The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Eagles struggle to contain Tigers
Massillon and Avon both saw their first live action Aug. 9 as they squared off in a scrimmage in Avon.
The Tigers showed off their big play ability on offense and the Eagles’ defense struggled to contain them.
Avon surrendered numerous chunk plays, including a 70-yard touchdown pass, followed shortly after by a short touchdown run. Later in the scrimmage, Massillon scored on three straight offensive drives.
The scores included back-toback 50-yard touchdown passes, followed by a 70-yard touchdown pass.
The Eagles’ defense recorded a takeaway when they intercepted a long Tiger pass that was underthrown.
Avon’s offense was relatively quiet as they were stifled by the Tigers for the majority the scrimmage.
New Eagles starting quarterback Danny Zeh mostly made short completions throughout the night. However, he did show off his arm on a 45-yard touchdown pass.
Zeh also showed some poise and his ability to command the offense as he led the Eagles down the field and capped off a long drive with a five-yard touchdown pass.
Avon is going for their thirdstraight state tournament appearance after making the state final four the past two seasons. The Eagles are looking to replace 10 departed starters from last season’s 12-2 team. Avon has seven starters returning on defense and five returning on offense this season.
The Eagles have some key players returning on defense this season. These include linebacker Jake Wilson, who was the team’s second leading tackler last year with 95 tackles, defensive end Chris Pepe, who had six tackles for loss and three sacks last season, and safety Joey Lance who had 68 tackles and two interceptions.
Other key defensive players returning include corner back Kam Erskine, who had 38 tackles and two interceptions last season, nose tackle Greg Sedlak, who had 16 tackles and three sacks last season, and safety Niko Pappas, who had 40 tackles and five interceptions last year.
On the other side of the ball, Avon has some key pieces returning this season on the offensive side. These include running back Nick Perusek, who ran for 1,274 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, offensive tackle Tommy Lorincz, who is a Ball State University commit, and offensive tackle Joe Svec.
Other key offensive players returning include wide receiver Tommy Purcell, who had 53 catches for 477 yards and five touchdowns last season, center Mason Bingham, and wide receiver Joe Lance who had 27 catches for 274 yards and three touchdowns last year.