Greater Cleveland will once again be well represented at the OHSAA State Football Championships, as three local teams will play for the chance to bring home the title. Through the Cleveland Browns High School Game of the Week program, in association with Russell Athletic, the Browns will provide highlights of all three contests on ClevelandBrowns.com.
Below is a look at the matchups for St. Ignatius, Avon and Kirtland:
Division I – St. Ignatius vs. Pickerington Central
A familiar face returns to the Division I state championship game this year. After missing the playoffs for the first time in 23 years in 2010, the St. Ignatius Wildcats are back and looking for their state-best 11th championship.
Head coach Chuck Kyle and his squad have used last season’s letdown as motivation throughout the year and it has paid dividends.
“The kids channeled last year the appropriate way,” Kyle said. “Not with frustration, but with work in the weight room and using that energy to do something positive. It was a great offseason and I really do think it has paid off.”
As is the case with nearly all teams advancing to the State Championship, the Wildcats are a well-balanced group on both sides of the ball. Offensively, St. Ignatius is led by QB Eric Williams, who has thrown for 1,835 yards and 21 touchdowns, as well as RB Tim McVey, a workhorse who has carried the ball 274 times and added 13 touchdowns.
The Wildcats will take on a Pickerington Central team that started the season 0-2 before rattling off 11 straight wins, while pitching five shutouts on defense along the way.
“They have a very good defense,” Kyle added. “They attack; they have good athletes in the secondary and they are fundamentally very sound.”
Kickoff for the Division I State Championship is set for 7:00p.m. ET Saturday at Fawcett Stadium in Canton.
Division II – Avon vs. Trotwood-Madison
The Avon Eagles are making their first ever State Championship appearance after finishing the regular season with a 9-1 record and mowing through their playoff opponents with an offense that has averaged 39.5 points per game this year.
That offense is led by the dynamic duo of QB Justin O’Rourke and WR Matt Eckhardt. The two have combined for 56 touchdowns and over 4,100 yards.
“Justin has broken every record we’ve had here at Avon,” Eagles head coach Mike Elder said. “He has really been the difference maker for us and the reason we are still playing.”
Avon also boasts 29 seniors, part of a class that has vowed redemption on last year’s perfect season that was abruptly ended with a first-round playoff defeat at the hands of the No. 8 seed Sandusky Blue Streaks.
“Last year was a bitter ending to a great year,” Elder added. “Most of the kids that are playing for us this year were starters in that game (against Sandusky), and that didn’t sit well with them. Each and every day, they’ve come to work to get better and here we are getting ready to take a trip to Massillon.”
The Eagles will have their hands full with a Trotwood-Madison team that is undefeated and ranked No. 1 in the state. The Rams are making their second consecutive trip to the Division II State Championship game after getting knocked off by Maple Heights in 2010.
Kickoff is set for 7:00p.m. ET Friday at Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
Division V – Kirtland vs. Coldwater
Similar to Avon, the undefeated Kirtland Hornets are playing in their first ever State Championship game. The Hornets did not meet much resistance in the first four rounds of the postseason, rolling over their opponents with an average margin of victory of 39 points.
It is not that they have won the games, but how they have done so that has caught people off guard.
“We’ve been winning games, surprisingly by large margins, by running the football and playing strong defense and special teams,” Kirtland head coach Tiger LaVerde said. “That’s not going to change. We need to dominate running the football and physically wear teams down.”
Even with the lopsided victories, LaVerde is not concerned about his squad potentially having to compete for a full four quarters this weekend.
“I don’t think the four quarters thing has anything to do with it,” LaVerde added. “I think our kids are looking for a chance to go 15-0 and win a State Championship. These kids are in good physical shape. The conditioning they do is outstanding, so I think this will be two good football teams going after a championship.”
Kirtland and Coldwater will kick off the 2011 OHSAA State Football Championships Friday morning at 11:00a.m. ET at Massillon Paul Brown Tiger Stadium.
