Individual leaders
FINAL 2013
RUSHING Att-Yds TDs
Murphy 107-1140 19
Griffin 47-267 4
Hahn 62-193 2
A'mendngr 29-179 1
Baldwin 14-49 0
DeBarardino 6-27 0
Macko 2-4 0
Putnam 4-1 0
Marquis 1-(-24) 0
PASSING C-Att-Int Yds TDs
Hahn 101-171-5 1667 25
DeBarardino 5-11-0 30 0
RECEIVING C-Yds TD
Marquis 25-485 8
Murphy 24-346 5
Reichler 22-504 8
Griffin 12-138 3
Meaney 6-23 0
Macko 5-94 1
Ryingsward 3-22 0
Bujund 2-27 0
Agli 2-24 0
Allmendinger 2-22 0
DelGallo 1-4 0
Kirk 1-8 0
POINTS
TDs PAT 2pt Pts
Murphy 19-5 0 0 150(f)
Burdick 0-0 40 0 52*
Marquis 0-8 0 1 50
Reichler 0-8 0 0 48
Griffin 4-3 0 0 42
Hahn 2-0 0 0 12
A'mendngr 1-0 0 0 12(i)
Macko 0-1 0 0 6
Team 0-0 0 0 2(s)
Meaney 0-0 0 1 2
(f) Recovered fumble for TD
(i) Interception return for TD
(s) One safetys
*Kicked 4 FG
FIELD GOALS (4-5): Burdick 32, 28, 21, 37
PATs: Burdick 40-44
Avon 30,
Ellington/Somers 13
At Ellington
Avon (8-3)
17 6 0 7 -- 30
Ell/Somers (5-5) 0 0 7 6 -- 13
First quarter
A: Stephen Griffin 7 pass from Noah Hahn (John Burdick kick), 8:06
A: Burdick 32 FG, 3:57
A: Jimmy Murphy 36 from Hahn (Burdick kick), 0:35
Second quarter
A: Justin Reichler 8 pass from Hahn (pass fails), 6:14
Third quarter
E: Zach Luginbuhl 18 run (Ben Kloter kick), 7:43
Fourth quarter
A: Murphy recovers fumble in end zone (Burdick kick), 6:28
E: Christian Rider 5 run (kick blocked), 1:32
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Avon – Noah Hahn 8-minus 5, Stephen Griffin 8-22, Jimmy Murphy 15-71; Ellington – Christian Rider 6-45, Zach Luginbuhl 7-35, Jeremiah Mason 4-16, Joe Lesile 7-minus 17; Christian Schneider 7-41, Mike Casciano 1-3, Mark Hickman 1-4
PASSING: Avon – Noah Hahn 10-19-0, 177; Ellington – Rider 0-1-0, Lesile 3-15-2, 52, Schneider 0-2-1, 0
RECEIVING: Avon – Justin Reichler 4-71; Stephen Griffin 1-7, Jimmy Murphy 3-33, Dylan Marquis 1-44, Luke Meaney 1-22; Ellington – Mike Casciano 1-5, Ben Kloter 1-19, Shane McGowan 1-33
RETURNS: Kickoff returns – Devin Macko (A) 1-22, Joe Lesile (E) 4-34, Mark Hickman (E) 1-68; Punt returns – Teddy Allmendinger (A) 2-0
FUMBLE RECOVERY: Shane McGowan (E), Stephen Griffin (A), Jimmy Murphy (A); INTERCEPTIONS: Dylan Marquis (A) 1-6, Sean Del Gallo (A) 2-0
Avon 44, Cromwell 14
At Avon
Cromwell (4-5) 0 0 8 6 -- 14
Avon (7-3)23 21 0 0 -- 44
First quarter
A: Jimmy Murphy 3 run (John Burdick kick), 9:19
A: Murphy 4 run (Burdick kick), 4:22
A: Safety. Ball snapped out of end zone on punt, 3:21
A: Murphy 35 run (Burdick kick), 1:45
Second quarter
A: Murphy 15 pass from Noah Hahn (Burdick kick), 10:55
A: Stephen Griffin 5 run (Burdick kick), 9:27
A: Justin Reichler 75 pass from Hahn (Burdick kick), 1:00
Third quarter
C: Nelson Carlson 37 run (Kristian Sapp run), 1:35
Fourth quarter
C: Jarius Bailey 2 run (kick fails), 1:46
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Avon – Noah Hahn 6-48, Devin Macko 1-minus 3, Stephen Griffin 2-15, Jackson Putnam 4-1, Dom DeBardino 1-minus 1, Jimmy Murphy 8-160; Cromwell – Mavric Pelletier 1-2, Kristian Sapp 9-32, Jon Siena 1-4, Jarius Bailey 14-139, Emir Cirikovic 1-minus 17, Alex Hinkle 2-17, Nelson Carlson 7-52
PASSING: Avon – Noah Hahn 7-7-0, 153; Cromwell: Mavric Pelletier 1-3-0, 7; Bailey 1-2-0, 1; Cirikovic 3-6-0, 9, Maciej Dawidowski 0-1-1, 0
RECEIVING: Avon – Stephen Griffin 1-7, Dylan Marquis 1-9, Justin Reichler 2-87, Jimmy Murphy 1-15, Devin Macko 3-66; Cromwell – Cirikovic 1-7, Bailey 1-0, Antwaun Burney 2-9, Cole Bradley 1-0
