In the playoffs, wins don’t come easy.
After a slow first half, Avon Lake got into a groove in the second half to help propel them to a win.
The third-seeded Shoremen (6-1) racked up four interceptions in a 30-7 win over 14th-seeded Wadsworth (2-5) in a Division II, Region 6 playoff game at Avon Lake Memorial Stadium on Oct. 16.
“All around, we did a fantastic job and I was proud of them,” Avon Lake coach Matt Kostelnik said. “Coach (Bob) Brickley and the defensive staff, especially over the past few years, have just been firing on all cylinders. We get those guys to play physical and run to the football. When they do that, we’re going to play tough.”
In the first half, Avon Lake’s offense didn’t have much trouble moving the ball. The Shoremen rattled off three runs of 50-plus yards in the opening half.
Running back Gage Duesler (144 total yards) ran through the Wadsworth defense for a 66-yard TD run, quarterback Michael Corbo ripped off a 53-yard run and running back Mason Wheeler (86 total yards) broke free for a 59-yard run.
However, where they had trouble was in the scoring department. The big runs put the Shoremen offense in good position to score, but other than the Duesler TD run, they weren’t able to find the end zone. A pair of field goals from Owen Wiley helped put Avon Lake up 13-7 at halftime.
“It was great,” Kostelnik said. “It felt great to run the ball but I want to see us be more consistent. Big plays are fantastic and I love them. But if you live and die by the big plays, more often than not, you’re going to die. So we need to continue to get better.”
On the other side of the ball, Avon Lake’s defense had a big first half and held Wadsworth’s offense in check. Defensive back Billy Simpson had three first-half interceptions. Wadsworth entered the game averaging 43 points per game and the Shoremen surrendered just seven points.
“A hat trick, you can never go wrong with one of those,” Simpson said. “We’re going to come back and get better every week.”
Avon Lake wasted no time setting the tone for the second half. The Shoremen came out of the half and engineered a 15-play, 76-yard touchdown drive to put themselves ahead 20-7. The Grizzlies’ defense stood tall and forced Avon Lake into a fourth-and-goal situation from the 1-yard line.
Corbo motioned toward the sideline at his coaches as if to say he wanted to go for it. His coaches agreed and Corbo didn’t disappoint. He took the snap, jumped over the offensive lineman and stuck the ball over the goal line to cap off an impressive drive from the Shoremen offense.
“When you have a team like this that they go fast and heavy, if you can establish a long drive … Michael (Corbo) had some good throws, the O-line was hitting hard and both running backs were doing their thing,” Kostelnik said. “Overall, I was super happy with that drive coming out. It felt good. I told the guys at halftime that we needed to be physical up front on the offensive line. That drive was fantastic.”
After that score, Avon Lake kept its foot on the gas and didn’t let up. On the ensuing Wadsworth drive, the Shoremen defense stood tall and forced a Grizzlies punt. Defensive end Jacob Sintic plowed his way through the Wadsworth defensive line and blocked the punt.
Avon Lake took over at the Grizzlies 17-yard line but couldn’t cash in as Wiley missed a field goal. The junior redeemed himself in the fourth quarter when he nailed his third field goal of the day to extend Avon Lake’s lead to 23-7 with just over six minutes to play.
“Offensively, we need to make sure we take advantage … when we get that blocked punt, we need to come away with some points there and probably put the dagger in there a little bit earlier,” Kostenlik said.
Avon Lake sealed the game and punched its ticket to the next round when defensive back Nate Cikalo stepped in front of a pass from Grizzlies quarterback Mitchell Evans and took it to the house for a 53-yard pick six interception return late in the fourth quarter.
Avon Lake is set to host 22nd-seeded North Royalton on Oct. 23 in a regional quarterfinal. After upsetting Amherst on the road last week, the Bears pulled off their second straight upset. This time it was over sixth-seeded Olmsted Falls on the road. North Royalton entered the playoffs with an 0-6 regular season mark.
“We need to worry about what we do,” Kostelnik said. “I’ll look at the film and see what happened and where they are at. The rumor is, they got their tailback back. He went out early in Week 1 and no one had seen him since. They are playing injured, too and they are fighting.”
