H.S. Football Playoffs: Avon completes state title repeat, finishes off school's championship fall

CANTON — The hashtag #ItsA… is omnipresent throughout Avon. Whether it's on a sign, a bumper sticker or a digital signature, members of the community wear the shorthand for "It's a great day to be an Eagle" as a badge of honor. Now that the school has produced three state championships in less than a month, it just might be the greatest day to be an Eagle. On Thursday at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium, Avon became the second team from Lorain County to defend its football state championship, defeating Cincinnati Anderson 37-20 in the Division II title game. The Eagles join Elyria Catholic as the only back-to-back champions and the only programs from Lorain County to win multiple titles since the Ohio High School Athletic Association instituted the tournament in 1972. Avon (14-1) ended the year on a 13-game winning streak and went 30-1 in the last two seasons. It has not lost to a team from Ohio since 2023, with its lone loss coming in Florida against Spruce Creek. "I work in a community where we're so blessed to have teachers and administrators who put kids in situations to succeed not only academically, but when it comes to extracurriculars we truly see it as an extension of the classroom and an opportunity for kids to grow and learn," said Mike Elder, who became Lorain County's all-time winningest football coach during the postseason. "Our why has never been to win the state championship. I told them they won this game before it even started. It's to develop young men, to grow in confidence, to learn how to deal with adversity and love your teammates. There are so many lessons this game teaches and we try to be intentional about it. These guys have taken every one of those lessons and have run with it." Avon football was hardly the only program to bring home the hardware this fall. The volleyball team defeated the top two programs in Ohio on back-to-back days to win the Division II state championship. And the boys soccer team won a thrilling 1-0 overtime match in its Division II final. Those victories occurred just hours apart Nov. 9. If that wasn't enough, the girls cross country team placed third at the state meet with Kaitlyn Reese placing fifth individually. And the girls soccer program led Anthony Wayne 2-1 with about 11 minutes to play in the regional final before the Generals rallied for an overtime win. Anthony Wayne went on to win the Division II state championship. "It's very special and I'm blessed to be part of it," senior wide receiver Grant Barr said. "As soon as those two first state championships came home, we had no choice but to win or it would have been a letdown. I have a lot of friends on the other teams. Having them push me because they won, so we had to win, too." However, Thursday was all about a football program that steadily improved during the course of the last two decades but has particularly taken off in the past three seasons. One has to wonder if quarterback Nolan Good — who plays for Kent State — hadn't gotten injured in 2023 and missed the state semifinals, would the Eagles be in the midst of a three-peat? That's a what-if for another multiverse. In this universe Good came back in 2024 and won the Lorain County Golden Helmet Award and was one of many senior leaders who helped the Eagles go 16-0 and bring home their first state championship, defeating Cincinnati Anderson 20-13 in the final. This year it was quarterback Blake Elder who won the Golden Helmet, marking the third straight season it went to an Avon player. He spread the ball efficiently in the championship as he was named the game's MVP after tying a Division II championship game record with four touchdown passes to four receivers, all in the first half. "This is going to go down as one of the greatest seasons in Ohio high school sports," Blake Elder said of the entire athletic department. "I'm friends with so many of the people on these teams and I'm just so excited for everyone." He was hardly the only reason Avon defeated the Raptors because Avon's biggest strength during its run has been depth. The Eagles were down two of their best players in the secondary all postseason, but it didn't matter. They held Cincinnati Anderson, who entered Thursday averaging 44.3 points per game, to a season-low 20 points. And in the second half, Avon senior running back Quiante' Smith, who missed the final five weeks of the regular season with a foot sprain and bone bruise, helped the Eagles control the clock. He finished with 180 rushing yards, his third 100-yard game of the postseason, with 119 coming in the second half. "These guys sitting up here, we had a parade last year and I made them walk in the parade," Mike Elder said of his senior class. "The only people who got to ride were the seniors and it's going to be the same way this year. Because these guys get to love and enjoy this forever. They get to design their rings, be state champs and walk out of Avon High School as two-time, back-to-back state champs. That's pretty awesome. "But for the rest of those guys, in January there will be a meeting and there will be work to be done. We're going to try and become the best version of ourselves with that new group. I'm sure they'll work really hard because these guys have set a shining example of what needs to be done if they want to have a chance. We're not going to talk about winning state championships, we're going to talk about getting better every day starting in January. And that's got to be the process." Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.