Avon Eagles' Late-Game Heroics Stun Glenville Tarblooders
Written By DJ Pelles
The Glenville Tarblooders faced off against the Avon Eagles on Friday in a game that featured two of the top ranked teams in the state. The Tarblooders looked to extend their 17 game winning streak. Last year’s matchup saw Glenville defeat the Eagles by a score of 27-21 en route to their perfect 15-0 season.
The game started out relatively slow, with both defenses exchanging blows. Avon would strike first on an 11-yard touchdown pass from QB Nolan Good to RB Jakorion Caffey, to make the score 7-0.
With just under 7 minutes to go in the first half of play, the Eagles would extend their lead on an 18-yard touchdown pass from Nolan Good to WR Cole Kepner, making the score 14-0 in favor of Avon.
The Tarblooder offense finally found some success with just under 2 minutes to go in the first half. QB Ruel Tomlinson connected with WR Jamari Townsend for a 45-yard touchdown. RB D’Shawntae Jones rushed in for the two-point conversion to bring the game within 6 points.
Avon held a 14-8 lead as we headed into the second half, the score would remain the same throughout the third quarter of play.
The Tarblooders finally got Ohio State commit Damarion Witten involved on the offensive side of the ball. The tight end showed off his speed and athleticism on a dazzling 32-yard touchdown scamper. D’Shawntae Jones once again converted the two-point try, to give Glenville a 16-14 lead with just under 10 minutes to play in regulation.
Avon would respond by putting together their own drive down the field. Owen Warrick capped off the possession with a 27-yard field goal to put the Eagles back in the driver’s seat. The score was now 17-16 in favor of the Eagles. Glenville was tagged with a 15-yard penalty on the field goal attempt, which the Eagles would select to enforce on the kickoff. Penalties were a common theme for the Tarblooders on Friday night.
Avon was successful on a surprise onside kick from midfield, which saw Owen Warrick recover his own kick. The Eagles would capitalize on this, as Nolan Good dished out his third touchdown of the night. This time an 18-yard pass to WR Paul Leftrict, to put the Eagles up 24-16 with just over 6 minutes to play.
The Avon defense would shut the door on the Glenville offense, officially putting an end to the Tarblooders 17-game winning streak. The final score, 24-16. Avon QB Nolan Good played lights out following an interception on his first drive, he finished 19-24 passing with 250 yards and 3 touchdowns. Good added another 83 yards on the ground. Avon RB and Cincinnati commit Jakorion Caffey finished with 150 all purpose yards on 18 touches, capped off with a touchdown.
The Eagles advance to (3-0) on the season while the Tarblooders fall to (2-1).