Avon football rides dynamic offense to 63-42 win over Olmsted Falls

OLMSTED FALLS, Ohio – Avon exploded on offense both through the air and on the ground to hold off a tenacious Olmsted Falls team 63-42 in a road win Friday night.

After forcing an Olmsted Falls turnover on downs to start the game, Avon began its opening drive with a run and then pass to senior wide receiver Ethan Holbrook.

That drive was capped off by an 18-yard touchdown connection from senior quarterback Sam DeTillio to Holbrook. It was a sign of more to come, as the pair would both have career games in leading the Eagles to victory.

DeTillio was efficient and accurate, throwing for 351 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception on 17-of-22 passing.

“I thought Sam was excellent tonight again,” Elder said. “He’s so smart, he makes such good decisions and that’s the part people don’t understand. Early on in the year he didn’t play well, you know it took him a while to get his feet under him, but he’s playing at a really high level now.”

Avon’s offense has improved consistently throughout the season, and DeTillio said he saw tonight as a sign of that progress.

“I think this was a big step for our offense,” he said. “This whole season we started off a little slow, and I think we’re starting to kick it up and get things rolling. We have a lot of threats all over the field and I think that’s what does it for us.”

Holbrook was clearly the favorite receiver of the night, with 10 of DeTillio’s 17 completions finding their way into his hands.

“Tonight, we were able to open up the pass and the line was able to block great and I was able to get open and score some touchdowns,” Holbrook said. “Man, Sam is able to throw the ball so well.”

He did not waste a single one of those 10 receptions, turning them into a jaw-dropping 201 yards and five touchdowns.

“Ethan Holbrook is the real deal, man,” Elder said. “Colleges better stand up, whoever gets him is hitting the lottery. Not many people are recruiting the red-headed wide receiver from Avon, but he can flat out play. I wouldn’t trade him for anybody.”

The Eagles’ second-leading receiver was senior Drew Lindsay, who caught four passes for 73 yards. Senior Gavin Earhardt garnered the only Avon receiving touchdown not thrown to Holbrook, a short pass he turned into a 19-yard touchdown by dragging Olmsted Falls defenders into the endzone.

Elder stresses balance in his offense; the Avon run game, thanks to the return of junior running back Jakarion Caffey, was able to prove just as devastating as its passing attack.

Caffey was anxious to get back on the field after missing last week’s homecoming game.

“I definitely felt like I had an edge on my shoulder and I definitely felt like I needed to kick it up a notch this game, because a week (off) is way too long for me,” he said. “I definitely wanted to prove my point, and we knew Falls was a good team, so we were excited to come out and beat them on their home field.”

Caffey rushed for 110 yards and a touchdown in the first half, but when the Eagles were out in front in the second, he played even better to snuff out several comebacks by the Bulldogs.

“I felt that (in the second half) I’m even gonna run a little harder because I don’t want this game to slip away,” Caffey said. “I said I’m gonna give one hundred percent every carry I get. I definitely kicked it up a notch and just trusted my line. It was a great game for us.”

He finished with 294 yards and three touchdowns on 20 carries.

All told, the Avon offense combined for 772 yards from scrimmage and only turned the ball over once. It was a tall order for Olmsted Falls to even keep the game close, but the Bulldogs refused to go away.”

“The Bulldogs man, they fight hard,” Holbrook said. “They're always crawling back into the game. They're a tough team, they're a good team and you know, it's like we gotta keep going, the game's not over yet.”

Olmsted Falls coach Tom DeLuca said he told his team at halftime, while they were down 28-14, that whatever happened he didn’t want them to quit.

“We wanted to keep fighting no matter what,” DeLuca said. “And they did that, they played their hearts out. Obviously, execution-wise we need to get a lot better on defense, they exposed us in some areas.”

Olmsted Falls (5-2) did have an ace up their sleeve keeping them in the game - the explosive playmaking of senior Rocco Conti.

Conti ran the ball 10 times for 212 and two touchdowns. Those touchdown runs were of 66 and 82 yards and helped him average over 20 yards a carry. He also three receptions for 22 yards and a touchdown, the only receiving touchdown of the game for Olmsted Falls.

If that wasn’t enough, Conti also shined on special teams, recovering a crucial onside kick to keep Olmsted Falls within striking distance.

Conti was not alone in the backfield, as the rest of his team combined for 160 yards.

Senior Jack Pinchek added 70 yards and a score on eight carries, while senior Michael Candow had 44 yards and sophomore quarterback James Rosol chipped in 38 yards on the ground.

Pinchek also showed his speed on a 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown.

Rosol struggled passing the ball, going 8-of-19 for 68 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.

“We felt like tonight the passing game had to be a big part of what we were doing,” DeLuca said. “We executed on some passes and then some passes we missed, and some passes just didn’t go the way we wanted them to go. We have to be 90 percent in the pass game for us to be in a game against a team of that caliber.”

As for Avon (6-1), Elder was happy with how the work his players have been outing in has been turning into results on the field.

“I told (my team) we have to be the best version of ourselves week seven,” Avon coach Mike Elder said. “They put in the work, and I think you're seeing it, that we're starting to get pretty comfortable in distributing the ball and we've got some great players. There's no question.”

The Eagles will look to stay undefeated in the Southwest Conference as they return home to face Berea-Midpark next Friday and Olmsted Falls will play host again next week, welcoming Amherst.