The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Rivalry built on respect
Eagles, Shoremen are meeting in Region 6 final for second straight year
Avon vs. Avon Lake Part Two of 2020 is sure to be another battle.
These two teams met in Week 1, with Avon coming back from a 24-7 halftime deficit on the road to stun Avon Lake in double overtime, 33-30.
This time, the game will be in Avon and the stakes are raised as the teams are set to clash in the regional final for the second straight season. Last year, the Eagles were victorious as they advanced to the state semifinals.
This rivalry means a lot to both teams, more than most might realize.
When the schedule comes out every season, players and coaches alike have this game circled.
“We love it,” Avon Lake coach Matt Kostelnik said. “It adds to our communities, it adds to the foundation that football brings to our communities and it gets us all excited and moving in a positive direction. I’ll steal what (Mike) Elder said today, I think it makes both of our programs better when we can compete at a high level. It gives us that extra focus.”
These two teams are rivals who want to beat each other every time they set foot on the same field.
Avon coach Mike Elder emphasized that the rivalry is built on respect.
“It’s a rivalry built on respect and I say that a lot of times,” Avon coach Mike Elder said. “This is what high school football should be. It’s two great communities, two high-performing school districts academically, who love their football and are good in all sports, specifically football. We’re separated by a set of railroad tracks, we play for a trophy and it has the makings of everything high school football should be.”
Both teams enter their latest matchup on similar terms. Avon is 9- 0, while Avon Lake is 8-1 and both teams are about as complete as they are going to get with many talented players on both sides of the ball.
As the teams navigate their way through their
week of preparation, Avon senior linebacker Kaya Yonkers and his team are working on staying focused.
“( We are) staying mentally focused and staying ready, especially this week,” Yonkers said. “Every rep counts. So just coming out here every day and taking every rep as serious as a game, it’s all we can do.”
This game will be strength vs. strength, as Avon’s high-powered offense will go up against Avon Lake’s stout defense.
Avon’s offense is led by dual-threat quarterback Niko Pappas, who has accounted for 26 touchdowns this season. He is flanked by powerful runners Devon Hunter and Desmond Kelly. The bruising backs have combined for 1,226 rushing yards and 19 touchdowns on the season.
The Shoremen know they will need to do what they do best, get after the QB and try to slow Pappas down.
“Stopping Pappas for sure and keeping him in the pocket,” Shoremen defen
sive end Kadyn Viancourt said when asked what the keys to the game are. “He’s really shifty and he showed that Week 1 and he’s showed that all season. We (need to) keep him in the pocket and force him to throw to our (defensive) backs and hopefully we’ll see some success with that.”
Avon Lake’s strength comes from its defense. The Shoremen allow 191 total yards of offense per game and give up 10 points per contest. Playmakers Jacob Sintic and Viancourt are good at getting to the quarterback as both players have combined for 17 sacks and 12 QB pressures.
The Eagles’ of fense knows it is up against a tough defensive unit.
“They have a great defense,” Pappas said. “We just have to go go through our reads and do the little things correctly.”
Avon and Avon Lake look to limit mistakes as both teams agree that winning the turnover battle is necessary to pull out win.
Avon Lake has struggled with penalties and turnovers in its last few games against Avon, something the Shoremen hope to curb this time around.
“Throughout the whole season, we’ve had a lingering problem with penalties and I think sometimes that comes back to bite us a little bit,” Shoremen quarterback Michael Corbo said. “If we clean up penalties and turnovers, I think we’ll be alright. We just have to stay smart during the game.”
Whenever these two teams get together, it’s always an adventure. Bragging rights are on the line and seniors on both teams would like nothing more than to get a win and bring home the Silver Rail trophy in their last meeting against their rival.
“We want to leave a lasting impact and make our legacy,” Viancourt said. “We haven’t won a regional championship since 2004 and to be a part of a team that has some history would be really good.”