Kickoff returns – Murphy (A) 1-14, Reichler (A) 1-21; Burney (C) 1-12, Carlson (C) 1-16; Punt returns – Murphy (A) 1-14, Teddy Allmendinger (A) 1-15
Fumble recovery – Allmendinger (A), Reichler (A); Interception – Avik Vimal (A) 1-5
Avon 41,
Haddam-Killingworth 24
At Higgnaum
Avon (6-3) 24 17 0 0 -- 41
H-K (0-9) 0 0 16 8 --24
First Quarter
A: Jim Murphy 36 run (John Burdick kick)
A: Justin Reichler 27 pass from Noah Hahn (Burdick kick)
A: Devin Macko 10 pass from Hahn (Burdick kick)
A: Burdick 28 FG
Second Quarter
A: Dylan Marquis 47 pass from Hahn (Burdick kick)
A: Murphy 44 run (Burdick kick)
A: Burdick 21 FG
Third Quarter
HK: Josh Breiling 35 run (Lance Reinhardt run)
HK: Breiling 10 run (Breiling run)
Fourth Quarter
HK: Noah Vinci 38 run (Vinci run)
Avon Individual statistics
RUSHING: Murphy 9-152, Allmendinger 2-5, Griffin 3-32, Hahn 4-48, DeBaradino 1-3, Macko 1-7, Baldwin 5-9
PASSING: Hahn 3-6-0, 84
RECEIVING: Reicher 1-27, Marquis 1-46, Macko 1-11
Gilbert/NWR 34, Avon 33
At Winsted
Avon (5-3) 6 0 6 21 -- 33
Gilbert/NWR (6-1) 0 20 7 7 -- 34
First quarter
A: Stephen Griffin 31 pass from Noah Hahn (kick wide), 5:36
Second quarter
G: Tony Ortiz 57 run (Joe Columbie kick), 11:47
G: Seth Dayton 52 pass from John Lippincott (kick blocked), 7:32
G: Matthew Nieves 6 run (Columbie kick), 2:30
Third quarter
G: Dayton 1 run (Columbie kick), 4:50
A: Dylan Marquis 8 pass from Hahn (pass fails), 3:19
Fourth quarter
G: Ortiz 1 run (Columbie kick), 9:19
A: Marquis 30 pass from Hahn (Marquis pass from Hahn), 7:09
A: Jimmy Murphy 70 pass from Hahn (John Burdick kick), 4:45
A: Hahn 1 run (pass fails), 0:00
MISSED FG: John Burdick (A) 37
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Gilbert/NWR – Tony Ortiz 23-160, John Lippincott 13-21, Seth Dayton 5-6, Matt Nieves 3-9; Avon – Noah Hahn 9-9, Jimmy Murphy 10-52, Stephen Griffin 6-20, Teddy Allmendinger 7-9
PASSING: Gilbert/NWR – John Lippincott 6-11-2, 132; Avon – Noah Hahn 13-21-0, 214
RECEIVING: Gilbert/NWR – Nick Pedrolini 1-7, Seth Dayton 3-62, Paxton Lewis Franklin 1-9, Ben Schiffer 1-54; Avon – Justin Reichler 2-21, Stephen Griffin 2-30, Jimmy Murphy 5-115, Dylan Marquis 3-43, William Rydingsward 1-5
PUNT RETURNS – Avon – Allmendinger 1-7; KICKOFF RETURNS – Avon – Murphy 1-22, Marquis 2-29, Reichler 1-7, Sean Del Gallo 1-12; Gilbert – Dayton 1-37
INTERCEPTIONS: Luke Meaney (A) 1-10, Marquis (A) 1-0; FUMBLE RECOVERY: Jamie Dlugolecki 1-0; SACKS – Reichler (A) 1-13, Anthony Malarney (G) 1-6, Paxton Lewis Franklin (G) 1-8, Earl May (G) 1-7
Avon 38, Granby 19
At Avon
Granby (2-4) 0 0 6 13 -- 19
Avon (5-2)7 17 14 0 -- 38
First quarter
A: Jimmy Murphy 4 run (John Burdick kick), 5:01
Second quarter
A: Burdick 32 FG, 11:05
A: Dylan Marquis 14 pass from Noah Hahn (Burdick kick), 8:56
A: Murphy 28 run (Burdick kick), 3:22
Third quarter
A: Justin Reichler 20 pass from Hahn (Burdick kick), 9:23
G: Connor Field 16 pass from Curt Field (kick blocked), 2:01
A: Teddy Allmendinger 73 interception return (Burdick kick), 0:36
Fourth quarter
G: Dom Pagano 23 run (Matt Holmes kick), 6:13
G: Ian Downey 30 pass from Pagano (run fails), 0:00
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Avon – Dom DeBerardino 1-1, Nick Baldwin 1-0, Noah Hahn 5-9, Teddy Allmendinger 3-50, Jimmy Murphy 10-134, Stephen Griffin 1-11
PASSING: Avon – Noah Hahn 6-13-1, 85; DeBerardino 0-1-0
