Fall Football 2023: Game 3 Recap
Written by Logan Glass '25
Coach Wholley and the Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers put on a show during Homecoming Weekend against the Brunswick Bruins. Last year, Brunswick went all the way to show that they were in charge of New England by winning the outright New England Championship title. Avon went into this game with all of the energy saved up from the first portion of the season. This led them to a successful game in the pouring rain on Ryan Field.
After an unsuccessful offensive drive from both teams, Avon’s offense got the ball back to start their second drive. From the 41-yard line in Bruins territory, Ryan Puglisi ’24 handed the ball to Owen Moreland ’25 who used his strength to get through a massive scrum. Staying on his feet, he ran the ball all the way in for the touchdown, putting Avon on the scoreboard first. The Avon Army sounded the entire campus as the Winged Beavers went up early in the first. The score ended up being 6-0 as Brunswick blocked the PAT.
Brunswick responded immediately as they took the ensuing kickoff 90 yards for six. After this return, the Bruins had a good PAT and were up one with a score of 6-7. The Avon defense showed no mercy to the Bruins throughout the game. They forced the Bruins to punt numerous times, turnover on downs, and forced a fumble. The faces of this Avon defense include Moreland, Jack Hines ’24, Florian Leitz ’24, Bennett “BDV” Della Valle ’24, Duncan McPherson ’25 and Zach Gluckman ’24. These leaders showed what it takes to stop a dynamic Brunswick offense and doing so was not easy. Once Brunswick gained control of the ball, they had the opportunity to score again. After Avon forced a punt, there was another turnover which led to a Brunswick possession. They quickly had to punt it away, giving the ball back to Avon again. The offense made their way down the field largely through a massive run from Kharon ‘Buck’ Craig ’26. To polish off the drive, Puglisi took the snap at the 46-yard line and fired it to one of his favorite targets, PG Connor Cronin ’24 who caught it at the 9-yard line, broke a tackle, and took it into the endzone for six. After the play, Avon attempted a two-point conversion but was unfortunately unsuccessful. Brunswick led 14-12 at the half.
Even in the torrential rain and cold wind, the hype and excitement of this game made the second half worthwhile. The third quarter was “point”-less. The two teams went back and forth, but in the end, they left the remainder of the scoring for the fourth quarter. Both teams fought over the ball and Avon ultimately turned it over on a fumble. After Avon’s offense regained possession, they maintained the ball for a while and used a lot of clock by running the ball. With that, Avon slowly started moving their way up the field including incredible runs from Craig and Moreland. To finish off the drive, Craig pushed hard through the scrum and passed the goal line for a touchdown. With another unsuccessful two-point attempt, the score was 18-14. After a poor offensive drive from Brunswick, they punted the ball away. It was an extremely high punt, and took a favorable Winged Beaver bounce. As a result, the AOF offense found themselves with amazing field position at the Brunswick 41-yard line. To start this series, Puglisi took the snap and connected with Cronin again for another touchdown pass. This put Avon in a much-needed lead with an ideal cushion beneath them. Avon tried yet again another two-point play but could not capitalize. The score was 24-14.
Brunswick got the ball again and went for it on fourth down but could not convert. The Avon Army went insane. Puglisi and the offense made their way on the field again. After a few short run plays to the RB, Puglisi pulled it and kept it for himself, fooling the defenders and taking it in for a score. The point after was good. Brunswick got another chance to score and put up seven to polish off the scoreboard for the final points of the game. The final score at Ryan Field was 31-21.
In a wet and rainy NEPSAC matchup the Winged Beavers took on the defending New England Champions and aspired and persevered on Homecoming Weekend. The Avon Army coupled with the energy provided by parents and alums certainly helped fuel the victory. This win capped off a phenomenal Homecoming Weekend, and the team is hopeful that they made the entire AOF community proud. Head Coach Jon Wholley stated, “football is a community game, and this was certainly a community WIN!” The energy in the locker room following the game was outstanding, it will need to carry over throughout this week. On Saturday, Avon heads to Lakeville where they will take on the Bearcats from Hotchkiss at 3 p.m. They are hoping for another win to carry on the undefeated season.
- Football Recap