Avon stands tall in battle of undefeated top two schools, snags first state title

 Avon stands tall in battle of undefeated top two schools, snags first state title

By Keno Sultan

Stark County Prep Press

www.starkcountypreppress.blogspot.com

CANTON--Avon head coach Mike Elder can only imagine what Michael Jordan felt from the 1987-88 to the 1989-90 NBA seasons.

Whenever the Chicago Bulls were a step away from the NBA Finals, their hated Eastern Conference Central Division rival none other than the Detroit Pistons were there to impede their progress. 

The Pistons could only do that for so long before the Bulls finally obtained their breakthrough in the 1990-91 season when after years of multiple playoff failures against their rivals, they not only swept the Pistons in the Eastern Conference Finals but erected a championship dynasty that stretched to six titles in an eight-year span.

For top-ranked and undefeated Avon, after suffering failure after failure in the state semifinals, losing four to Akron Hoban and one to Massillon in 2019, they were finally able to vault over Akron Hoban and tonight in front of a crowd of 4,911 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, the defense came up with a final fourth down stop to knock away a Justice Burnam pass for the end zone and the Eagles obtained their much awaited first Division II state championship with a dramatic 20-13 victory over second ranked and previously undefeated Cincinnati Anderson at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.

It was the second straight year the Division II final came down to the final play. Last season, top-ranked Massillon Washington was able to celebrate a crown when linebacker Dorian Pringle knocked away a Hoban pass in the closing seconds of the Tigers 7-2 victory over third-ranked Akron Hoban. This is the second straight year the Associated Press state poll champion has won the playoff title and the Eagles are now a part of that fraternity.

13 years ago, Avon walked out of Paul Brown Tiger Stadium a state runner-up in the form of a 42-28 loss to Trotwood-Madison in Massillon's Paul Brown Tiger Stadium. 13 years later, the Eagles walk out of Canton with the gold trophy to put in their trophy case, an aesthetic sight to Elder, a Warren native and a University of Mount Union graduate.

EAGLES NUMBER ONE. Avon High School football players celebrate their Division II state championship trophy after their 20-13 victory over Cincinnati Anderson in Thursday's contest at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. (Keno Sultan/Stark County Prep Press)

"I want to say first off, congratulations to Cincinnati Anderson, that is a great football team and they are well coached. We watched countless hours of them on film and we knew what we were up against. Our defense to hold them to 13 points is remarkable and because of that, kudos to our defense," Elder said. "We were able to control the clock and we had our run game clicking. I couldn't be prouder. I am humbled to be sitting here with these guys and representing our coaching staff because there are numerous guys who threw their heart and soul into this."

This was a contest in which neither team really obtained any separation from the other. The Eagles did not miss a beat from last week's triumph over Hoban as they needed just six plays to set the tone with a 71-yard touchdown run by senior quarterback Nolan Good as he eluded hard-charging Anderson linebackers Tommy Huster and Antwoine Higgins for the early score and a 7-0 advantage.

It remained that way till the second quarter when Anderson, not known for punting the ball turned to their gas-on-the-pedal offense that paid dividends on their second possession, one that chewed up 3:45 off the clock with a key fourth down run from Burnam and aided by a humongous pass interference infraction by the Eagles that kept the Raptors alive. They finished the drive with a 12-yard score in the form of a catch and run from receiver Aiden McClanahan.

After the Eagles responded swiftly with a Good touchdown aerial to receiver Matt Maxey that spanned 45 yards, the action became comedic.

Cincinnati Anderson fumbled away a snap that was recovered by the Eagles. With Avon intending to assume a two-score advantage, an Anderson defender jarred the ball loose from Good and a mad scramble ensued for the football that resulted in a touchback when the ball went out the end zone. Burnam then threw a pass that was intercepted by Jacob Weatherspoon, allowing Avon a chance to extend their lead but the field goal was blocked and both teams went into the intermission at 7-7.

Veteran Raptors head coach Evan Dreyer was feeling great about where his team was.