RECEIVING: Avon – Stephen Griffin 1-4, Jimmy Murphy 2-30, Dylan Marquis 1-14, Devon Macko 1-17, Justin Reichler 1-20
INTERCEPTIONS: Avon – Teddy Allmendinger 1-73, Granby – Matt Holmes 1-0; FUMBLE RECOVERY: Holmes (G), Allmendinger (A)
SACKS: John Brucker (G) 1-11
Avon 41, Housatonic/Wamogo 6
At Falls Village
Avon (4-2) 21 20 0 0 -- 41
Housy/Wam (0-5) 0 0 6 0 -- 6
First quarter
A: Jimmy Murphy 4 run (John Burdick kick)
A: Justin Reichler 32 pass from Noah Hahn (Burdick kick)
A: Dylan Marquis 16 pass from Hahn (Burdick kick)
Second quarter
A: Murphy 36 run (Burdick kick)
A: Steven Griffin 20 pass from Hahn (Burdick kick)
A: Murphy 90 run (kick fails)
Third quarter
H: Billy Hurley 7 run (run fails)
Individual statistics
Rushing: HW — Chance Oneil 14-54; Steven Kopcho 6-22; Nick Camardi 4-27; Kenny Weaver 3-7; Billy Hurley 7-28; Rob Whipple 2-4.; Avon -- Murphy 6-133, Allmendinger 4-22, Hahn 1-27, DeBaradino 2-22
Passing: HW — Oneil 4-7-0, 78; Camardi 0-1-0; Avon -- Hahn 6-6-0, 104; DeBaradino 2-3-0, minus 1
Receiving: HW — Camardi 2-28; Whipple 2-54; Avon -- Reichler 2-35, Meaney 2-minus 1, Marquis 1-31, Murphy 1-7, Griffin 2-31
Avon 41, North Branford 38
At Avon
No. Branford (4-1) 0 6 26 6 -- 38
Avon (3-2) 14 0 7 20 -- 41
First quarter
A: Jimmy Murphy 6 run (John Burdick kick), 6:24
A: Justin Reichler 89 pass from Noah Hahn (Burdick kick), 0:24
Second quarter
NB: Austin Calamita 51 pass from Eddie Miller (kick blocked), 1:35
Third quarter
NB: Shelby Acquah-Franklin 25 pass from Miller (run fails), 11:37
NB: Calamita 35 interception return (run fails), 10:42
NB: Josh Melaccio 8 pass from Miller (Acquah-Franklin kick), 7:09
A: Stephen Griffin 54 run (Burdick kick), 5:58
NB: Calamita 67 pass from Miller (Acquah-Franklin kick), 3:24
Fourth quarter
A: Murphy 37 run (pass fails), 11:49
NB: Miller 35 run (pass fails), 7:14
A: Murphy 7 pass from Hahn (run fails), 26.6
A: Reichler 26 pass from Hahn (Luke Meaney pass from Hahn), 11.4
Individual statistics
RUSHING: North Branford – Shelby Franklin 2-34, Eddie Miller 10-124, Josh Melaccio 19-60, Nick Sagnella 1-0; Avon – Murphy 19-126, Griffin 8-71, Hahn 5-17, Nick Baldwin 1-1
PASSING: North Branford – Eddie Miller 10-16-0, 202 yards, 4 TDs; Avon – Hahn 15-27-1, 256
RECEIVING: North Branford – Franklin 3-47, Melaccio 3-22, Austin Calamita 4-133; Avon – Reichler 4-138, Marquis 2-20, Murphy 5-53, Griffin 2-28, William Rydingward 2-17
RETURNS: North Branford – Kickoffs: Franklin 2-66, Cory Seymour 2-43, Mike Kaiser 2-98; Punts: Franklin 1-5, Calamita 1-7
INTERCEPTIONS: Calamita (NB) 1-18
Valley Reg./Old Lyme 21, Avon 18
at Deep River
Avon (2-2) 6 0 0 12 — 18
ValleyOL (3-0) 14 7 0 0 — 21
First quarter
V: David Peck 68 pass from Phil Cohen (Jarred Roche kick)
V: David Peck 5 pass from Cohen (Roche kick)
A: Dylan Marquis 50 pass from Noah Hahn (rush failed)
Second quarter
V: Justin Cheverier 1 run (Roch kick)
Fourth quarter
A: Justin Reichler 44 pass from Hahn (rush failed)
A: Jimmy Murphy 60 pass from Hahn (kick failed)
Avon individual statistics
RUSHING: Murphy 6-17, Allmendinger 5-20, Griffin 1-0, Hahn 7-minus 30
PASSING: Hahn 17-32-1, 301
RECEIVING: Reichler 1-44, Marqus 8-145, Allmendinger 1-6, Murphy 5-87
Avon 42, Nonnewaug 7
At Avon
Nonnewaug (1-1) 0 7 0 0 -- 7
Avon (2-1) 21 7 14 0 -- 42
First quarter
A: Jimmy Murphy 4 run (John Burdick kick)
