High school football preview: After first state title, Avon chasing next milestone

Avon's journey to the top of Division II had many twists and turns. Not one of them included a detour to complacency.That's not about to change this season.Yes, the Eagles won their first state championship last season, but they don't see it as the culmination of a nearly two-decade odyssey that featured heartbreak after heartbreak. They view it as just another milestone, one that they took a moment to enjoy. Now that the moment has passed, there's more work to be done."We made certain to our kids that as soon as January hit we needed to put the state championship behind us," coach Mike Elder said. "Last year's seniors were able to talk about it as much as they wanted, and they did. They had grad parties and were able to go off to college as state champions."But the rest of us, we have a process that we follow at Avon. We needed to get back to work and we did that. Our senior class led very well. We developed a lot of young guys who are ready to play varsity now. That's how we build our program."Elder constantly preaches that Avon is process-driven. The goal is not perfection, even though the Eagles went undefeated last season, but continuous improvement. Avon strives to be the best version of itself come playoff time.The Eagles maintain a laser-like focus on the day-to-day. It doesn't matter if they just won by 100 or lost by one, if they're about to play for the state championship or in a scrimmage, the total commitment to the process is what wins out. And this season is no different."Every day you need to be putting in work if you want to get to that ultimate goal," senior linebacker Ryan Stolarski said. "You can't take days off. You just have to get better every day. Our coaches prepare us, they let us know that. I think we're all in the right state of mind."TRUST THE PROCESSAvon's process might be simple, but it's not easy.It requires unrelenting focus even when the door slams shut year after year. Each of the Eagles' four playoff trips leading into the 2024 season ended with a gut-wrenching loss to either Archbishop Hoban in the state semifinals or Toledo Central Catholic in the 2022 Region 6 final. Not to mention three blowout losses in the state semifinals from 2017-19.The seniors this season were freshmen on the 2022 team that returned more than enough to win a state title, but a slow start against the Irish sunk those dreams.Avon's 2023 loss to Hoban stung these seniors a bit deeper. The Eagles took a lead into the fourth quarter, only for an interception to ignite the Knights rally. The Eagles went back to work, but the loss lingered."I was a freshman for the TCC game, but that sophomore year against Hoban we were up after the third quarter," senior offensive tackle Max Hauck said. "That loss really crushed us for a little bit. Our determination was through the roof after that. We never want to go down like that ever again."The key to staying focused comes back to culture. Elder said he turns over the keys to the senior class every year, putting the responsibility of leading the team squarely on its shoulders. The coaching staff is there to guide them, but ultimately the Eagles go as far as their seniors.This maintains accountability, as every year a large group of seniors sets the tone for the underclassmen who will eventually fill their shoes."Similar to when you win and you have to start focusing on the next season, it's the same with the losses," senior offensive guard Eian Englehart said. "The seniors get to move on, but juniors have to start focusing on their senior year and what they can do for their team."VINDICATE THE PROCESSThere's no doubt Avon focuses on each opponent on a weekly basis. With the schedule it plays, it cannot afford to overlook anyone. And when the playoffs arrive, nobody is immune to upsets, not even Avon, which nine years ago was knocked off in the first round by No. 8-seeded Avon Lake.But when the same team beats you five out of six years in the state semifinals, it lingers."Losing in the semifinals sucked," senior wide receiver Grant Barr said. "It was awful. I knew personally I wanted to do everything I could to help the team reach our end goal. I think as a team we did a great job."Avon's goal was never to beat Hoban, it was to win the last game. Those things were often intertwined, as the Knights have established themselves as one of the best programs in Ohio, regardless of division. They're likely to be standing in the way of anyone in their division who aspires to win the state championship.The Eagles' methodical march to 16-0 had some close calls. They squeaked by Canton McKinley and Glenville in the non-conference schedule, trailed 21-7 to Olmsted Falls after the first quarter of the regional quarterfinals and withstood a furious rally in the regional final against Medina Highland.Each of those ended in a win, but they underscore how narrow the difference between going undefeated and another heartbreak."It's down to reps in the weight room," Hauck said. "Taking off reps in the weight room will lose you a state championship. Injuries will lose you a state championship. Last year, we were very thankful to not have injuries. Winning a state championship is as hard as it can get. It's down to inches, down to centimeters."It all added up to another showdown with Hoban in