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Another dominant performance by the Shoremen offense overcame another round of shaky play by the secondary and the kickoff coverage unit as Avon Lake pounded Elyria 43-22.  The passing attack was the sharpest it’s been this season, as Pete Hart made good quick decisions with the ball.  But the real damage was done by the offensive line, which shredded the Pioneer “D” for 341 yards on the ground.  Steve Mares carried 29 times for 216 yards and five touchdowns, while Gentry Rohn chipped in with 85 yards on nine attempts.  Ryan Kirkpatrick scored the other TD on a 28 yard pass from Hart.

Elyria kicked off to start the game, with James Lekan covering a short kickoff at the Shoremen 30.  Facing 4th  and inches at the 40, Pete Hart ran a sneak behind left guard Tom Skuggen for the first down.  Hart then hit Kirkpatrick on the left sideline for 31 yards.  Pete hooked up with Adam Van Luit on the next play, good for 14 more yards to the nine.  Mares carried three straight times, powering in from the three, and Ohlemacher’s PAT gave the Shoremen a 7-0 lead.  But in an instant replay of last week’s kickoff fiasco, Nolan Neuschafer found a gap in the coverage and raced 73 yards to the A.L. 17.  A holding penalty put the Pioneers in a 4th and 11 situation, but the secondary lost track of Elyria wideout Jan Nuchem who pulled in a floater for a first down at the one.  Travis Noble scored two plays later, and a failed two point try left the Shoremen up 7-6.  Rohn returned the kickoff 23 yards to the 33, where the Shoremen went back to work on offense.  After an incompletion on first down, Rohn carried for 17 yards on a sweep. A couple of Mares runs sandwiched around a Hart to Kevin Morrisette completion put the ball at the Elyria 23.  Mares ran it in from there on a toss sweep, but a blocked extra point kick left the score 13-6 as the quarter ended. 

Elyria opened the second period with a drive that started on their 29.  A pass for 10 yards, an option run for 15, and a trap up the middle for 19 moved the ball to the Shoremen 25.  A sack by Sean McCann and James Lekan put the Pioneers in a 3rd  and 18.  But another pass completion gave them the first down.  A few plays later on fourth down A.L. was called for pass interference at the four yard line.  Neuschafer ran it in from there, and a two point pass gave Elyria a 14-13 lead.  Starting from their 20, the Shoremen called on Rohn for a gain of 8, and a personal d foul on the next play moved the ball to the 35.  Nick Brill hit Ryan Kirkpatrick on a halfback pass for 30 to the Pioneer 35.  Rohn reached the end zone from their on a sweep, but a holding call put the ball back at the 42.  Mares ran a jet sweep for 14, and Hart hit Kirkpatrick in stride over the middle with a 28 yard scoring strike.  The Shoremen “D” finally came up with a stop to give the offense one more chance at their own 35 with two minutes in the half.  Kirkpatrick picked up 10 on a jet sweep, Hart hit Dan Schneider for a first down at the 21, Mares ran for 11 to the 10, and then Steve cruised in untouched to make the halftime score 27-14 Shoremen.

The second half began with the Pioneers self-destructing on a bad shotgun snap, a botched handoff, and finally a muffed punt snap that was covered in the end zone for a safety.  After a Shoremen punt, Joe Gaydosh stripped the ball on a quarterback option, setting up the offense at the Pioneer 18.  Three Mares runs resulted in another score and  a 36-14 lead.  After another long pass completion, the defense stiffened and forced a punt to the Shoremen 26.  On the first play from there, Rohn took a pitch to the left, cut back over the middle, and raced 54 yards to the 20 as the third quarter ended.  The drive stalled , and Ohlemacher’s field goal attempt was wide right.  It took just three plays for the Pioneers to score, as a first down pass was good for 27 yards.  After a loss of one on first down, Neuschafer took off to his left on the option, cut upfield, and sprinted 54 yards  for the score,  The two point try was good to make it 36-22 Shoremen.  The teams exchanged punts, and Mares iced the game with a 47 yard scoring run to make the final score 43-22.

Notes: 

·       Kirkpatrick scored his first varsity touchdown on his 28 yard catch from Hart.

·       Mares has nine TD’s in his last two games.

·       The pass protection has improved dramatically  since the Maple Heights game, as Hart faced virtually no pass rush at all.

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Avon Lake

14

13

9

7

43

Elyria

6

8

0

8

22

 

 

 

E

 

A.L.

First downs

 

12

 

21

Rush Yds

 

81

 

341

Pass Yds

 

171

 

114

Passes att-comp-int

 

10-19-0

 

6-12-0

Fumbles-lost

 

4-2

 

0-0

Penalties

 

6-55

 

6-41

AL – Mares 3 run (Ohlemacher kick)
E – Noble 1 run (run failed)
AL – Mares 23 run (kick failed)
E – Neuschafer 4 run (Hallauer pass from Poskocil)
AL – Kirkpatrick 28 pass from Hart (Ohlemacher kick)
AL – Mares 10 run (Ohlemacher kick)
AL – Gaydosh safety
AL – Mares 13 run (Ohlemacher kick)
E – Neuschafer 4 run (McCollum run)
AL – Mares 47 run (Ohlemacher kick)