CLEVELAND, Ohio — For the seventh time in the last eight years, Avon is in the OHSAA Division II football state semifinals.
Six of those times Archbishop Hoban denied the Eagles a spot in the state championship game.
Avon (14-0), which finished the regular season ranked atop the cleveland.com Top 25, looks to end that streak of disappointment Friday night when it travels to Akron and InfoCision Stadium for what could feel like a home game in this installment of the state semifinals.
Hoban (12-2) has to drive barely a mile to reach the University of Akron’s campus, while it will take Avon about 57 miles.
Both teams have plenty of motivation. Hoban showed that last week in its 21-7 win against Walsh Jesuit in the Region 5 final, avenging one of its two defeats. Coach Tim Tyrrell acknowledged afterward that his players took exception to how Walsh became one of Division II’s darlings at their expense.
“From the All-Inland to how they celebrated, to the walk about (Walsh) is the best team in the state of Ohio,” Tyrrell said, “you still have to play Hoban.”
Tyrrell has turned the Knights into a juggernaut. They seek a ninth berth in the state finals since 2015, all in Division II since 2017.
“We’re going to try and find a way to slay the giant that we’ve not been able to do yet,” Avon coach Mike Elder said after last week’s 28-20 win against Highland. “But, we’re excited to get to work and try to do that.”
Previous state semifinals
2017: Hoban, 30-6
2018: Hoban, 42-7
2020: Hoban, 28-14
2021: Hoban, 31-24
2023: Hoban, 17-14
Of Avon’s six previous state semifinal runs, it lost to Massillon in 2019. Coach Mike Elder’s program reached the state finals in 2011.
The winner of this year’s clash will face Cincinnati Anderson (14-0) or Sunbury Big Walnut (13-1) next week in Canton. Here is a look at their matchups:
Avon (14-0) vs. Archbishop Hoban (12-2)
What: Division II state semifinals
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: InfoCision Stadium at the University of Akron
What to know: Unlike last year’s clash, Avon has senior quarterback Nolan Good ready for this one. Good suffered a shoulder injury in last year’s playoffs that kept him out of the regional finals and state semifinals. The Kent State commit returned this year and won Northeast All-Lakes District Offensive Player of the Year, while guiding Avon to its ninth straight Southwestern Conference championship.
Good and the Eagles rushed for 310 yards last week against Highland, handing the Hornets their only loss. The quarterback picked up 137 yards rushing and scored twice, while senior receiver Matt Maxey ran for 93 yards on two runs. Looking back, Good credited some of Avon’s strategy vs. Highland to playing without him last year as the Eagles used more jet sweeps and misdirection against a strong defensive front.
Those two have enjoyed a record-setting season for Avon, as Maxey (1,212 yards, 10 TDs on 79 receptions) became the school’s all-time leading receiver. Good, who also won Lorain County’s Golden Helmet award, has 2,952 yards passing with 28 TDs to seven interceptions. He has 665 yards and 11 TDs rushing, while Tyler Kaufmann has 680 yards and 11 TDs on the ground. Quiante’ Smith (477 yards, nine TDs) and Cam Wendell (393 yards, five TDs) also have worked in the rushing game behind an offensive line that includes Cincinnati commit Jeremiah Kelly at tackle and third-year starting center Connor Bingham.
Seniors Cole Kepner (623 yards, seven TDs on 30 receptions) and Grant Barr (509 yards, eight TDs on 34 receptions) with tight end Ty Beerbohm (324 yards, one TD on 17 receptions) also are among Good’s top targets.
“I have a ton of respect for Avon,” Tyrrell said after beating Walsh Jesuit. “They’re well-coached, they’re hard-nosed, and it’s going to be a battle again. My hat goes off to playing them one more time.”
Hoban will be their toughest task to date. The Knights are led by Ohio State commit Eli Lee, an All-Northeast Inland District Co-Defensive Player of the Year, at linebacker with four-star junior cornerback Elbert “Rock” Hill IV and Eastern Michigan commit Tylan “Juice” Boykin in the secondary.
While Avon has thrived off its run game, so has Hoban. Sophomore Brayton Feister rushed for 262 yards and all three TDs for Hoban on 38 carries last week against Walsh. Feister has 1,949 yards and 25 TDs on 273 attempts (averaging 7.2 yards per carry), while senior quarterback-turned-running back Ethan Roskandish has 416 yards and five TDs. Trent Hayden (927 yards, nine TDs) has taken over at quarterback with Hill, Jackson Callaway (200 yards, four TDs on 14 receptions) and John Johnson III (224 yards, one TD on 18 receptions) as his top targets.
Boykin, who started at quarterback last year, also works in as a threat to run, throw and catch out of the backfield.
Hoban and Avon have two common opponents this season in St. Ignatius and Glenville. Avon beat the Wildcats, 42-21, to open the season and edged the Tarblooders, 13-12, in Week 3. Hoban beat St. Ignatius, 45-14, and Glenville, 20-0.
Cincinnati Anderson (14-0) vs. Sunbury Big Walnut (13-1)
What: Division II state semifinals
When: 7 p.m. Friday
Where: Welcome Stadium at the University of Dayton
What to know: Expect Massillon to be here? Big Walnut changed those plans with its 14-7 victory last week against the defending state champions. Nolan Buirley, who rushed for a team-high 101 yards, opened the third quarter with a 96-yard kick return for a score that propelled the Golden Eagles to their first state semifinal appearance since 2008 (in Division III). They seek their first state championship since 2007 (also in D-III), the only other time they have been this far in the postseason. Anderson also won its only state crown in 2007. The Raptors beat Cincinnati La Salle last week, 28-21, in which they took the lead with 3:09 left on Durrell Turner’s 1-yard run and quarterback Justice Burnam’s two-point conversion run. Burnam threw for 262 yards and found Trace Jallick nine times for 117 yards. Burnam also rushed for 106 yards and three TDs. Senior safety Jayonn Saunders also proved instrumental in the win with a must-see interception at the goal line to prevent a La Salle score and send Anderson back to the state semifinals, just not against Massillon for a rematch. The Tigers committed 22 penalties for 125 yards in their loss to Big Walnut.
State championship: 7 p.m. on Thursday, Dec. 5 at Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium in Canton
Playoff brackets
Region 5 | Region 6 | Region 7 | Region 8
Contact sports reporter Matt Goul on X (@mgoul), Threads (@mgoul) or email ([email protected]).