A: Stephen Griffin 4 run (Burdick kick), 4:51
A: Dylan Marquis 66 pass from Hahn (Burdick kick)
Second quarter
N: Mark Violette 9 run (Nick Bordierre kick)
A: Murphy 60 run (Burdick kick)
Third quarter
A: Marquis 37 pass from Hahn (Burdick kick)
A: Murphy 13 run (Burdick kick), 0:52
Avon individual statistics
RUSHING: Murphy 7-132, Allmendinger 2-8, Griffin 5-35, Hahn 8-27, DeBardardino 2-1, Nick Baldwin 3-14
PASSING: Hahn 6-10-0, 140, DeBardardino 1-2-0, 18
RECEIVING: Reichler 2-12, Marquis 3-116, Robert Bejund 1-18, Stephen Griffin 1-12
Avon 35, Lewis Mills 0
At Bristol
Avon (1-1)14 14 7 0 – 35
Lewis Mills (0-2) 0 0 0 0 -- 0
First quarter
A: Teddy Allmendinger 11 run (John Burdick kick), 6:13
A: Jimmy Murphy 1 run (Burdick kick), 1:46
Second quarter
A: Murphy 6 run (Burdick kick), 10:05
A: Murphy 28 run (Burdick kick), 4:42
Third quarter
A: Stephen Griffin 2 run (Burdick kick), 8:03
Individual leaders
RUSHING: Avon – Noah Hahn 5-23, Jimmy Murphy 10-93, Stephen Griffin 5-30, Teddy Allmendinger 3-46; Nick Baldwin 5-23; Lewis Mills – Lucas Lanning 4-7, Artis Artemiadis 1-14, Cullin Kennedy 1-0, Max Stone 7-2, Collin Thorn 3-minus 6, Hayden Marci 1-1
PASSING: Avon – Noah Hahn 10-19-1, 94, Dom DeBerardino 2-5-0, 13; Lewis Mills – Collin Thorn 6-11-0, 93; Trevor Blake 0-2-0, Lucas Lanning 4-9-0, 21
RECEIVING: Avon – Jimmy Murphy 2-6, Anthony Agli 2-24, Dylan Marquis 2-2, Justin Reichler 2-45, Robert Bujwid 1-9, Sean DelGallo 1-4, Geoff Kirk 1-8; Lewis Mills – Trevor Watts 5-45, Justin Pease 1-15, Dominik Jankowski 1-15, Artis Artemiadis 2-7, Nate Cook 1-12
RETURNS: Kickoffs – Watts (LM) 2-37, Stone (LM) 2-33; Punts – Marquis (A) 2-11, Bujwid 1-4
SACKS: Gabe Folkwein (A) 1-10, Justin Reichler and Allmendinger (A) 1-9; INTERCEPTIONS: Matt Rinkus (LM) 1-4; FUMBLE RECOVERIES: Murphy (A), Jamie Dlugolecki (A)
Canton 16, Avon 13
At Avon
Canton (1-0) 0 0 10 6 – 16
Avon (0-1)0 7 6 0 -- 13
Second quarter
A: Jimmy Murphy 4 run (John Burdick kick), 11:53
Third quarter
C: Eddie Melton 20 FG, 7:09
C: Dan Delos 15 run (Melton kick), 3:30
A: Noah Hahn 1 run (kick blocked), 1:41
Fourth quarter
C: Terrence Brophy 6 run, 0:00
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Avon – Jimmy Murphy 7-70, Ted Allmendinger 4-19, Steven Griffin 8-31, Noah Hahn 4-20; Canton – Terrence Brophy 10-39, Dan Delos 17-101, Cam Daley 4-20, Sebastian Gumbs 3-11, Eric Scott 4-minus 22
PASSING: Avon – Noah Hahn 8-11-1, 59; Canton – Eric Scott 4-10-1, 41
RECEIVING: Avon – Justin Reichler 1-4, Luke Meaney 4-24, Dylan Marquis 2-15, Allmendinger 1-16; Canton – Jake Wood 1-15, Terrence Brophy 1-6, Keith Wilson 1-9, Sebastian Gumbs 1-11
RETURNS: Gumbs (C) 3-130 (punts), Marquis (A) 3-37 (punts), 2-45 (kickoffs)
INTERCEPTIONS: Gumbs (C) 1-45, Avik Vimal (A) 1-0
FUMBLE RECOVERY: Gumbs (C) 2, Matt Bangs (C), Murphy (A)
Murphy selected for Super 100 game
AVON, April 10, 2014 -- Two-time All-State linebacker Jimmy Murphy was drafted to play in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association’s (CHSCA) Super 100 Senior All-Star football game on Saturday, June 28, at Rentschler Field in East Hartford at 4:30 p.m. The two teams drafted 50 players to form their teams. They’ll select another 50 to round out their rosters.
CCC votes to admit Avon
