H.S. Football Preview: Avon returns ton of experience after rash of injuries shuffled lineup a year ago

On the surface, 2019 was business as usual for Avon. The Eagles went 13-1 and won their third straight Region 6 championship, advancing to the Division II state semifinals. By all accounts, another great season in a string of success, as they've won at least 10 games and qualified for the playoffs in each of the last 10 seasons. Look closer, though, and last year was anything but normal. As many as 22 players missed time, with 13 of them ruled out for the season, forcing new faces into major roles at critical times. Including the regional final, when the Eagles turned to third-string quarterback Chase Myers. Those underclassmen grew up quickly because the wins kept coming, and now they're hungry for more. "We have more returning starters, unfortunately for those seniors last year, because of those injuries," coach Mike Elder said. "The names go on and on. Obviously last year forced us to play kids who started as JV players, but hopefully this year it will pay dividends because they're entering the season with experience. Our first two games are our rivals — the Shoremen and then we play Olmsted Falls, both on the road — so good thing we have some experience coming back because those are hostile environments and tough games to win on the road." Avon will have to replace three talented players on offense — quarterback Danny Zeh, running back Nick Perusek and do-it-all Joey Lance. However, Lance was the only one to play after the first round of the postseason. Niko Pappas stepped into the quarterback slot in the regional semifinal against Benedictine, though he got hurt, and returns as the starter in his senior year. He completed 12 of 20 passes for 184 yards and two touchdowns in 2019. He also ran for 330 yards and five touchdowns on 38 carries. The offensive line lost Tommy Lorincz, who is part of Ball State's program, and Joe Svec, who committed to Cincinnati for track and field. The unit returns three strong anchors in seniors Mason Bingham (center), Jake Frye (tackle) and Nathan Tran (guard). "Just about every guy on our lineup last year had to step up to fill in for injury," Bingham said. "We're going to come in this year and we're going to be ready. We've been practicing hard, we're ready for anything right now." Perusek was on his way to a stellar senior year before injuring his knee against Westlake in Week 6. Devon Hunter stepped in and the offense didn't miss a beat, as he piled up 1,135 yards and 18 touchdowns on 191 carries, only losing one fumble. He added 13 catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns as a receiver. With Perusek gone, Hunter enters his senior year as the primary back. "Preparation-wise last year gave me a chance to get used to things a bit more," Hunter said. "I got a chance to see the field and know what to expect, know how to play and understand the game." Avon will have to replace Svec on the defensive line, too, but senior Dominic Vakos returns as nose guard after putting up 25 tackles, three for loss, one sack and five quarterback pressures. The secondary will be anchored by senior Michael Matlak, who had 58 tackles, 10 pass breakups and an interception. Senior Kam Erskine — who had six pass breakups and an interception — returns at corner, and senior safety Mitchell Dupras will step into an expanded role. Senior linebacker Kaya Yonkers is the top returning tackler with 80 — 39 solo, three for loss and 1.5 sacks — to go with five pass breakups and a forced fumble. Trevor Norman also returns after a 59-tackle season with four sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. "Aggressiveness is going to be a huge part of our defense," Yonkers said. "We have a lot of guys who have that football mentality and we're going to be a pretty stout defense overall. I think we have a lot of guys who are pretty fast in the secondary, there's going to be a lot of flying to the ball this year." Contact Chris Sweeney at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeneyCT on Twitter. CONFERENCE: Southwestern Conference2019 RECORD: 13-1 (9-0 SWC)RETURNING LETTERMEN: 25RETURNING STARTERS: 12 (6 offense, 6 defense)PLAYOFF APPEARANCES: 13LAST TIME IN PLAYOFFS: 2019, lost to Massillon in the Division II state semifinalsNUMBERS GAME: 12 — Carries the team's leading rusher, Devon Hunter, received in the first six games of 2019, rushing for 119 yards. He got 179 carries after starter Nick Perusek got injured, rushing for 1,016 yards and eclipsing 200 twice in the final eight games.PLAYER TO WATCH: Michael Ptacek, senior wide receiver/defensive back. The Eagles lost Joey Lance, Noah Mangan and Tommy Purcell, the top three in receiving yards, opening the door for Ptacek to step into a larger role.SCHEDULE:Aug. 28&emsp;&emsp;at Avon LakeSept. 4&emsp;&emsp;at Olmsted FallsSept. 11&emsp;&emsp;North RidgevilleSept. 18&emsp;&emsp;North OlmstedSept. 25&emsp;&emsp;Berea-MidparkOct. 2&emsp;&emsp;at MidviewAll games start at 7 p.m. and are league gamesNOTE: Teams may schedule additional games, up to 10 maximum, through Nov. 14 if they opt out of, or are eliminated early from, the state football tournament, which starts the week of Oct. 5.