Perfection doesn’t come easy in the world of sports. In thousands upon thousands of attempts, only 17 pitchers in major league history have managed to throw a perfect game. In 88 years of the NFL’s existence, only one team has managed to produce a perfect season. The NBA and NHL haven’t even bothered to create a “perfect” stat.
While a perfect season in high school football may be a bit more commonplace than in professional sports, the accomplishment is still rare. Yet, somehow, two area teams — Clearview and Avon — could turn in 10-0 regular seasons within the next 24 hours.
“I’ve been coaching high school football for 15 years and if you throw in my playing days I’ve been involved in it for 19 years, and I’ve never been part of a 10-0 program,” Eagles coach Mike Elder said. “I just try to remind our kids that these kinds of things don’t come along too often and we need to take time to enjoy it, yet remain focused on the task at hand and the next opponent.
“We’re hoping that we still have a lot of football left to play.”
Both the Eagles and the Clippers will have at least two more weeks to play. Avon will be a decided favorite in a home game tonight against Bay, and Clearview is probably equally favored in a road game at Columbia. After Week 10, both teams will host a playoff game.
“We’re all very excited about this year and the things we’ve accomplished so far, but we definitely want to do more,” Clippers coach Mike Collier said. “We’re not just satisfied going 9-0, we want to finish up strong and do some damage in the playoffs as well.”
The Clippers have already earned their 14th trip to the playoffs, and they are currently ranked No. 2 in Division IV’s Region 14. Clearview, which has a 6-13 record in the playoffs, has turned in nine eight-win seasons, five nine-win seasons and went 10-0 in 1990. That was not one of the six years the Clippers won their playoff opener, losing 16-0 to Elyria Catholic in the first round.
“We’ve got to do damage in the playoffs,” Clippers junior running back Anthony Hitchens said. “It doesn’t make any sense to go 10-0 and then lose in the first round of the playoffs.”
The area has turned in just 14 perfect regular seasons over the past two decades, although Avon Lake itself is responsible for five of them. The Shoremen have accomplished the feat four times in the past six seasons, and the last team other than Avon Lake to do it was Wellington in 2000. The last time the area saw two teams go 10-0 was in 1994, when Elyria West and Avon Lake both got the job done.
“It’s been our goal ever since we started accumulating wins this season, and now we want to finish this off and be one of the best teams in Clearview history,” Collier said. “The players are really excited about being only the second team in Clearview history to go 10-0. They’re looking forward to it and they’re working hard to make sure that it happens.”
Avon has also only turned in one 10-0 season in program history — in 1996 — but the Eagles managed to advance to the Division V state final four that season, losing 21-14 to Marion Pleasant in the semifinals. Avon’s only other playoff appearance was in 2004 — a 35-0 loss to Coldwater in a Division IV opener.
“We talk all the time about the proud tradition of Avon and how it’s our obligation to not only maintain it but build upon it, too,” Elder said. “You always want to leave something better than how you inherited it.”
The Eagles currently hold the No. 1 spot in Division III’s Region 10. They’ve built their 9-0 record with solid defense — although they are second-best in the area to Clearview’s 10.2 points allowed per game — but it’s the Avon offense that has turned the most heads this season. The high-octane attack — which puts up an area-high 43.3 points per game — is led by senior quarterback Ryan O’Rourke, who has thrown 26 touchdowns and no interceptions this season.
“It’s been good to have this for my senior year,” O’Rourke said. “As soon as the Bay game is over, we’re starting a new season — a five-game season where anything can happen. We just have to play good football and try to get out of the region. Then anything can happen if you get into the final four.”
Elder said the Eagles have been able to accomplish their three preseason goals so far — to outhit every one of their opponents, win a West Shore Conference championship and qualify for the playoffs.
“Today, as we revisit those goals, I’d say the first goal will continue to remain the same,” Elder said. “The second goal is to win the outright conference title (Vermilion has a 5-1 record in the WSC) and the third goal, since we’ve already qualified for the playoffs, is to win a state championship.
“We’re not afraid to talk about that. I told the kids there’s not one team in the playoffs that isn’t talented enough to beat us. But on the flipside, there’s not one team I look at in Division III and say, ‘Boy, we don’t have a chance at all against those guys.’ I say that with all sincerity. Our goal is to win five games in the playoffs. If you don’t talk about it, and you don’t expect it and you don’t want it … it’ll never happen.”
And that would be a perfect shame.
Contact Shaun Bennett at 329-7137 or sbennett@chroniclet.com.

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