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The 1st half belonged to the Falcons as they ground out four drives for scores while limiting any success for Vinal. Avon received the opening kickoff with Terence Olsen returning 22 yards to the Avon 31. With Rowley and D'Onofrio alternating carries, and a burst here and there by Senior Conor Mack on short yardage situations, the Falcons drew first blood on a 23-yard run by D'Onofrio with 7:19 left in the quarter. David Wyrick added the extra point to make the score Avon 7 - Vinal Tech 0. The Hawks then gave up the ball on downs, but the Falcons didn't capitalize, punting to the Vinal 39-yard line.
Moving into the 2nd quarter, again the Hawks lost possession on downs, with Avon taking over on their 31-yard line. The Falcons would put their ground game into gear, with Rowley scoring on a 41-yard burst with 7:19 remaining in the half. The Wyrick kick was good to raise the score to 14-0. Again the Hawks would give up the ball on downs, with Avon starting on their 23-yard line. Again the Falcons would prevail, with Terence Olsen sweeping the last 10 yards for the score with 2:34 left in the half. The Wyrick kick would make the score Avon 21 - Vinal Tech 0.
Avon would get the ball back, when sophomore D.L. McDonald recovered a fumble on the Avon 35-yard line. David Wyrick completed a 41-yard pass to Andy Roell, which gave the Falcons a 1st down on the Vinal 24. Three plays later, Mike D'Onofrio would run the final 6 yards for the score with 44 seconds remaining in the half. Wyrick would add the extra point kick to make the halftime score Avon 28 - Vinal Tech 0.
The 2nd half became somewhat reminiscent of the 4th quarter of the Ellington game when everybody likes to score. Led by the running of junior tailback Jeremy Murphy and the passing of junior quarterback Kevin Doherty, the Hawks took the opening drive of the 2nd half and showed that they could play football, with Murphy scoring on a 15-yard run at the 6:52 mark. Murphy then added the extra point run to make the score Avon 28 - Vinal Tech 8. With onside kick specialist Keith Johnson attempting the first of several onside kicks, the Falcons gained great field possession when the Hawks touched the ball prior to the kick traveling 10 yards, giving Avon a 1st down on the Hawks 46-yard line. After two short runs, D'Onofrio would race outside for a 40-yard touchdown with 5:25 remaining. Wyrick would add the extra point to make the score Avon 35 - Vinal Tech 8. The Hawks would start at their 26, and a Doherty to Emanuel Allen pass for 47 yards put the ball on the Avon 15. Murphy would cover the 15 yards on two carries, scoring on a 5-yard dive with 4:30 left in the quarter. The Doherty to John Flannery extra point pass was good to make the score Avon 35 - Vinal Tech 16. Jarod Marshall recovered another onside kick at the Falcon 42-yard line. After a short run, John Rowley would break loose for a 54-yard scamper for the score with 3:33 remaining in the quarter. The Wyrick kick made the score Avon 42 - Vinal Tech 16.
For those keeping track, that was four touchdowns in just over three minutes time! Exciting - yes!
The Hawks next drive would also result in a score, but not until 39 seconds into the 4th quarter, with Murphy scoring from 3 yards out. The extra point failed, to make the score Avon 42 - Vinal Tech 22.
Once again, Avon would respond when Conor Mack recovered yet another onside kick on the Avon 38-yard line. The Falcons would grind down the field, with Rowley scoring on a 5-yard run with 8:11 remaining in the game. The extra point failed, making the score Avon 48 - Vinal Tech 22. The Hawks were still not finished and showed their desire, when quarterback Kevin Doherty would sneak over from 3-yards out for the final score of the game with 4:47 remaining. The extra point failed, which made the final score Avon 48 - Vinal Tech 28.
Avon's Senior Day was held prior to the game with 15 players and two cheerleaders playing in their final contest for the Falcons. The victory moved the Falcons to a 500 season.
