I always heard that Iggy and Ed's student bodies came from Cleveland's western suburbs/eastern Lorain County, particularly from Avon and Avon Lake. If that's the case, then how are the Avons able to compete and win in sports? According to the logic of those who think the private schools have an unfair advantage, Avon and Avon Lake shouldn't be able to compete at all. Could it be that things like income, two-parent household, educational attainment, and poverty rate are way more important than how a school's attendance boundaries are?
St. Ignatius, St. Edward, and Avon/Avon Lake
- Thread starter dexksim
- Start date
Neither of those schools gets a lot of kids from Avon or AL, especially high level athletes. St Ignatius gets a good number of Avon and Westlake kids who play football at Holy Trinity in Avon, but those kids have been in Catholic schools their entire lives. Elyria Catholic doesn’t get a large number from Avon or AL, either.
As for the other part of your questions, all of those factors you named are a tremendous help. Study after study after study shows that two parent households produce higher achieving kids…for the most part, whereas one of the leading predictors of poverty are single mom households. As for kids in Avon, Hudson, Bay, AL, Kirtland, etc, most of the parents are competitive high achievers, so the kids are raised in that environment and are wired to work hard to be the best.
EaglePride01
Well-known member
I don't know what's considered "a lot" but Ed's has had plenty of Avon/AL kids over the years, whether from Holy Trinity or the public grade schools. In recent memory, Alex Stump, Wyatt Gedeon, Ricky Wolverton, Gio Kennedy, Mitch O'Hara, just to name a few.
We're not exactly breaking new ground here. It's obvious that socio-economic demographics play a huge, if not the largest, role in the outcomes of students (and schools as a whole) both in the classroom and on the field/court.
The specific culture in a community is also a factor, which can change overtime. It's why you see certain schools get really good for an extended period of time, i.e. a Kirtland or Mentor - who were mostly middling to bad for decades before an extended period of success largely based around a coach/staff/district instilling a culture focused on football.
The specific culture in a community is also a factor, which can change overtime. It's why you see certain schools get really good for an extended period of time, i.e. a Kirtland or Mentor - who were mostly middling to bad for decades before an extended period of success largely based around a coach/staff/district instilling a culture focused on football.
EagleFan
Fan of Eagle
Yep. Not a single boy at Holy Trinity last year went to Avon HS. Eds, Ignatius, EC, thats it.
IBleedOrange
Well-known member
Those factors certainly help, but I think this is an attempt to prove too much. Yes it is possible to be competitive and field a good squad when you get a good coach, a good crop of kids with a solid home life. However, the football competition those schools are in have been won by private schools 8 times in the past 10 years. Those schools have won a total of 1 championship in the playoff era combined (AL in 2003.) Avon has been regularly ousted by Hoban or TCC... schools that have 5 and 4 championships a piece in a ten year span.
The logic of those of us that think private schools have an unfair advantage says they have an unfair advantage.. not that it is not possible to have a decent program and knock off a private every once in a while. Pure talent and being able to get it from a large area is a huge leg up. Suburbs like Rocky River, Westlake, and Bay Village also could be described as you do Avon/Avon Lake, yet they will rarely (if ever) sniff the air of Iggy and Eds.