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After a season spent listening to tons of criticism, mostly from their own fans, the boys in maroon & gold are set to return to the postseason thanks to a 34-6 trouncing of the Amherst Comets. The win also assured the Shoremen of at least a share of the SWC title for the 12^th time in the last 13 years. Avon Lake excelled in every phase of the game, amassing 440 yards of offense while keeping Amherst’s spread offense in check for most of the night.

Avon Lake received and went three and out. Two inside runs netted only a couple of yards as the Comets stacked the box to stop the Shoremen’s running attack. After an incompletion on 3^rd & 8 Zack Janicek punted for 36 yards to the Amherst 35. The Comets opened up with a really tricky flanker reverse pass that fell incomplete. After another incompletion & a short gain on a pass in the flat, they punted to the A.L. 20. This time the nine defenders in the box were stuck there when Kevin Morissette streaked around right end on the jet sweep for 25 yards on first down. Two runs moved the ball ahead to the Amherst 47 but a false start moved them back to their 48. Trent Toy hit Ronnie Willoughby on a hitch for six yards and the Shoremen faced 4^th & 1. Mike Mansnerus picked up four to move the chains, then Morissette took a bubble screen to the left ahead for nine yards. After a first down at the 30, three plays netted just four yards. But on 4^th & 6 from the 26, Toy hit Willoughby in the corner of the end zone for six. Brad Brill’s kick gave the Shoremen a 7-0 lead after an 11 play, 80 yard drive. The Comet return man bobbled the kickoff and recovered it at the Amherst 10, and the teams exchanged punts to finish out the first quarter.

The second period started well for the Comets as a reverse and a quarterback draw picked up a first down at their 40. But on the next play, following a short completion in the right flat, the Comet wideout fumbled and Dan Schneider recovered for the Shoremen. Seven running plays later, Mansnerus cruised in from the seven and the score was 14-0. After another punt exchange, Amherst put together a nice drive starting at their 8 yard line. They hit a slant out to the 29 and then ran the ball four straight plays for a first down at the Avon Lake 32. Amherst took a time out to strategize, and on the next play Morissette intercepted a long pass down the left side at the three. Two runs gained eight yards, and on 3rd & 2 Toy launched another bomb to Willoughby streaking down the left sideline. Ronnie never broke stride as he caught the ball and turned on the jets for an 89 yard touchdown that left the Comets reeling, down 20-0 at the half.

The Shoremen kicked off and continued their best night of kickoff coverage this year, stopping the return at the 22. On 3^rd& 8 Schneider dropped the Comet QB for a loss of 13 and Amherst punted to midfield. Mansnerus ran to the 20 on a toss to the short side, Marinkov gained four, and then Mike carried another toss sweep into the boundary down to the two. He followed with a two yard plunge for the score, and a failed two point conversion left the score 26-0 less than four minutes into the half. Starting this time at their 23, the Comets found some rhythm on offense and moved into Shoremen territory as a pair of slip screens and a slant picked up first downs on three straight plays. A series of runs gave the comets a first down at the six, and on fourth & two Stump carried for the touchdown. The kick sailed wide right to keep the score 26-6. The Shoremen moved quickly into Comet territory following the kickoff, but Toy threw out when Willoughby cut in an Amherst returned the resulting interception to the Avon Lake 38 as the quarter ended. Amherst converted on 4^th & 8 to move to the 25, but the Shoremen defense stiffened and took over on downs. Five plays later Mansnerus burst up the middle for a 56 yard touchdown, his third of the game. Toy found Willoughby in the corner for two points and it was 34-6 Shoremen. The Comets drove into Shoremen territory one more time, but again turned it over on downs with four minutes left. The guys with the clean shirts came in for Avon Lake and picked up a few first downs to run out the clock.

Notes:

· Over the last three games, Toy has completed 16 of 22 passes for 373 yards with five TD’s and just one interception.

· Mansnerus 224 yards on 30 carries give him 1,467 on the season. His three touchdowns run his totals to 20 this year and 42 in his career. His 252 points is good for sixth on the list of all-time leading scorers for Avon Lake.

· The Shoremen have now beaten Amherst 10 times in a row.

· Thanks to North Olmsted’s 14-6 win over Olmsted Falls Friday night, the Shoremen are the outright SWC Champs!

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Avon Lake	7	13	6	8	34
Amherst	0	0	6	0	6

	A	A.L.
First downs	15	17
Rush Yds	121	306
Pass Yds	124	124
Passes att-comp-int	29-14-1	9-6-1
Fumbles-lost	3-1	2-0
Penalties	0-0	4-30

AL – Willoughby 26 pass from Toy (Brill kick)
AL – Mansnerus 7 run (Brill kick)
AL – Willoughby 89 pass from Toy (kick failed)
AL – Mansnerus 2 run (run failed)
A – Stump 2 run ( kick failed)
AL – Mansnerus 56 run (Willoughby pass from Toy)