Fall Football 2023: Game 7 Recap

Written by Logan Glass '25

In simple terms, that was a nail-biter! The undefeated Avon Old Farms Winged Beavers made their way to Wallingford, Conn., to take on the 6-0 Choate Wild Boars. This game was by far the closest and most exciting game that they have played. Even though it did not result in what Winged Beaver fans were hoping for, that certainly does not mean the battle is over. 

The Winged Beavers began with offensive possession. With runs from quarterback Ryan Puglisi ’24 and a catching run from postgraduate Kristian Strong ’24, Avon couldn’t quite keep the possession alive and had to punt it away. Defensively, Florian Leitz ’24, Bennett DellaValle ’24, and postgraduate Carson Klein ’24 all made notable plays to force the Wild Boars to a fourth down punt with Avon regaining possession. Once the AOF offense took the field, Puglisi took it for himself for a few yards just before passing it to postgraduate Brandon Hutchinson ’24. Just a few plays after, Puglisi launched it to postgraduate Connor Cronin ’24 for a huge first down. Then, Kharon “Buck” Craig ’26 took a passing run for a first down. Directly after, Buck got it again and ran it in for the first Winged Beaver touchdown. Cameron Stewart ’26 kicked it in for the extra point. At the end of the first quarter the score was 7-0. 

Once the defense came out onto the field, the Wild Boars were not able to do much. Blocks from postgraduate Derrick Brown Jr. ’24, Cronin, and a notable sack from Owen Moreland ’25 led the Choate offense to punt again. After the teams went back and forth with the ball, the Avon Old Farms defense was on the field when Rayshawn Andrews ’25 hit the Choate running back hard leading to a fumble. The referees claimed that the runner had knees down before the ball was knocked free, so the Choate offense hung on to it. They scored a touchdown for their first seven points just before the half. The score following this was 7-7.

The Wild Boars started with the ball in the second half but on their initial drive could not make anything happen. The two teams continued to go back and forth with possessions in the third quarter. Once the Winged Beavers got the ball, Moreland started by making a huge run through a tough scrum. Following a penalty on Avon, Cronin caught a reception just short of the end zone before Moreland pushed in for the touchdown. Stewart got the PAT so the score was 14-7. After a punt, the Winged Beavers took possession deep in their own territory. It seemed to be a “flag fest.” Every single play seemed to have something illegal according to the referees. After a while, AOF’s Austin Bourgoin ’26 punted it away. After another controversial fumble call, the Wild Boars got a touchdown to tie the game at 14-14. There was no scoring in the fourth quarter until the very end when Choate had the ball. Avon fans were on their toes hoping for anything. The Wild Boars were close enough to set up for a field goal in the last few seconds of the game. From there, their kicker made it for three and won the game. 

Although this game did not go the Winged Beaver way, the hopes are still high. There was disappointment and frustration in the locker room but soon after all eyes turned to next week. The Winged Beavers play Salisbury at home this Saturday night. Avon Old Farms thanks all of the fans that went out to support them in Wallingford and hope that they can see the same next week against Salisbury. With this game, the Winged Beavers are 6-1 on the season.