This page was last updated on: November 2, 2002
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Avon High varsity football First season 1960 |
Avon Football Online Avon, Connecticut |
It all unwinds for Avon in 4-minute span By KEN LIPSHEZ The Herald Press AVON, Nov. 2, 2002 -- Two-way Plainville High lineman Andy Morse was issued a challenge. At 6-2, 240 pounds, Morse is among the biggest players on a team that has been ravaged by injury and dangerously low numbers. As a senior he is among the Blue Devils' most experienced players. The coaching staff urged him to step up and lead Plainville out of the wilderness and off the list of the state's winless teams. Morse answered the call and his teammates responded. His blocked punt and subsequent return for a touchdown inspired Plainville to a 27-0 road victory over Avon in a Nutmeg League clash Saturday afternoon. In a scoreless game, Avon (1-6) was forced to punt from its own 18 on the second play of the second quarter. Morse thrust his right arm in the air and batted the ball to the turf. He chased it down, picked it up on the 3 and stepped across the goal line. "Going through the line, I had one guy on my left shoulder," Morse said. "I thought (punter Max Martinez) had already kicked the ball but I felt something hit my hand. I thought about jumping on it but I picked it up and ran into the end zone." He wasn't finished, not by a longshot. On Avon's first play after the ensuing kickoff, he tore through the line and sacked quarterback Ben Lerer for a six-yard loss. Two plays later, cornerback Jared Martin made an acrobatic interception at the Avon 29. "(Morse) is a big, strong kid," Plainville coach Greg Styles said. "After we got into him a little bit, he started doing what we expected of him. (Assistant coach Marco Pizzaferrato) pulled him out and challenged him to step up as a senior and a man. He just got ticked off and finally did what we knew he could do all year long." On third-and-five, quarterback Craig Vincelette tossed a picture-perfect pass that receiver Nick Colagiovanni caught in a crowd for a 24-yard touchdown. "I was getting pressure from the back side and I saw him out of the corner of my eye," said Vincelette, who tacked on the two-point conversion. "I threw it to his outside shoulder. I didn't think he caught it but I heard everybody cheering." Plainville (1-7) began to smell its first victory and the aroma was intoxicating. An Avon fumble on the next play from scrimmage was snatched up by Kevin Caroccia at the Falcons 24 and returned to the 2. Vincelette waltzed in for the score and added the PAT. In a matter of 4 minutes, Plainville had 21 points and the zero in the win column looked like past history. "All season we've battled injuries, people getting suspended and just quitting," Vincelette said. "Honestly, we busted our butts for this game because we knew this was one we could pull out. This was our Super Bowl right here." The Plainville defense reacted to Morse's work. Avon's ground game netted minus-11 yards on the game, thanks in large part to the line play of Morse, Caroccia, Chris Bertola and Mike Dugo. Linebackers Vincelette and Amit Patel were also frequent visitors in Avon's backfield. Plainville added an insurance score midway through the third quarter with a sustained drive that wiped 6 minutes, 27 seconds off the clock. Workhorse halfback Will Hungerford (28 carries, 98 yards) walked in from the 5 to consummate a 12-play, 62-yard march. "He's a pretty good back," Styles said. "He's young (a junior) and he's getting over a shoulder injury but we know he can run the ball. We did a lot of extra work on the line." Plainville converted two fourth-down plays on the drive. Hungerford went 23 yards on a fourth-and-1 draw. On fourth-and-9 from the 17, Vincelette connected with Hungerford on a screen pass that went for 12 yards. Morse was also key on the offensive line, which allowed the Devils to amass a season-high 126 yards from scrimmage. |
Plainville 27, Avon 0 Plain. (1-7) 0 21 6 0 -- 27 Avon (1-6) 0 0 0 0 -- 0 Second Quarter P: Andy Morse 3 blocked kick return (kick failed), 11:44 P: Nick Colagiovanni 24 pass from Craig Vincelette (Vincelette run), 8:09 P: Vincelette 2 run ( Vincelette kidk), 7:44 Third Quarter P: Will Hungerford 5 run (pass failed), 5:43 INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS RUSHING Plainville: Will Hungerford 28-98, Craig Vincelette 6-21, Eric Soto 1-4, Nick Colagiovanni 1-3. Avon: Joe Friedoff 11-11, Ben Lerer 5-(-35), Max Martinez 1-13, A.J.Brown 1-0. PASSING Plainville: Craig Vincelette 7-19-1, 83 yds. Avon: Ben Lerer 9-28-2, 134 yds. RECEIVING Plainville: Nick Colagiovanni 4-60, Will Hungerford 3-23. Avon: Max Martinez 4-86, Joe Friedoff 2-16, Jared McNeill 1-28, Matt Friedoff 1-5, Tom Canty 1-(-1). |
