Avon's Eian Englehart, Firelands' Jordyn Copley named Lorain County Senior Athletes of Year

AVON — Across sports, across the area, Avon's Eian Englehart and Firelands' Jordyn Copley were chosen as Lorain County Senior Athletes of the Year. They were honored Wednesday evening by the Lorain County Athletic Administrators Association at its ninth annual banquet held in the commons area at Avon High School. The award recognizes their various athletic accomplishments while displaying exemplary sportsmanship and being positive contributors to the schools and communities. Englehart and Copley were chosen from a field of 25 boys and 25 girls. They are both three-sport athletes — Englehart in football, wrestling and track and Copley in soccer, basketball and track. Englehart was All-Ohio in football and track, while Copley was first-team All-Ohio in soccer and track and two-time honorable mention All-Ohio in basketball. Englehart was a two-way player as the Eagles won their second consecutive football state title in December with a 37-20 win over Cincinnati Anderson. Englehart transitioned seamlessly from football season to wrestling. He went straight to the wrestling room the day after both state championships. He won titles at the Cobos Classic (junior year) and Beachwood invite (senior year) and had one of the most successful seasons in school history as a senior. Englehart went 49-2 and tied a school best with a state runner-up finish, matching those by Jack Roesch (285) in Division I in 2019 and Zane Zeman (145) in Division II in 2011. "The success I have had has been in football and wrestling, which are two of the team-oriented sports, so it's really because of my teammates," Englehart said. "For football you can't win without good teammates. It's a team sport. "For wrestling, it really comes down to the drill partners that I've had throughout the years. It's been amazing. You don't have coaches anywhere like we do at Avon. They put in all their time and effort. A lot of them showed up to this, which means a lot." Englehart finished his wrestling career with 123 pins, the most in school history. He was a sectional and district champion as a senior and a three-time Southwestern Conference champ, including twice at heavyweight. Englehart was the Lorain County Division I Senior Wrestler of the Year. "It's really about my dedication to sports and they really go hand-in-hand together," said Englehart, who will be a pre-veterinary major at The Ohio State in the fall. "The explosiveness in football helps with wrestling. The technique and balance in wrestling helps with football. Transitioning and how much I love them helps me to do that." Eagles wrestling coach Mark Jayne was impressed with Englehart's work ethic. "He got so close. He tasted it. That just drove him," said Jayne. "It made him even more dedicated and focused on what to do. He kept on working on improvements for him. He really got hyperfocused, especially the last couple months. "Since he stepped into the wrestling room freshman year he's been a leader. He's been one of our hardest workers, a most coachable guy and just a class-act kid. Anything he does I'm not surprised by it." Primarily a tight end on the football team, Englehart also played defense in the playoffs and saw time at right tackle. "At Avon we're in it for the long haul," he said. "I've been playing with most of my teammates since I was a kid. We're really a family and that's what it takes to win a state championship like that over again." Englehart is the seventh person from Avon, including sixth boy, to earn the county's top senior athlete award. Copley was first-team All-Ohio in Division IV in soccer in the fall and earned Division II All-Ohio as a junior as a member of the 800-meter relay that finished sixth at the state track meet. As a senior Copley was Lorain County Player of the Year in basketball and soccer and Lorain County League soccer Player of the Year. She also advanced to state track for the second straight year, this time as a member of the Division III 1,600 relay. "We are a very talented, hard-working group of athletes at Firelands," Copley said. "Our coaches put in a lot of work so it was a special time being able to participate in all three sports. "Personally I just focus on one sport at a time. I focus on my main sport and then once that season is over I move over to the next. Just putting all my time into one sport that makes sure that I have rest and makes sure that I am healthy. "I always cherish all the things that our coaches said to us in team meetings, in the locker room and things after games, just all the motivational things they shared have stuck with me. All my teammates, the friendships and the bonds that we created will go with me." Copley was four-time All-Lorain County League in basketball, second-team for three years before earning first-team honors as a senior. She helped the track team to its fourth straight LCL title. "My family has always been there supporting me," said Copley, who plans to major in elementary education at Bowling Green State University. "My coaches have always supported me. Even if I had bad games they kept me motivated. My parents obviously first put me in every sport at a young age. My siblings have been right there with me. We've done all the sports together. We just all stuck together." Advancing to the state track meet one final time brought her perfect closure. "The state track meet was special again this year," Copley said. "Not just with the running, but also the atmosphere of it all. It was just fun." Copley is the second Firelands athlete to win the LCAAA award. "This is the type of award that an athlete from Firelands should work to achieve," Firelands athletic director Tyler Stillman said. "It just means so much to our school when we have an athlete of their caliber coming through. It's everything that we stand for. It's part of our standard. "She's not only locked into each sport each season, but she's locked in as a great teammate, great student, she's locked in as a coachable athlete. It not only shows by the scoreboard and how she competes, but it shows with the teammates around her. She creates great culture." Englehart and Copley were stellar in the classroom. Copley carried a 4.4 GPA while Englehart had a 4.2, and they were Academic All-Ohio. Contact Paul Heyse at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.