AVON, April 4 – Avon will make its long-talked about jump to the Central Connecticut Conference in September 2015. On Thursday night, the CCC voted to accept the Falcons as the league’s 33rd member. Avon will join the CCC in all sports, including football. Avon will play one final season in the Pequot Conference in 2014.
Can Avon be competitive as a member of the CCC?
AVON, April 4 – The Central Connecticut Conference has voted to accept Avon as a member beginning in September 2015. Can the football program compete in the league? Sure. But it will be more competitive. The Falcons can look forward to resuming their dormant rivalry with Farmington in football.
Murphy, Griffin named All-State
AVON, January 15, 2014 – Two Avon High players earned All-State honors in balloting by coaches in the Connecticut High School Coaches Association (CHSCA). Jimmy Murphy and Stephen Griffin were named to the Class L team. For Murphy, it was his second straight year on the team. Murphy ran for over 1,000 yards, scored 25 TDs and was a dynamic player on both sides of the ball. He was named to the team as a defensive back and he probably didn’t play a single play there. He was the running back and a linebacker. But he is on the team.
Griffin was a four-year starter for the Falcons and was recognized for his play at linebacker. He also scored nine TDs, ran for 267 yards and had 138 yards receiving.
Seven Falcons named to All-Pequot West All-Star team
AVON, January 1, 2014 -- Seven Avon High football players were named to the Pequot Conference’s All-Western Division All-Star team. QB Noah Hahn, RB/LB Jimmy Murphy, WR Dylan Marquis, lineman Ryan Rogers, kicker John Burdick, DB Avik Vimal and LB Stephen Griffin were recognized in voting by the league coaches.
Murphy was named the Western Division co-player of the year along with Gilbert/NWR’s fantastic running back and defensive back Tony Ortiz. Murphy was a catalyst for the Falcons this season. He became the 11th player in school history to run for more than 1,000 yards in a single season, rushing or 1,149 yards and 19 TDs. Defensively, he was a stalwart at linebacker consistently making big plays.
Hahn rewrote the Avon High record books when it comes to passing. He completed a school-record 101 passes for 1,667 yards and 25 touchdowns – also school records. Marquis led the team in receptions (25) and TDs (8). Rogers helped anchor an offensive line that allowed Murphy and Hahn to flourish this season and score 376 points – the second-highest total in school history.
Burdick connected on 40 of 44 extra points this season and made four of five field goal attempts. Vimal shared the team lead in interceptions (three) with Marquis.Griffin was a versatile linebacker who started all four years of his career.
Avon finishes season strong with win over Ellington
ELLINGTON, Nov. 23 – It was one last day to be together as a team. And the Avon High football team made the best of it. Senior All-State linebacker Jimmy Murphy scored two touchdowns, quarterback Noah Hahn threw three touchdown passes and the Falcons forced five turnovers to finish the season with a 30-13 win over Ellington/Somers.
Avon finished with an 8-3 record under first-year coach Jim Caouette — just the 10th time in school history that Avon won eight games in a single season. The Falcons didn’t qualify for the Class L tournament but there were plenty of smiles among the Avon players and a few moist eyes as the high school football careers of 12 seniors came to an end.
