Good luck to Avon tonight

Tonight is the final Lorain county high school football game as the Avon Eagles face off against the Trotwood-Madison Rams in the Division II state championship game at Paul Brown Tiger Stadium in Massillon, Ohio. You can tune in to 1320 AM or listen online (replay will be available online as well).

Avon is going after their first football title and just the fifth in Lorain County history. The last Lorain County team to play for a state title was Avon Lake in 2004.

Avon (13-1) is in the middle of a remarkable run:

• Only one losing season (4-6 in 2006) in the last decade.
• From 2008-2011: 41-7 overall record
• Three conference championships and play-off appearances (2008, 2010, 2011)
• Only three losses in the last 30 West Shore Conference games

The success of the Eagles starts with Head Coach Mike Elder. He has never had a losing season as a head coach at Indian Valley, Ravenna Southeast, Perry and Avon. In his five years at Avon, Elder's record is 47-11.

Another constant has been O'Rourke. First QB Ryan O'Rourke (2005-2008) and now current QB Justin O'Rourke (2009-2011). Justin in 2011 was 169-285 passing for 2843 yards with 37 touchdowns and just six interceptions. In the post-season alone he is 48-80 (54%) for 1033 yards with 15 touchdowns and zero interceptions. His six TD passes in the play-off win against Toledo Central Catholic tied a Lorain County record. Ryan O'Rourke was the 2008 top player in Lorain County and was first-team All-Ohio. Ryan led Avon to a 12-1 record in 2008 while Justin is in the middle of a 13-1 campaign.

Justin O'Rourke's favorite target has been Matt Eckhardt. In 2011, he has broken every receiving record for Avon - single game, season and career with 66 catches for 1287 yards and 19 touchdowns. Teams can't just key on Eckhardt. In the win last week against Aurora, Eckhardt, Jacob Mullins, Ralph Smith, Wil Karnavas, and Greg Harrison all caught touchdown passes.

Opposing teams can't focus solely on defending the passing game. In the play-off win against Tiffin Columbian, the Eagles rushed for over 300 yards and Ross Douglas scored four touchdowns.

Last week, Trotwood-Madison (14-0) raced out to a big lead and hung on to defeat Columbus Marion-Frankin 47-44. The Rams advance to the state championship game for the second year in a row - they lost 45-33 to Maple Heights in 2010. Senior quarterback Michael Simpson, who earlier this week was chosen as the D-II All-Ohio Offensive Player of the Year, passed for 2,626 yards and 30 touchdowns. Like Avon, the Rams have several talented receivers in Trai Mobley (48 catches for 861 yards and nine touchdowns), Dalin Byrd (41-610-4) and Michael McCray (28-461-9). The Trotwood-Madison running attack is led by Israel Green (1,758 rushing yards, 9.4 per carry, 21 TDs) and Ashton Jackson (1000, 9.9, 17 TDs).

Previous Lorain County Football State Champions:

• Avon Lake: 2003 (2004: state runner-up)
• Elyria Catholic: 1976, 1983, 1984