Avon outlasts Ellington/Somers to win Uncas title, qualify for playoffs

Chris Suttmeier (1) goes to celebrate with his teammates after Avon won the Pequot Uncas Division title with a 14-7 win over Ellington/Somers.

AVON, Nov. 10 – The team that made its living on the ground got two huge pass plays to capture another league championship and earn a berth into the CIAC Class L tournament Saturday.

Avon High quarterback Noah Hahn completed just five passes but one was a 43-yard touchdown pass to Chris Suttmeier and the second was a 35-yard reception by Suttmeier that sparked a second scoring drive to lift the Falcons to a 14-7 victory over Ellington/Somers in a battle of two undefeated teams.

For Avon (9-0, 9-0 Pequot Uncas), the victory clinches its fourth Pequot Uncas championship in five years. A year ago, Ellington/Somers (7-1, 7-1) beat the Falcons by nine points to win the Uncas Division championship. And the win also gives Avon its first CIAC tournament berth since 2009.

Colin Moore, Avon’s senior running back, came into the game with nearly 1,700 yards. He had run for more than 200 yards in six of eight games. The Purple Knights limited him to just 137 yards but for Avon, it was enough.

The Falcons ran out the final 5:48 of the game with a 12-play drive with Moore running the ball nine times for 38 yards and two first downs. Hahn also picked up a key first down with an 11-yard scramble.

“I’m really proud of them,” Avon coach Brett Quinion said. “They’ve gone from being a good team to being a very good team. To replace the entire offensive line (from 2011) and gell together like that is really a credit. It helps to have a great running back (Moore) but you still have to block for him and we did that.”

Avon’s defense also stood tall. Ellington recovered a fumble on the Falcon 17-yard line with 46 seconds left in the first half but didn’t score. And on a key fourth-and-five play for Ellington with 6:22 remaining, Avon gave up just two yards to get the ball back.

It was a defensive battle from the beginning. Ellington stacked the line of scrimmage, daring the Falcons to throw the ball. On its first two possessions, Avon didn’t gain a first down.

Ellington/Somers took a 7-0 lead on a sharp looking 18-play, 77-yard drive that ate up 8:53. Neal Janiga ran for 29 yards on five carries. Quarterback Joe Lesile scored from the one.

But Avon responded on its next drive. Moore gained four yards on two carries and on third down and seven, Hahn found Suttmeier for a 14-yard gain on the left sideline to the Ellington 47-yard line for a first down – Avon’s first of the game.

Four plays later, Hahn faced second down and 19 from the Ellington 43 after Ian McDonald was tackled in the backfield for an eight-yard loss. Hahn found Suttmeier behind the defense for a 43-yard touchdown completion and a 7-7 tie with 4:50 left in the first half.

“I saw the safety up a bit and I knew he would bite on it,” Hahn said. “I gave a little pump fake and when I saw (Suttmeier) get behind him, I let it fly.”

Avon’s defense rose to the occasion in the final minute after Moore fumbled and Ellington recovered the ball on Avon’s 17-yard line with 46 seconds left in the second quarter.

On first down, Anders Bill batted the ball away from an Ellington receiver. On second down, Justin Reichler and Jimmy Murphy caught Ellington’s Mike Casciano in the backfield for a three-yard loss.

On third down, Avon’s Mitch Gauthier batted away a pass from a receiver and on fourth down, Ellington lined up to take a 37-yard field goal but Janiga’s pass was batted away from a receiver by Dylan Marquis.

Ellington/Somers’ first drive of the third quarter stalled on the Avon 15-yard line and a 33-yard field goal attempt by Justin Oliver was short.

On Avon’s first drive, Suttmeier made a tremendous play, diving and fully extending his body to pull in a 35-yard reception at the Ellington 44-yard line. The buzz of that reception was still in the air when Moore ripped off a 19-yard run to the Ellington 25-yard line, followed by another 10-yard run to the 15.

Murphy capped off the drive with an eight-yard run for a 14-7 lead with 3:22 left in the third quarter.

“Ellington did a great job,” Moore said. “They had a great game plan and they executed it well. In the first half, we got off a slow start. But at halftime, coach Q, like he always does, made some corrections and we got our offensive line going.”

Ellington/Somers threatened to score on its final drive. Lesile completed a 26-yard pass to Austin Tautkus to the Avon 43-yard line. But drive ended when Janiga could only gain two yards on a fourth down and five play with 5:48 remaining.

And Avon was able to run out the clock to secure the win.

Moore gained 137 yards on 27 carries. Hahn completed 5-of-9 passes for 105 yards with Suttmeier catching three passes for a career-high 90 yards and a touchdown.

For Ellington, Janiga ran for 93 yards on 20 carries while Lesile completed 7-of-12 passes for 87 yards.

GRID NOTES: The game was taped by CPTV Sports and will be broadcast on Tuesday evening (Nov. 13) at 7:30 p.m. CPTV Sports can be see over the air at digital channel 24.3 or on cable with Comcast at Channel 966. It is not available on AT&T U-Verse. … Avon has now won 10 straight games, one shy of the school record of 11 set in 1966-67. … Avon has won nine in a row to open the season for the second time. They also did this in 2009 when they finished 10-0 in the regular season. … Avon closes out the regular season by visiting Windsor Locks/Suffield/East Granby on Saturday. They will play in the Class L quarterfinals on Tuesday, Nov. 27 at a site to be determined.

Avon 14, Ellington/Somers 7
At Avon
Ellington (7-1)                        0  7  0  0  — 7
Avon (9-0)                             0  7  7  0  — 14
Second quarter
E: Joe Lesile 1 run (Justin Oliver kick), 8:54
A: Chris Suttmeier 43 pass from Noah Hahn (Mitch Cappello kick), 4:50
Third quarter
A: Jimmy Murphy 8 run (Mitch Cappello kick), 3:22
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Avon – Colin Moore 27-137, Jimmy Murphy 3-22, Noah Hahn 2-16, Ian McDonald 1-minus 6, Mitch Cappello 1-minus 1; Ellington/Somers – Neal Janiga 20-93, Joe Lesile 8-17, Brandon Rhodes 1-6, Christian Schneider 7-34, Mike Casciano 4-21
PASSING: Avon – Noah Hahn 5-9-0, 105; Ellington/Somers – Joe Lesile 7-12-0, 87
RECEIVING: Avon – Chris Suttmeier 3-90, Ian McDonald 1-18, Justin Reichler 1-minus 3; Ellington/ Somers  — Austin Tautkus 2-34, Brendan Coverdill 1-5, Christian Schneider 4-48
RETURNS: Colin Moore (A) 1-17 punt, Dylan Marquis (A) 1-25 kickoff, Mike Casciano (E) 1-22 kickoff, Christian Schneider (E) 2-33 kickoff; FUMBLE REC: Neal Janiga (E); MISSED FG: Justin Oliver (E) short; PUNTING: Marquis (A) 2-85; PAT: Cappello (A) 2-2