Avon Lake turned in a solid performance in every phase of the
game as they ended the Tallmadge Blue Devils' storybook season, 33-14. Through
the first three quarters, the Shoremen combined a suffocating defense with a
dominant ball control offense to take a 12-0 lead into the fourth period. Then
the offense kicked into high gear, countering a game Tallmadge rally with three touchdowns to put
the game out of reach.
Tallmadge took the opening kickoff back to their own 31 and
quickly moved to a first down at the 43. But a sack on third and 11 forced a
punt to the A.L. 30. The Shoremen made a couple of first downs before stalling
at the Tallmadge
44. The punt set the Blue Devils back at their own 20. They drove to midfield
but Andrew Means intercepted a pass to set up the Shoremen offense at their own
30. With the offensive line opening gaping holes in the Tallmadge front, the Shoremen drove 70 yards
for their first score as Mike Tift snuck in from the one. After Tallmadge went three and out, Avon Lake
used up the rest of the second quarter, leaving only 16 seconds on the clock when
they scored their second TD on an eight yard strike from Tift to Means.
After the half, the Blue Devil defense showed
some fire and neither team could get much going for most of the third period.
But Tallmadge's last punt of the quarter was a
weak shank that went out of bounds at the Avon Lake
45. The Shoremen offensive line re-asserted its dominance and the Shoremen were
threatening as the fourth quarter began. Bobby Doyle cruised in from the 18,
and a 19 point lead looked like plenty to get the team back to Massillon. But the Blue
Devils had a other ideas, and a couple of great throws under pressure by QB
Allen Price set up a first down at the Shoremen 18. Tailback Jamel Miller, who had been pretty well contained to that
point, darted in for the score on a slick draw play. The two-point conversion
pass by Price made it 19-8 with 10 minutes still to play in the game. A bloop kickoff gave the Shoremen a short field again, and
they quickly drove sixty yards with a Doyle run covering the last 16. But a nice
kick return put the Devils at their own 47, and the game was stopped for 15
minutes to treat a serious leg injury to Ben Willson.
Ben was taken to the hospital by ambulance, but pumped his fist to the crowd as
he was rolled away on the stretcher. Then after a first-down incompletion,
Miller spun out of two tackles and wove his way through the Shoremen secondary
for a 53 yard TD. With 7 minutes left, Tallmadge went for an onside kick, but
failed to kick it the required ten yards. Avon
Lake moved to the Tallmadge 25, but a fumble gave the ball back
the Blue Devils. Kyle Stokes picked off a Price pass at the 43, and two plays
later Tift hit Trey Stross with a 41 yard bomb to ice the game.
Notes:
- The
victory extends the Shoremen's school record and state best winning streak
to 29 games.
- Bobby
Doyle's two TD's, run his 2004 season total to 41, breaking the old team
record of 40 set by Jeff Breeze in 1995. Bobby carried the ball 41 times
for 223 yards, giving him 2,607 yards in 14 games.
- Mike
Tift's 115 passing yards give him 2,073 yards
for the year. Mike is the first Shoremen QB ever to throw for over 2,000
yards in a single season.
- Andrew
Means continued his post season thievery. His first quarter interception
gives him five in this year's four playoff games.
|
Avon Lake
|
0
|
12
|
0
|
21
|
33
|
|
Tallmadge
|
0
|
0
|
0
|
14
|
14
|
|
|
|
Tallmadge
|
|
Avon Lake
|
|
First downs
|
|
11
|
|
25
|
|
Rush Yds
|
|
114
|
|
272
|
|
Pass Yds
|
|
76
|
|
115
|
|
Passes att-comp-int
|
|
22-8-2
|
|
17-10-0
|
|
Fumbles-lost
|
|
3-0
|
|
2-1
|
|
Penalties
|
|
3-33
|
|
3-35
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
AL -- Tift 1 run (kick failed)
AL -- Means 8 pass from Tift (run failed
AL -- Doyle 18 run (Lyons kick)
T -- Miller 18 run (Testa pass from Price)
AL -- Doyle 16 run (Lyons kick)
T -- Miller 53 run (pass failed)
AL -- Stross 41 pass from Tift (Lyons kick)