The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Eagles’ win streak comes to an end
Avon’s young offense had some growing pains on Aug. 27 in a Week 2 loss to Division I Medina.
And going head-to-head with Penn State commit Drew Allar and a high flying Bee’s offense, they had them at just the wrong times.The Eagles fell, 34-17, in what is their first regular season defeat since Sept. 7 of 2018, snapping a streak of 24 straight wins.
Avon hosts Glenville on Sept. 3 before opening its conference schedule against rival Avon Lake on Sept. 3.
“We knew what we were up against and we feel like we’re really good too. But we have to get better on offense,” Avon head coach Mike Elder said.
Elder’s young offense showed poise in responding from what could have been several backbreaking scenarios in the second half.
To start the half, Allar led a long touchdown drive culminating in a five yard rumble from the quarterback himself.
Avon’s defense forced a turnover on downs after a three and out from their offense that featured a killer penalty.
Quarterback Sam DeTillio hit Gavin Ehrhardt down the right side of the field for a 23 yard gain that was called back. Ehrhardt stepped out of bounds briefly however meaning he couldn’t be the first player to touch the ball when he established himself back in bounds.
Avon punted, but again their defense forced a turnover on downs.
Minutes later, facing a fourth and ten, DeTillio calmly completed an 11 yard comeback to Tim Conwell. Jakorion Coffey followed that up with an 11yard run.
DeTillio then found his tight end Austin Mitchell inside the five. Seconds later, Ehrhardt scored from 3-yards out.
“Every play is important,” DeTillio said. “The game is all about momentum and we just didn’t have it at times. But we’re ready to put this behind us and learn heading into Week 3.”
For the third time in the half, Avon forced a turnover on downs, getting the ball at their own 40 yard line.
Down 10, the Eagles’ had the opportunity to get the game within a score. Less than two minutes of game time later, Allar scored the game clinching touchdown from five yards out.
“Our defense came up with what we needed and we felt like if we could go down and score to get it to a three point game, it could be there for the taking,” Elder said. “They made plays and we did not. Credit to them, they pressured (DeTillio) and made him uncomfortable in some of those situations.
“We’ll grow from this as a coaching staff and as players.”
Allar threw for 264 yards and ran for 111, showcasing his Big Ten arm talent. Medina spent much of the night in empty backfields, spreading the Avon defense thin.
As a result, the Eagles could only rush four, leaving them a gap short against the run. Allar took full advantage of that, gashing the Avon defense on several designed runs.
“They’re a really good team, they can play with anyone in Division I,” Elder said. “I wish I could have done a better job of slowing them down.”