Regional semifinals for Divisions II, III are here

The Avon Lake Shoremen get Region 6 top dog Toledo Central Catholic, while Avon faces undefeated Whitehouse Anthony Wayne and Rocky River continues its path as an eighth seed through Region 10.

Avon Lake’s only slip up this season was a Week 9 loss to Southwestern Conference foe Olmsted Falls, but the team wasn’t going to be caught off guard a second time around.

The Shoremen avenged their lone regular-season loss Nov. 2 in a 44-28 rout of the rival Bulldogs, thanks in large part to what head coach Matt Kostelnik said is better preparation on his end and finally seeing a swagger he and his staff have worked to instill all season.

“The first time around, it probably was my fault,” Kostelnik said of the Week 9 loss to Olmsted Falls. “The scheme wasn’t as sound as it could’ve been, but the kids played with a lot more confidence this time around.

“The biggest thing with our kids is, ‘Are they confident in the scheme they’re doing?’ And that starts with coaching. We matched Falls’ intensity, but it was my fault for not instilling confidence.”

Whether it was a lack of confidence or an unfamiliarity with the game plan, even the players felt like a lot of points were left on the field in the loss and were determined to get them all back and then some.

Once the Shoremen got back to what they feel they do best, it was like Olmsted Falls never had a chance.

“I felt a lot more comfortable with what we were doing second time around,” Kostelnik said. “It was about, ‘Hey, let’s line up, let’s be us, force ball to edges and use speed.’ If they beat us passing, they’re the better team, but at least we’re dictating what they’re doing.”

Now Avon Lake is back in a regional semifinal for the first time since 2016 and the fourth time since 2007. But the reward for advancing in the playoffs is a date with the No. 2 team in the AP Division II Poll: Toledo Central Catholic.

The Fighting Irish (110) are a powerhouse program in every sense of the phrase. They’ve advanced to the state tournament the past four seasons, with their most recent championship in 2014, and they won another state title in 2012. This season, Central Catholic looks as dominant as ever.

Opponents are averaging a mere 4.3 points per game while the Irish offense averages 42.8 points. Finding holes in the smothering Central Catholic defense is the main focus of practice this week in Avon Lake.

“We just have to be on the attack,” Kostelnik said. “We have to take advantage of matchups. Those are the kind of things (Central Catholic thrives) on. They rely on defense to wreak havoc, so we have to limit that, don’t give them anything cheap and make them earn their scores.

“The biggest thing is understanding the task in front of them. Central Catholic is a great program, a great team, but so are we. We have to match their intensity and match them up front.”

The Shoremen are taking time to enjoy the fact they’re practicing while most teams in Ohio have had their locker rooms cleaned out for a week at this point, but it’s not just about being happy to be here. There’s still a game to play, and that confidence built up after a dominating first-round win can’t waver against arguably the toughest opponent Avon Lake will see thus far.

“Being able to create the matchups we want is going to be a top priority, getting the unusual matchups,” Kostelnik said. “From there, let’s rock and roll and bring the house. We still have to run the ball. We’re a running team this week, and we have to establish the run.

“They’re excited to be where we’re at, and I’m excited to be where we’re at. We’re enjoying it, but we still have a job Friday night. It’s awesome to be where we are, but we have to take care of business Friday or we’ll be on wrong side of rough game.”