High school football: Avon adds Western Pennsylvania powerhouse to schedule in 2026

Avon is bringing the Cleveland vs. Pittsburgh rivalry to the high school level. The Eagles signed a two-year contract to play western Pennsylvania power Pine-Richland for the 2026-27 seasons. During Week 2 next year, the Rams will travel to Westland Heating, Air Conditioning + Plumbing Stadium on Aug. 28, while Avon will make the trip to Pennsylvania in 2027. "Quite frankly, we reached out to nearly everyone in the state of Ohio and I don't understand why some of these people don't want to play us," Avon coach Mike Elder said. "Pine-Richland's coach reached out to me because they have the same problem in Pennsylvania. They've won three state championships. They go to the regional finals every year." Pine-Richland, which won state titles in 2017, 2020 and 2022 is coming off an 11-2 season, which ended in a loss in the Western Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic League finals, a game that is equivalent to a regional final in Ohio. The two-time defending state champion Eagles open on the road at St. Ignatius in Week 1, but it will be the Rams' opening game, as the season starts a week later in the Keystone state. "We feel like from Week 1 to Week 2 there is a huge jump in your ability and how you play so that's an advantage for us. The advantage for them is they'll have tape on us." Elder pointed out that it's only a two-hour drive from Avon to Pine-Richland, which is located in Pine Township, 25 miles north of downtown Pittsburgh, allowing the teams to have a traditional Friday night kickoff. "They're really good and their stadium is awesome," Elder said. "I'm not playing anywhere that's not a great venue for our kids." Avon's non-league schedule will look drastically different next season, as the Eagles added a Week 3 trip to Upper Arlington to replace Glenville on their schedule "There's no pressure on the team in those games," Elder said. "That's where everybody goes wrong. Our goal is to win a conference championship and make the playoffs, win a regional championship and win a state championship. We recognize the first three games are exhibition games. We want to win them, but if we don't and we still win our league, we're still on track. We have a process we follow at Avon and I am going to talk to our seniors and set goals. One thing I will tell them is we play three non-conference games and our goal is to get better "If you're 0-3, you still have all of your goals in front of you. That's the same message I've given my team for the last five years. I've been 10-0, lost in the first round of the playoffs, and finishing 10-1 was no fun. I'd rather go 7-3 and make a run in the playoffs." The Pine-Richland game will begin a streak of six consecutive games the Eagles will play against 2025 playoff teams. Avon opens Southwestern Conference play at home in Week 4 against North Ridgeville followed by games against Olmsted Falls, Berea-Midpark and Midview. Contact Todd Shapiro at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.