Offensive explosion carries Eagles past Olmsted Falls, 58-33

Olmsted Falls and Avon have faced off 11 times on the football field since 2021, with the Eagles winning all 11 meetings. In fact, coach Mike Elder is 20-0 against the Bulldogs.

But this one was different. More than 1,000 yards of offense and 91 points between the two. Defenses that were unable to do anything to stop the opponent, especially in the second half. When the teams walked off the field following Avon’s 58-33 victory, they did so with the knowledge that they had just completed a lesson in offensive football, the most explosive result in the history of the Southwestern Conference matchup.

With the victory, Avon is now 3-2 overall and 2-0 in SWC play.

“Olmsted Falls-Avon always has playoff implications,” Elder said. “It always has conference championship implications. We’re 2-0 right now, which is nice. If we lose this game, then we have to ask for help. We’re just trying to take care of business every week, so we won’t need help, and that’s always the goal.”

Avon quarterback Trevor Sykora had an unusual night in that he only completed 8 of 18 passes, but those eight completions went for 325 yards and four touchdowns. The scoring passes covered 92, 83, 19 and 25 yards, and the junior also had a completion of 58 yards that set up his own 9-yard touchdown run.

“I didn’t think he had a good first half,” Elder said. “I’ll be critical of Trevor because he’s critical of himself. I thought his first half was a little rough. He made a play with his feet, but he missed some open guys. But then in the second half he settled in and did what we expect of Trevor Sykora, because he’s really good.”

Part of what made Sykora better in the second half is that the Eagles were able to run the ball. After gaining just 48 yards on the ground in the first half, Avon exploded for 225 rushing yards in the second half. They were led by Michael Colburn, who gained 154 yards on 10 carries, including TD runs of 44 and 87 yards. Colburn was spelled by junior Adrian Ramirez, who ended with 82 yards on 11 carries and a TD run of 3 yards.

Sykora’s favorite target through the air was Fin Jerdonek, who had five receptions for 160 yards and two touchdowns. The 5-foot-10 senior provided the bookends on the scoring, opening the game on a 92-yard scamper after taking a short pass from Sykora and then shrugging off a defender before winning the race to the end zone. He also ended the scoring on a 25-yard TD reception with 5 minutes, 7 seconds to play.

“Fin Jerdonek’s one of the best players in this entire Northeast Ohio,” Elder said. “He’s really talented. He’s just really good. He’s quick. He’s twitchy. He’s got great hands and a high football IQ. He’s not the sexy receiver because he’s not as tall as everyone wants him to be. But he’s really good at football.”

Olmsted Falls countered with quarterback Cameron Pesch, who passed for 305 yards and three touchdowns while completing 23 of 31 attempts, and rushed for 90 yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

“(Defensively), we’re not in a good spot right now,” Elder said. “We gave up way too many points. I’d like to sugarcoat it for you, but we’re not happy with that. No one in this program is going to be happy with that many points. But credit Olmsted Falls. Their quarterback is a special player. He’s a really good runner and a very accurate passer. He extends plays, and some of the credit goes to him.”

There were some big moments for the Avon defense, especially early in the game. The Eagles failed to make a first down on the game’s opening possession, and the Bulldogs began their first drive on their own 43. Employing a new spread offense as opposed to the triple option scheme of the past, Olmsted Falls quickly found its way into the red zone, getting as far as Avon’s 16-yard line. But the drive ended when Avon’s Nathan Peters recovered a fumble by Pesch.

On the very next play, Jerdonek electrified the crowd with his 92-yard TD burst, giving the Eagles a 7-0 lead they never would relinquish. The next possession for the hosts was perhaps the biggest of the night, as the Bulldogs drove all the way to Avon’s 9-yard line before Pesch was sacked by Jerdonek and Peters on fourth-and-three, preserving Avon’s lead and allowing the Eagles to build a 22-6 halftime advantage before the teams traded 63 second-half points.

“This was a great offensive performance tonight,” Elder said. “We’re excited about that. But we’ve got to get better on the defensive side of the ball.”

Avon next hosts Berea-Midpark, a team that has an explosive offense that scored 27 points against the Eagles last year, the most they allowed in any game. Then again, coupled with last week’s 62-21 dismantling of North Ridgeville, Avon has scored 120 points in its last two games.

When reminded of that, Elder said, “That’s awesome, right? Never thought we’d get there after a couple of our weeks. Some people have written this team off and we’re a work in progress. But the Avon Eagles will be okay by the end of the year. These guys understand that respect’s not something that you’re given. You have to earn it every week. What I’m most proud of is even in the hard weeks when we lost, our guys worked their tails off. There’s a lot of things to clean up, but by the end of the year, we feel we’ll be a tough out.”