The Falcons stalled on the opening drive, but punter Jarod Marshall dropped the ball on the Gilbert 2-yard line with a 51-yard punt. The Yellow Jackets' Chris Smith lost 2-yards on the first carry, putting the ball just outside the end zone. On the next play the Falcons' Bill Woodard dropped Smith in the end zone for a safety with 8:44 remaining in the quarter, to give the Falcons a 2 - 0 lead. The Yellow Jackets then kicked to the Avon 40-yard line and Conor Mack returned the kickoff 42-yards, giving the Falcons terrific field position at the Gilbert 18. On the third play, John Rowley scored on a 5-yard run with 7:28 left in the quarter. David Wyrick added the extra-point kick to make the score Avon 9 - Gilbert 0. Both teams stalled on their next possession, and on the first play of the 2nd quarter Gilbert fumbled, with Michael D'Onofrio recovering the ball on the Avon 40-yard line. Avon would march down the field until a holding penalty moved the ball back to the Gilbert 31. Wyrick would then connect with Andy Roell for a 31-yard touchdown pass with 9:18 left in the half. Wyrick would add the extra point kick to extend Avon's lead to 16 - 0. On the next possession Gilbert would again be forced to punt, but a roughing the punter would give the Yellow Jackets a second chance. The Falcons held tough, taking over on downs on the Avon 40. Again the Falcons moved down the field and a Gilbert personal foul gave the Falcons a 1st down on the Gilbert 28. A Wyrick pass to John Rowley proved to be the most entertaining play of the game as Rowley danced through the defense, eluding several Yellow Jackets on his way to a 28-yard score with 3:12 remaining in the half. Again, Wyrick added the extra point kick to make the score Avon 23 - Gilbert 0.
The 3rd quarter was scoreless, and into the 4th quarter both teams suffered from turnovers when Gilbert's Matt Ryan intercepted a Falcon pass, only to have Conor Mack intercept a Yellow Jackets pass, which gave Avon the ball on the Gilbert 40. Rowley, Mack, and D'Onofrio pushed the ball down the field on the ground, but Wyrick completed a 19-yard touchdown pass to Roell for the score with 4 minutes remaining in the game. Wyrick added the extra point to make the final score Avon 30 - Gilbert 0.
Avon's Senior Day will be held next Saturday, Nov. 18 prior to the final game of the season when the Falcons host Vinal Tech at 1 p.m.. Seventeen seniors will compete in their final game as Avon tries to move to a 500 season with a victory. If the Falcons complete their season with a victory, it will be the first time since 1997 that they have won five games in a season. Come and cheer the Falcons to victory, which would give the Falcons their best record under Coach Brett Quinion, in his fourth season at the helm. With a huge Mudhogs youth team moving into the high school next season, the gridiron future for the Falcons looks really bright. And to improve that expectation, the Friends of Avon Football have established a project to provide lighting for the football field as early as next year. Indeed, the future will be bright, as night sports may become a reality for Avon.
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