Seniors help Avon dominate Cromwell
AVON, Nov. 16 -- On Senior Day, Avon's 12 seniors helped lead the Falcons to a dominating 44-14 win over an undermanned Panther squad. “I’m so proud of this team and these seniors,” Avon’s first-year coach Jim Caouette said. “These kids play for 48 minutes and they never quit. They came in here and took care of business (against Cromwell). I’m very proud of our kids and our coaching staff.” Cromwell (4-5) is a young team with just three seniors. But they do have some speedy athletes. Avon never let them in the game, scoring 28 points in the first quarter and 44 points in the first half.
Murphy runs for 2 TDs, Hahn throws 3 TD passes in win over HK
HIGGNAUM, Nov. 9 – Jimmy Murphy ran for 166 yards and two TDs while QB Noah Hahn threw three TD passes as the Falcons rolled over winless Haddam-Killingworth, 41-24. John Burdick made two field goals (28, 21 yards) and scored 11 points in the game with five successful extra points. Hahn completed 4-of-7 passes for 94 yards. For the host Cougars, Josh Breiling ran for two touchdowns.
Fourth quarter rally falls short in stinging loss
WINSTED, Nov. 2 -- The Falcons nearly erased a 22-point deficit but Gilbert/Northwestern’s Seth Dayton intercepted an attempted two-point conversion pass by Avon with no time left in the game to seal Gilbert’s thrilling 34-33 decision over the Falcons at Van Why Field.
Avon scored the last 21 points of the game and scored a touchdown with no time left on the clock on a one-yard run from quarterback Noah Hahn. The touchdown cut the Yellowjacket lead to one point.
Avon High coach Jim Caouette didn’t hesitate. Instead of trying to kick an extra point and send the game into overtime, the Falcons were going for the two-point conversion and the win. He didn’t like his team’s chances of stopping the speedy Tony Ortiz in OT where each team gets the ball at the 10-yard line for four downs.
Falcons earn shot at Pequot West title with win over Granby
AVON, Oct. 25 -- Avon High coach Jim Caouette has seen the growth of his team over the first seven weeks of the season. “We’ve gone from a team that gave away a few games to one that can finish games,” he said.
The Falcons took care of business with a solid 38-19 win over Granby Saturday night under the lights at the high school. Jimmy Murphy continued to make memories by rushing for a team-high 124 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught two passes for 30 yards.
Falcons dominate Mountaineers
FALLS VILLAGE, Oct. 19 – Jimmy Murphy ran for three TDs, including a 90-yard scoring run, while QB Noah Hahn threw three TD passes in a 41-6 victory over the Mountaineers. Justin Reichler, Stephen Griffin and Dylan Marquis caught TD passes for Avon in the win.
Scoring 2 TDs in final 26 seconds lifts Avon past T-Birds
AVON, Oct. 12 -- The visiting North Branford football team had the game in their command. Or so it seemed. After Avon had taken a 14-point lead after one quarter, the Thunderbirds scored 25 consecutive points. At one point, they scored touchdowns on four straight possessions. Twice, North Branford had leads of 11 points.
However, Avon hung around and make some big plays, scoring two touchdowns in the final 26.6 seconds of the fourth quarter to hand a stunned North Branford squad its first loss of the season Saturday in a 41-38 Pequot Conference shootout. Jimmy Murphy recovered an onside kick with 26 seconds left to give Avon a chance. Noah Hahn threw two passes in the final minute of the game.
Avon rally falls short in loss to Valley Regional
DEEP RIVER, Oct. 4 – Big plays helped Valley Regional/Old Lyme beat Avon, 21-18 Friday night. Warrior QB Phil Cohen completed 6-of-14 passes for 95 yards and 2 TDs, including a 68-yard bomb to David Peck in the first quarter. Valley Regional/OL (3-0) had two touchdowns in the third quarter taken off the board due to penalties.
That gave Avon a chance to rally. The Falcons scored two fourth quarter touchdowns to pull within three points. Noah Hahn, who completed 15-of-28 passes for 280 yards and 3 TDs, threw a 44-yard TD pass to Justin Reichler and a 60-yard TD pass to Jimmy Murphy with 1:15 remaining. But Valley recovered the onside kick to secure the win.
Hahn is the eighth quarterback in school history to throw three TD passes in a single game. The most recent was Andrew Livingstone in 2008 against Ellington/Somers. The school record is five TD passes set by Mark Marquis in 1971 against Griswold.
