AKRON, Ohio — With a short week coming up, Avon coach Mike Elder reminded his players Friday night in Akron they will begin practice for Cincinnati Anderson and the OHSAA Division II football state championship game on Sunday.
Avon got to do it last year, and the Eagles get to do it again after their 38-7 win against Walsh Jesuit at the University of Akron’s InfoCision Stadium in the state semifinals.
The Eagles (13-1) will meet Anderson (14-0) on Thursday night at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, but to get there they needed an aggressive defensive performance to match the aggressive offense that Walsh brought to Akron.
The Warriors (11-2) put up 30 or more points in 10 of their wins, and coach Nick Alexander has never shied away from putting the ball in his playmakers’ hands. To no surprise, his team went for it on fourth down early and often.
Walsh went for it seven times on fourth down, but converted only once in those situations against the defending state champs.
“I think that our defense played really well in those money downs, specifically,” Elder said. “That’s big when you can win those.”
Walsh went for it early at midfield on its second possession, facing fourth-and-2 with a 7-0 lead. The Warriors’ only points came on Milan Parris’ opening kickoff return for a 95-yard touchdown. Their offense went three-and-out on their first possession.
In going for it, junior quarterback David Ternosky’s pass fell incomplete toward the Walsh sideline, setting up Avon for its tying touchdown drive.
“We knew the plays that we were going to have ready for fourth down,” Avon senior linebacker Ryan Stolarski said, “and we went out there and we executed the best we could.”
Walsh went for it again on fourth down at midfield late in the second quarter. The Warriors could not convert the pass again, and it set up Blake Elder’s 18-yard touchdown pass to tight end Killian Haessig with 35 seconds left in the half.
Avon took a 23-7 lead into halftime. Its defense had a formula to defend Ternosky and his talented receivers, including Parris at 6-foot-5 and Cambell Lann at 6-4. They combined for 60 yards on five receptions, all but one going to Parris.
Ternosky finished 8 of 19 for 91 yards.
“We knew he’s not that mobile,” said Avon senior defensive end Lance Dawson, a Cincinnati commit. “He couldn’t run a lot, and we knew of some of their O-line were down to a third-string guard and their center got injured in their loss.”
So Avon knew where to blitz Walsh’s line with Stolarski and safety Jerry Clements coming on top of Dawson and opposite end Vincent DeTillio. Dawson said they wanted to bottle up Ternosky and force him to drop back as far as possible.
With Parris and Lann having height advantages, Ternosky needed to have his feet planted to find them. They could come down with a high throw, but low ones could give opportunities to Avon’s secondary.
Those defensive backs took advantage with three interceptions.
Caden Clapham had the biggest one, which he returned off a deflection for a 98-yard touchdown in the second quarter. Sam Ulery had another one in the second quarter, while junior cornerback Jairel Fenton had one in the fourth quarter.
Fittingly, Fenton’s came on the seventh time Walsh Jesuit went for it on fourth down.
Other fourth-down-conversion attempts saw Avon stop Walsh with Dawson hurrying Ternosky’s throw in traffic and Clapham stopping Parris on a reception for no gain. Late in the third, junior linebacker Nate Peters sacked Ternosky on another fourth down.
“It’s the brotherhood,” Clapham said. “Being out there with my guys, everyone knows we want it so bad, so we’re gonna give it all our all.”