CANTON, Ohio– The Anderson Raptors fell to the Avon Eagles by a score of 37-20 on Thursday night in the State Championship. Avon jumped out to an early 21-0 lead and maintained momentum despite Anderson rallying. The Raptors made it a two-score game on three separate occasions, but could not draw any closer.
The Eagles got on the board first with a 14-yard touchdown pass from Blake Elder to Fin Jerdonek. Elder found Caden Clapham for a 22-yard touchdown just a few minutes later to give Avon a 14-0 lead.
The Eagles scored once again early in the second quarter, this time a 7-yard pass from Elder to Caeden Bennett. The Raptors responded with a one-yard touchdown run from Owen Scalf to cut the lead to 21-7. Elder found Grant Barr for a 37-yard touchdown to extend the lead to 27-7 with just 2:18 left to go in the first half.
Anderson started the second half strong with a 12-yard touchdown pass from Scalf to Brayden Moore, making it a two-score game early in the third quarter. Quiante Smith found the end zone on a 7-yard run to give Avon a 34-13 lead near the end of three quarters.
Scalf hit Tysin Weaver for a 7-yard touchdown pass on the first play of the fourth quarter to make it 34-20. Jensen Petro connected on a 30-yard field goal near the halfway point of the fourth quarter to make the final score 37-20.
Avon had 435 yards of total offense compared to 393 from Anderson. The Raptors turned the ball over once, while the Eagles had a clean game in the turnover department. Avon established the run, averaging 5.2 yards per carry and winning the time of possession battle by a 31:46 to 16:14 margin. Anderson had a great game through the air but struggled to establish their run game.
Elder finished with 212 yards and four touchdowns through the air. Smith had 31 carries for 179 yards and a touchdown. Jairel Fenton had an interception, while Vinny Detillio had two sacks on the defensive side of the ball for the Eagles.
Scalf finished with 414 total yards (377 passing, 37 rushing) and three touchdowns (two passing, one rushing). Tysin Weaver had 11 receptions for 125 yards and a touchdown, while Cooper Kathman finished with 7 receptions for 114 yards. Mark Madden recorded 11 tackles, while Reid Baker had 10 tackles on the defensive side of the ball. Brady Kuhn finished with seven tackles, including two tackles for a loss.
Avon ends the season at 14-1 overall and are state champions for the second year in a row. Anderson ends the season at 14-1 overall and are state runner-ups for the second season in a row.
Congratulations to both Avon and Anderson on great seasons. To have the same two teams play in the state championship in back-to-back seasons show how great both of these football programs are.
Written by Eli Altherr