The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Eagles win thriller in double overtime
Avon rallies from 17-point halftime deficit to beat rival Avon Lake
ASchabel@morningjournal.com @AdamSchabel13 on Twitter
The latest installment of Avon vs Avon Lake football didn’t disappoint.
After originally being scheduled to play Aug. 28, bad weather pushed the game back to Aug. 29.
Both teams came to play and it was well worth the wait.
Avon quarterback Niko Pappas hit receiver Kam Erskine on a 20-yard touchdown pass in double overtime to lift the Eagles past the Shoremen, 3330 on Aug. 29 at Avon Lake Memorial Stadium.
“That throw, we hadn’t practiced yet,” Pappas said. “We just put it in on the sidelines, thought it would be a good play and it turned out to be one. Great call by the offensive coordinator. We got down early and we just never let up.”
Avon Lake dominated the first half and led 24-7 at halftime. Shoremen running back Mason Wheeler racked up 104 rushing yards and a pair of scores in the first half. Quarterback Michael Corbo appeared composed and ran the offense efficiently.
After falling behind early in the contest, Avon scratched and clawed their way back as the second half was a different story.
Eagles kicker Nathanial Vakos nailed a 22-yard field goal late in the third quarter to draw the Eagles closer at 24-10.
Things weren’t looking good for Avon after Pappas threw an interception with 8:22 left in the contest and the Eagles trailing, 24-10.
Despite the dim outlook, they didn’t back down and kept chipping away.
“Our team clawed and battled and wow, that’s all I can say,” Avon head coach Mike Elder said.