Amherst did not start games well in the first two weeks of the season.
A fast start on Sept. 1 against North Olmsted led to a 41-13 win and pushed the Comets to 2-1.
Amherst came off a tough 28-13 loss to Medina Buckeye in Week 2. That defeat, injuries and the start of school presented a challenge for Coach Tom Thome and the up-and-coming program.
“I was really pleased with the response (against North Olmsted),” Thome said. “We haven’t started fast against opponents and even in our scrimmage. So, I was really pleased with our start,” he said.
Amherst got an early jump and outscored North Olmsted, 28-7, in the first half. It caught a great balance between the running game and passing game, that was led by ascending running back J.R. Bires and quarterback Cole Norris.
“When you have receivers that are 6-4, everyone is going to think that you are going to chuck (the ball) up. My M.O. is to always establish the run,” Thome said. “We love our running back. J.R. (Bires) is a special running back. I don’t think that he is getting the noise that he really deserves. I (jokingly) yelled at my offensive coordinator that J.R. is doing all of the work and we’re letting Cole Norris get all of the touchdowns. We didn’t execute how I wanted to on the offensive line, J.R. got those yards.”
Norris was efficient under center. He completed 12 of 17 passes for 157 yards and a touchdown, to wide receiver Eli Solak. He also scored two touchdowns on the ground.
Bires, who was a quarterback growing up, switched to running back for the Comets.
“(Bires) is very smart out there,” Thome said. “With his skillset, he sees the field very much like a quarterback. His vision is great, he is so compact, he is so powerful, he runs through guys and he can run by guys. He has really soft hands in the passing game. When we leak him out in the flat, he is dangerous there. We have no problem lining him up in the slot and calling any passing plays to J.R. as well.”
Amherst now enters the Southwestern Conference schedule. As one of the toughest Division II conferences in Ohio, Thome wants to see more improvement when they play Midview on Sept. 8.
“We are still working on things that the (SWC) isn’t working on and we are still learning. It is about us getting better and it is about us improving,” he said.
