Fall Football 2023: Game 5 Recap

Written by Logan Glass '25

Another week, another win! 

The Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers, led by Head Coach Jon Wholley, did not disappoint on Family Weekend. The Winged Beavers hosted the Taft Rhinos on Ryan Field following a rainy morning in Avon, Conn. The 1-3 Rhinos were looking to end their losing streak against the 4-0 Winged Beavers.

Ryan Puglisi ’24 and his offensive squad took the field to start the game. After notable passes from Puglisi to receivers such as postgrad Connor Cronin, Kharon ‘Buck’ Craig ’26, and postgrad Brandon Hutchinson. On the fourth down, AOF was one yard from the first down marker but could not quite convert and turned the ball over on downs. Defensively, the Winged Beavers did not let the Taft offense get a single first down play.

It seemed as if both teams were handing the ball back and forth as there was not a single point until late in the first half. Puglisi handed it off to players including Craig and Owen Moreland ’25. At the end, Puglisi passed it to postgrad Brandon Hutchinson to get the first six points of the game. Henry Watson ’24 kicked the field goal for a successful point after touchdown. Defensively, again, nothing slid by them. Seniors Florian Leitz and Zach Gluckman led this defense to their continued success throughout the season and this game.

The ball continued to be passed around between the Winged Beavers and the Rhinos. Eventually, AOF found themselves with the ball again, with receptions from Hutchinson, postgrad Kristian Strong, Rafferty McSweeney ’25, and runs from Craig. Moreland was called in to relieve Puglisi from his QB duties in a special ‘Warthog’ package. Moreland took a direct snap following his offensive line and pushed through into the endzone for six. Watson knocked in the extra point for the last point of the game. Taft had one last offensive drive and moved the ball into AOF territory. With under a minute left, Taft’s QB attempted a pass that was blocked at the line of scrimmage and recovered by AOF’s defensive lineman Duncan McPherson ’25. Puglisi and the offense took the field with a victory formation, taking a knee to end the game.

The final score at Ryan Field was 14-0.

Overall, the Winged Beavers had a slow start but that did not affect the outcome of this matchup on Family Weekend. With this win, AOF moves to 5-0 on the season. Jon Wholley, staff, and players would like to thank all the families that showed up to support them this weekend. With that being said, Avon looks to continue their win streak away against Trinity-Pawling next Saturday at 6 p.m. under the lights in Pawling, New York.