It’s a classic example of how statistics can be deceiving. The Eagles outgained their hosts, 573-250. Quarterback Blake Elder celebrated his birthday by completing 19 of 25 passes for 320 yards and three touchdowns. Michael Colburn rushed for 108 yards on just 15 carries and scored three touchdowns. Avon punted only once, and that came with just 1 minute, 10 seconds remaining in the game.

Sounds like a blowout, right? Well, not exactly. Yes, the Eagles did eventually come out on top, 55-27, to continue their quest for a 10th consecutive Southwestern Conference title and a second consecutive Division II state title. Avon is now 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the SWC, dropping Division I Berea-Midpark to 4-2 and 2-1.

But this was far from a typical blowout. The Eagles never trailed, but it wasn’t until the defense took over late in the third quarter that Avon put this one to rest, outscoring the Titans, 27-6, after halftime.

“It was certainly a game where Berea came ready to play and kept this thing close until halftime,”

said Elder. “We felt like we had a good game plan, but there’s a road map for winning, for success for every team, and when you’re playing in the SWC, you’ve got to play four quarters.

“Fortunately, in the second half we were able to do what we thought we could do in the first as well. In the second half we challenged them to stop the run, and we came out and pounded the football and they had trouble standing in there with our guys. I also thought in the second half we got after the quarterback a lot better than we did in the first half. We put a lot of pressure on him, and that was the difference in stopping them.”

It’s the second time in three weeks that the Eagles have put 55 points on the board against a team that is considered to be playoff material, first North Ridgeville and then Berea-Midpark. Certainly, the offense is humming right now.

When asked what was working for Avon in the victory over the Titans, Blake Elder replied,

“Really, everything. I mean, our offensive line did great all night, our backs ran the ball insanely well for being their first game, and our receivers, they just make plays.”

The success of the running game was especially key for the Eagles, as they lost their top two running backs, Quiante’ Smith and Cam Wendell, to injury in last week’s victory over Olmsted Falls. Both were seen on the Avon sideline wearing walking boots, and Smith also was on crutches.

Enter Colburn, Adrian Ramirez and Dean Andress, who helped the Eagles rush for 253 yards and five touchdowns. Colburn, a junior, was the only back to top 100 yards, and he scored on runs covering 6, 5 and 4 yards. Ramirez, a sophomore who weighs 203 pounds, gained 52 yards on six carries with TD runs of 13 and 4 yards, and Andress, also a junior, gained 42 yards on six carries.

“I thought Michael Colburn played well,” said Mike Elder. “So did Adrian Ramirez. And then Dean Andress came in and gave us some solid carries. When you have 107 guys on the team and they work as hard as our guys do, you develop depth. And we’re going to need it right now because there’s no replacing Quiante’ Smith and Cam Wendell. Those guys are studs. We’re hoping to get those guys back later on, but for now, these guys will have to hold down the fort.”

For nearly three quarters, the game followed a similar pattern—Avon would have an offensive explosion, but Berea-Midpark would find a way to respond. After the Eagles opened the scoring on a 14-yard pass from Elder to Fin Jordanek, the Titans answered on the very next play, an 86-yard TD pass from Dylan Papushak to Tyson Clay.

Avon then scored touchdowns on runs by Colburn and Ramirez to make it 21-7, but Berea-Midpark halted the momentum by intercepting an Elder pass and returning it to the Avon 10-yard line. Three plays later, Papushak scored on a QB draw of 4 yards, and the Eagles were back in a contest. Colburn then added another TD run, but Clay took back the ensuing kickoff 95 yards for his third kick return score of the season, making it 28-21, the halftime score.

The Eagles opened a 35-21 lead midway through the third quarter on a 69-yard strike from Elder to Caden Clapham, but Berea-Midpark answered once again, this time on a short rollout pass of 4 yards from Papushak to Nick Reece. The PAT kick was blocked—the Eagles also partially blocked a punt in the first half—but the Titans were back within one possession, 35-27.

But that’s where it came to an end. Berea-Midpark had four more possessions that netted just 16 yards, and the Eagles added three more touchdowns—touchdown runs by Colburn and Ramirez and a 30-yard TD reception by Jackson Palmer—to reach the final score.

“I’ve said this before and I’ll continue to say it: the SWC is one of the best conference in the state of Ohio,” said Mike Elder. “I was told that Amherst beat Olmsted Falls tonight. It proves that you can lose in the SWC if you don’t come ready to play. We preach that all the time to these guys and they understand it. We’ve won nine straight conference championships, so it would be easy to become complacent. But they don’t do that and I’m proud of our guys.”

The season continues October 3 when Avon hosts Midview.