays. He referenced Avon Lake’s game against Wadsworth where defensive back Billy Simpson tallied three interceptions in the first half.
“The biggest thing with that is, the defensive line getting pressure so quickly,” Stuewe said. “We had Billy in the middle of the field playing up where the quarterback was going. The quarterback couldn’t go to his second read because he had five guys in his face from our defensive line. Billy was there and made great plays.”
Cikalo and his teammates attribute their success to the chemistry they have built over the many years of playing football together. The senior-laden group has nine starters on defense, all of which have helped lead the Shoremen on another deep playoff run.
“All of those juniors from last year are now seniors, so we really bond together,” Cikalo said. “On defense, what makes us so dominant is our speed. We are able to fly around and get to the ball. Most teams have never played a defense as fast as us so they are always in for a surprise when they play us.”