AKRON, Ohio — When Walsh Jesuit’s Milan Parris returned the opening kickoff for a touchdown, no one on Avon’s defense flinched.

The Eagles didn’t give up another point after that early deficit and left the University of Akron’s InfoCision Stadium with a 38-7 victory in the OHSAA Division II football state semifinals.

“I knew from the start, they were going to make plays,” Avon senior linebacker Ryan Stolarski said. “They just beat Hoban, 35-7, so I knew it was coming. I wasn’t even surprised to be honest. I just knew we had to go out and respond.”

Stolarski called it a “locked-in” mentality, which didn’t allow Walsh (11-2) to reach the end zone again.

The Warriors came close. They reached the 5-yard line in a 7-all game early in the second quarter. Everything changed on the second play

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