The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Shoremen grounded in semifinal loss
Toledo Central Catholic run game too much for Avon Lake
SANDUSKY >> After being vacant from the postseason for two years, the Avon Lake Shoremen’s run has ended. They fell in the second round of the Division II playoffs at Firelands Regional Medical Center Stadium, 56-16, to Toledo Central Catholic.
Avon Lake (10-2), whose last appearance in the playoffs
was in 2016, had a hard time containing the Fighting Irish’s running game, as they surrendered 539 yards on the ground, including seven rushing touchdowns.
The main culprit for giving the Shoremen defense fits was Toledo Central Catholic senior dual-threat quarterback Troy Durden, who ran for 156 yards and four rushing touchdowns, while also picking up one passing score.
Meanwhile, Avon Lake’s offense sputtered, especially on the ground, as they picked up just 73 yards rushing while netting 221 yards of total offense.
“You know, we had some big stops,” Avon Lake head coach Matt Kostelnik said. “We just needed to find that big play and it just didn’t come. They played a great game and it’s unfortunate to go out that way, but I don’t want to take away what my seniors did. A 10-2 season and an SWC Championship. I couldn’t be prouder of them.”
Toledo Central Catholic (12-0) struck first, as Durden scored on a 1-yard run after an eight play 76-yard drive, to give the Fighting Irish a, 7-0, lead with 9:27 left in the first quarter.
Several minutes and six plays later the Shoreman got within scoring range but had to settle for a 37yard field goal by junior Harry Herbert after a third and six incompletion on the 20-yard line set up for the score, making it, 7-3, Toledo Central Catholic.
Despite surrendering a 1-yard touchdown run to Avon Lake’s Griffin Lidyard in the second quarter, the Fighting Irish were able to tack on three more scores in the half, as senior Jase Bowen scored on a 56-yard run, followed by Durden on an eight-yard carry.
Durden then found senior receiver Michael Griffin in the air on a 32-yard pass to take a 28-10 lead going into halftime.
As for the Shoremen’s offense in the first half, they
compiled 69 yards of total offense, while surrendering 293 on defense.
“They weren’t really didn’t doing anything differently,” Kostelnik said. “We just weren’t able to take advantage of matchups in the secondary as I was hoping we could to be able to exploit a little bit. But sometimes that’s just gonna happen. We weren’t really able to the throw the ball in the first half, whether it be because of the weather or weren’t getting reads or weren’t getting off jams, it was kind of a combination of everything.”
Entering the second half was not any easier for Avon Lake, as they gave up 28 points in the half, including big-play scores of 44 and 63 yards.
However, the Shoreman did not stop fighting, as they were able to pick up another score in the game when senior running back Konner Riggs caught a 15-yard touchdown pass from senior quarterback Jack Mickolich late in the third quarter.
“I’m really proud of our seniors,” Kostelnik said. “We had a senior class who hadn’t had a winning season until freshman year, and they dedicated themselves to the program, to the weight room and saw a regime change and still stuck with things and stuck with me through the process. I just appreciate what they were able to do and they’re a great group of kids and they’re gonna be great young men moving forward and I wish them the best.”