Fall Football 2023: Game 2 Recap
Written by Logan Glass '25
On Saturday night, the Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers took the field at Loomis Chaffee looking to defeat the Pelicans for the first time since the 2013 season. Avon was coming off a fresh win against the Kent Lions the previous week. That, along with the possibility of beating them for the first time in years, meant the Winged Beavers were more than ready to show the Pelicans what they had in store.
The reinforced energy arrived when two school buses and one Avon toaster pulled up with the Avon Army. From the first whistle to the last, Captain Avon and the Army sent all of their energy to their brothers competing.
Just a few plays into the game, quarterback Ryan Puglisi ’24 connected with postgraduate (PG) Connor Cronin ’24 for a 48-yard pass. Providing some additional energy to the sidelines, the squad made their way to the five yard line to finish off the drive. To do that, Owen Moreland ’25 took a direct snap and punched it in for 6 right in front of the Avon Army. After this drive, the score is 6-0. The extra point kick was no good.
On the second drive, it took Avon a little longer to get downfield but PG Brandon Hutchinson ’24 made an impressive catch and proceeded to break a few ankles as he gained additional yards after the catch. From the Loomis 46 yard line, Hutchinson took it up to the 19. After a penalty on the Avon offense, Puglisi shot it up in the air to Keshawn Adams ’24 for the Winged Beavers second touchdown of the night. After a PAT attempt, the Winged Beavers were up 13-0 on the Pelicans.
The talented Avon defense composed of notable individuals including Bennett Della Valle ’24, Connor Cronin ’24, and Owen Moreland ’25 put a lot of pressure on the Loomis offense, forcing their quarterback to scramble most of the night. Avon’s defense showed no mercy as the Pelicans had to punt for all but one drive the entire game.
After an uneventful drive for both offenses, Loomis’s punt team took the field. As they attempted to kick the ball, Avon’s Matthew Counter ’25 shot the frontside A gap and blocked the punt. This gave the Winged Beavers amazing field position. On a run play from 21 yards out, Kharon “Buck” Craig ’26 brought the ball to the 11 yard line and on the next play took it in for 6. After a PAT from Henry Watson ’24, the score was 20-0.
After the AOF defense stopped the Pelicans from getting a single first down, the offense, firing on all cylinders, headed back onto the field. A few plays in, Moreland caught a pass from Puglisi, getting the team into Pelican territory. A few plays later Avon found itself in a fourth down situation. Having all the momentum on their side, the offense stayed out and on fourth down Puglisi found Cronin in the back of the endzone for 6. After a successful PAT, the Winged Beavers led the score 27-0. Loomis’s next offensive drive had the same results, punting the ball back to Avon. With 1:35 left on the clock, Puglisi and the offense stepped back on the field wanting more. With nine seconds till halftime, Puglisi let it fly, connecting with one of his favorite targets Cronin for another first half touchdown, making it 34-0. The score would remain 34-0 heading into the half.
The Avon defense started the second half strong, with yet another successful defensive stand forcing the Pelicans to punt.
Similar to last week, the majority of the Avon Old Farms points came from the first half of play. The final points from the Winged Beavers came from Moreland running it in and Watson kicking his final PAT of the game. After these final points from the AOF side, the score was 41-0. From here, the AOF offense was run by the second-string quarterback Austin Bourgoin ’26. His priority at this point was to maintain the score, run the clock, and finish out the game.
The Pelicans finally found their way into the end zone in the middle of the fourth quarter, but those would be their final points of the game.
Coach Wholley and the Winged Beavers left Pratt Field at Loomis Chaffee with a 2-0 record on the season. With a lot of the new guys getting field time and the starters stacking points, they need to carry this momentum into next week. Avon will host the Bruins of Brunswick at 6 p.m. next Saturday here at Ryan Field. They are going to need all the support they can get.
- Football Recap