With 280 yards passing, Hahn tied the school record for most yards passing in a single game. Colin Pavano threw for 280 yards in a win over Housatonic/Wamogo in 2010. Hahn’s 15 completions fell two shy of the school record of 17 set in 1969 by Barry Shelly against Housatonic.
UPDATE: The Avon High coaching staff reviewed the game film and updated Hahn's performance. Hahn completed 17-of-32 passes for a school record 301 yards and three TDs.
Week 4 preview
Avon travels to face
Valley Reg. Friday night
Avon (2-1) at Valley Regional/Old Lyme (2-0), Friday, 6:30 p.m.
Outlook: The Falcons face an explosive Valley Regional team that is a favorite in the Pequot South Division and should be a contender in the Class M tournament. All-State linebacker and running back Jimmy Murphy has run for a team-leading 7 touchdowns while Noah Hahn has been improving all season long. He threw a pair of TD passes to Dylan Marquis last week. The challenge will be to stop the Warriors, who scored 34 points in a 34-0 win over Hyde and routed Coginchaug, 61-14 two weeks ago. Against Coginchaug, junior RB Justin Cheverier (12-245 rushing) scored 4 TDs and ran for 170 yards on six carries while QB Phil Cohen (19-22-0, 242, 4 TDs) looked sharp with a pair of TD passes. Junior Evan Smith ran back a 93-yard kickoff for a TD to begin the game.
NOTES: The two schools have not met on the gridiron since 1980. … The game is the 500th in the history of the Avon High football program. Since 1960 when the first varsity team began play, Avon is 257-239 with three ties. ... Series: Began 1974. Avon leads, 2-1
Murphy has 3 TDs in big win over Nonnewaug
AVON, Sept. 28 – For the second straight running back Jimmy Murphy scored three touchdowns as the Falcons won their second straight game with a dominating 42-7 victory over Nonnewaug-Woodbury in a Pequot West Division contest. Murphy has now scored a team-leading 7 TDs this season. He had a 60-yard touchdown run in the second quarter.
QB Noah Hahn threw his first touchdown passes of the season. He threw a 66-yard TD pass to Dylan Marquis in the first quarter and added a 37-yard TD play to Marquis in the third quarter. "They didn't do anything we didn't practice for," Nonnewaug coach John Oko told Litchfield County Sports.com. "They just executed better and made more plays than we did."
Avon (2-1, 2-1 Pequot West) will now be preparing for a challenging contest at undefeated Valley Regional/Old Lyme (2-0) on Friday night. The Warriors are one of the better teams in the league.
Week 3 previews
Nonnewaug (1-0, 0-0 Pequot West) at
Avon (1-1, 1-1 Pequot West), 1 p.m.
Outlook: After a tough loss to Canton on opening day, the Falcons got back to business with a dominating 35-0 decision over Lewis Mills. RB/LB Jimmy Murphy scored 3 TDs and ran for a game-high 93 yards on 10 carries. He also recovered a fumble. Murphy had a sack and forced a fumble that was run into the end zone but both plays were negated by penalties. Noah Hahn also had two TD passes wiped out by penalties. Avon faces a young Chief program that won its first season opening game with a 26-6 win over Haddam-Killingworth. Nick Bordierre scored 2 TDs for Nonnewaug while Trevor Scappatura ran back a punt 65 yards for a touchdown. The Chiefs intercepted three passes led by middle linebacker. R.J. Burke, who had an interception and 10 tackles. Nonnewaug, which won just three varsity games in its brief five-year history, has won two in a row. They closed out the 2012 campaign with a 20-0 win over Lewis Mills.
Series: First meeting
Falcons are too strong for Mills
For the Avon, its opening day loss to Canton stung deeply. Poor Lewis Mills was in the way of Avon’s redemption tour. They were no match for Avon in a 35-0 loss on Saturday afternoon at Muzzy Field. Running back Jimmy Murphy scored three touchdowns and ran for a game-high 93 yards on 10 carries. He was a hard man to bring down and he also recovered a fumble. Murphy also recovered a fumble and had a sack that were negated due to Avon penalties. “We got punched in the mouth hard today and we didn’t punch back,” said Mills coach Jose Santana, whose team had four starters get injured in the game.
Week 2 preview
Avon (0-1, 0-1 Pequot West)
vs. Lewis Mills (0-1, 0-0 Pequot West), 10:30 a.m. at Muzzy Field, Bristol
Outlook: Lewis Mills hasn’t caught many scheduling breaks in its short tenure in the Pequot Conference. They spent the first three years in the league playing in the Sassacus Division,.primarily with teams from southern Connecticut. This year, they open the season with three very challenging games. Mills dropped a 40-8 decision to Morgan last week in its season opener and now face Avon, which was 10-0 a year ago. Avon was stung last week by Canton, which beat the Falcons for the first time, 16-13, on a last-second touchdown by Terrance Brophy. Avon played solid defense but turned the ball over three times (2 fumbles, interception), leading to nine Canton points. Look for the Falcons to dominate the game with a strong running game (Stephen Griffin, Jimmy Murphy) and a quick and speedy defense.