the state semifinals. This time the game was right in the Knights backyard, the University of Akron. Anyone who was at InfoCision Stadium on Nov. 29 could feel that this was a quintessential Northeast Ohio football environment — freezing cold, the field covered in snow and both sides of the stadium packed with fans who knew the history between the teams.Every loss to Hoban made Avon hungrier for that breakthrough win, and the floodgates finally opened. The team that had blocked Avon year after year emphatically got a taste of its own medicine. The Eagles prevailed 35-10 in front of countless alumni who had traveled far and wide to see the program they helped build finally push forward."We just had a big chip on our shoulder," Stolarski said. "Those were hard losses. They just motived us to win the next year. All the seniors, it's like a brotherhood in Avon. We just wanted to do it for them."Elder was quick to remind his kids after the game they still had one more. Cincinnati Anderson's offense would be the greatest test of the season for Avon's stout defense. The Eagles prevailed 20-13 on another snow-covered field, surviving a 22-yard heave as time expired to clinch the championship."I was standing next to one of my coaches when they threw the ball and it got swatted down," Englehart said. "We ran on the field and started doing snow angels on the goal line. I play offense, so that was the most nervous I've ever been because I wasn't on the field so I couldn't help. I was just watching. I think my heart stopped for a little bit and I held my breath. That was the longest four seconds ever."REPEAT THE PROCESSLast year's seniors could enjoy the state championship for as long as they wanted, the advantage of graduating. But the coaching staff set a hard stop on anyone returning — once the calendar turned to 2025, it was time to focus on the next season."We're proud of that accomplishment, but we understand that it means nothing going forward," Elder said. "They understand how hard it is to win a state championship. We can't just let that be the only goal or the ultimate prize. There are checkpoints along the way. There's a process. It's to enjoy it and collect these moments as we go and take this thing as far as we can."I do think we have enough talent to be competitive with anybody in the state of Ohio. But you have to be lucky and good, and last year we were both."Avon dived back into offseason training, preseason camp and scrimmages. Countless hours were spent in the weight and film rooms as it gets ready for another daunting non-conference slate and a Southwestern Conference that sent seven of eight teams to the playoffs last season.Replacing a large senior class is nothing new. Avon has won nine straight SWC titles and only shared two of them during that span. These seniors know how important it is to keep things going because, as Elder said, all it takes is one bad senior class to bring the whole process tumbling down. That's not the kind of legacy these seniors want to leave."I watched how they led in the weight room, which I've definitely tried to make a big step from my junior to senior year," Stolarski said of the senior classes before him. "Help guys know how we should act after games and in the weight room in the morning. On the field, I want to be a more vocal leader. Getting guys lined up in the right spot and stuff like that."Barr added that the seniors take it upon themselves to set the tone for the culture. They make sure that the younger classes are watching. Especially the sophomores, since most of them are joining varsity for the first time.Hauck said this offseason hasn't been too much different than years past. Avon took time in December to celebrate its state championship with the community — television appearances, parades and other activities. But the senior added that everyone is even more motivated to go out and win another one."It was a special moment," Stolarski said. "We just took it all in and celebrated. But for those of us coming back we want to repeat. We don't want to let that championship lead to complacency and ruin our senior year. We want to be better than we were last year."That starts again with St. Ignatius in Week 1. With another tough opening three games, the Eagles will probably have things to work on by the time they dive into the SWC schedule. That's just part of the process."It's consistency," Hauck said. "Every week we only have to be better than the opponent we have to face. We know we're not going to be as good as we will be in Week 15 or Week 16, every week we just have to consistently be better than we were last week and we'll be just fine."Every trophy Avon adds expands the target on its back. It knows the SWC is hungry, and talented enough, to end its nine-year reign on top of the standings. Englehart said the team doesn't take anyone lightly.If the Eagles follow the same process that's worked for the past decade, they'll be ready to make another postseason run."It takes a lot of hard work, a lot of dedication and a little bit of luck," Barr said. "Thankfully we had it last year and I hope we have it again this year. I think we have the players to do it, we've been working our butts off this offseason and I think we can do it again."Contact Chris Sweeney at (440) 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com. Follow him @CSweeney1686 on X.