"Overall, the tempo was going to stay and that is our key identity. We were going to take risks. You can't talk about playing fast and being ultra-aggressive and then saying hey we're going to punt the ball every fourth down," he said of his team's position at the half.

Anderson used a 14-play drive to pull within a single point of Avon with the key play being Burnam completing a 17-yard pass to keep their drive alive later assisted by a huge 30-yard scamper from running back Durrell Turner that traversed all the way to the Eagles 12-yard line. Burnam would score on a six-yard run but the extra-point was blocked and Avon was still ahead 14-13 with the third quarter near expiration.

FIRE IN THE SNOW. Cincinnati Anderson quarterback Justice Burnam fires a pass during the Division II state final against Avon. Burnam completed 19 passes out of 33 attempted for 150 yards and a touchdown for the Raptors, who finished the season 15-1. (Keno Sultan/Stark County Prep Press)

Avon answered the Anderson touchdown with their own manufactured 10-play drive, all runs that ended with running back Quiante Smith scoring standing up from 10 yards out. Anderson's defense stood tall on the two-point try and Avon only led 20-13 going into the fourth quarter.

Avon had a chance to send the Raptors into extinction late in regulation when Good threw a pass over the middle. Out of nowhere came sophomore defensive back Ace Alston to intercept the pass at the one yard line, allowing Anderson one final opportunity for glory.

"It was really special for Alston to get us the ball back and begin our drive. To get that momentum swing when they were ready to really put it away was huge for our team and it lifted it us up on that final drive," Dreyer said.

The Raptors drove all the way to the Avon 22 where Burnam eluded several sack attempts and flung a pass into the end zone that was eventually knocked out of bounds by the Eagles secondary and Avon players gleefully celebrated on the snowy field while Raptors players were left to tearfully console one another.

Anderson came a long way from last season's 55-7 state semifinal setback they absorbed to a Massillon team that set nine records last season on their way to a state title. In the last three years, the progress that the Raptors have made from regional finalists to state semifinalists and now to state finalists made it easier for Dreyer to put matters in perspective. When asked about how much of a blessing it was to compete in a #1 vs. #2 showdown, Dreyer proudly spoke of the opportunity to coach in the contest and what it meant to be a Raptor.

"It was incredible to be in a #1 vs #2 matchup. I think people talk about the playoffs and 16 teams, it's awesome. Playing in the playoffs and getting the matchups you want, what the kids want, what the fans want is awesome. When you look at it over time, it is incredible to see two teams fight it out on the field, claw it out and rather than seeing it through computer rankings and tonight was really cool for everybody," Dreyer said.

Burnam was the leading rusher for Anderson with 156 yards on the ground and a touchdown as Anderson finished with 367 yards of total offense. Avon was led by the  198 yard rushing from Good, who finished with 143 yards passing with eight completions out of 15 attempts.

For the Eagles, it is validation after coming up short five times in the state semifinals. When asked to compare the Eagles road to that of the 1991 Chicago Bulls NBA title winning team, it was enough for Elder to crack a smile and laugh.

"You're taking me back to the NBA days," he said. "I love it. We had some really good football teams that got to the final four. We have been knocking on the door for a while and our players could have easily given up and threw their hands in the air but they didn't. The work that goes into this is incredible and the prize is in the journey and we made a lifetime memory," he said.

For years, Mike Elder and the Avon Eagles felt the pain of losing in the state semifinals five years in a row. Now they are just as happy as the 1991 Bulls when they finally eliminated the door of failure and became NBA champions for the first time, the same as the Eagles became Division II state football champions for the first time in school history.

RAPTOR RUNNER-UPS. Cincinnati Anderson head coach Evan Dreyer and his players hold the Division II state runner-up trophy after their team's 20-13 setback to Avon in Thursday's Division II state title game at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium. Keno Sultan/Stark County Prep Press.

Keno Sultan is a writer for Stark County Prep Press. He can be reached at 330-445-4575 or email at KenoSultan@hotmail.com.