Of note: Lewis Mills has lost 11 games in a row. … Avon last played at Muzzy Field in 2009 when they lost to Berlin in the Class L semifinals, 35-28.
Series: 0-0, first meeting
Scoring on final play, Canton stuns Avon
AVON, Sept. 12 – It was a few mistakes that helped Canton stun Avon with a touchdown on the final play of the game Thursday in the season opening game for both teams. The Warriors prevailed, 16-13 when Terrence Brophy scored from the six yard line with no time remaining.
Avon had three turnovers and two eventually led to 13 Canton points. “The kids fought hard and it was a great high school football game,” Avon coach Jim Caouette said. “We had to protect the football and play great defense. I thought we did play great defense but we didn’t protect the football.
Avon led 13-10 and limited Canton to minus 12 yards on their first two drives of the fourth quarter. But Canton’s Dan Delos forced a fumble with 2:39 remaining to give the Warriors one last opportunity.
Week 1 preview
Avon hosts Canton in season opener
Canton (7-3) at Avon (10-1), 4 p.m.
A bulk of the team that won a school record seven games and scored 217 points a year ago returns for Canton. QB Eric Scott returns for his third season and has talented receivers Sebby Gumbs and Jake Wood back. All-Pequot LB Henry Bonini and LB Dan Delos will lead the defense. Avon lost 19 seniors including All-State RB Colin Moore (2,144 yards rushing, 30 TDs) but they return several veteran players including All-State LB Jimmy Murphy and QB Noah Hahn (49-of-86 passes, 711 yards, 6 TDs). Avon is looking for its sixth Pequot divisional title in seven years. This could be the final game between the two long-time rivals. Last spring, Avon applied for admission for the Central Connecticut Conference. A decision was deferred to this fall but if Avon eventually moves to the CCC, the chance of future games would be slim. … The winner of this game will have an early jump in the Pequot West Division race. The other early contender looks to be Gilbert/Northwestern.
Opening day records: Canton 14-20, Avon 28-25
Series: Began 1960. Avon leads, 9-0
2013 preview
Falcons have eye on another division title, playoff berth
AVON -- Nineteen seniors including All-State running back Colin Moore have graduated. Brett Quinion, who led Avon to five Pequot Uncas Division titles and three CIAC playoff berths resigned last December.
There is a new coach in Avon. Jim Caouette is a head coach for the first time. And there are several veteran players anxious to step onto the field and the lead the Falcons this fall, including All-State linebacker Jimmy Murphy. Avon hopes to challenge for its sixth Pequot Conference divisional championship in the last seven years.
Caouette embraces the challenge
AVON, Aug. 19 -- Avon High has begun preseason practice for the 2012 campaign. New coach Jim Caouette doesn’t shrink from the legacy left by his predecessor. “I’m thankful that he put the foundation into place,” he said. “It’s my job to build upon that legacy. I embrace that. I’m ready for the challenge.”
Four scrimmages
set for Falcons
AVON, Aug. 19 -- Avon has four scrimmages scheduled as they prepare for its season opening game on Thursday, Sept. 12 against Canton in Avon at 4:30 p.m.
The Falcons will travel to Watertown on Monday, Aug. 26, for a 5 p.m. contest. Two days later, Avon will compete in a five-team jamboree in Simsbury with Tolland, Gilbert and Westfield, Mass.
Avon will be at Holy Cross in Waterbury on Saturday, Aug. 31, at 10 a.m. and conclude its scrimmage work at Stonington on Tuesday, Sept. 3, at 7 p.m.
Pequot split into 3 divisions for 2013
It’s been a busy offseason of chatter in the Pequot Football Conference. The league finally agreed to restructure as some coaches had been advocating for the last several years. The 21-team league, which has been split into two divisions (Uncas and Sassacus) since 1993, will have three divisions (North, South, West) beginning next fall.
Falcons name new head coach
Caouette brings 20 years of experience
AVON, Feb. 26 -- Jim Caouette, a long-time assistant coach with 20 years of coaching experience under his belt, was named as the new head coach at Avon High earlier this month. He will become the eighth head coach in the program’s history.
Caoutte replaces Brett Quinion, who resigned in November after 10 seasons leading the Falcons, the second-longest tenure in school history. Quinion led Avon to a record of 67-37, five Pequot Uncas Division titles and three CIAC playoff appearances.
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