QB Ian McDonald will be challenged Saturday when the Falcons host Bloomfield under the lights beginning at 6:30 p.m. (Photo courtesy Mark Zacchio)
AVON, Oct. 7 – Break out the lights. The Avon High football team will be playing Bloomfield in a highly-anticipated CCC Division III contest on Saturday night at Avon High School beginning at 6:30 p.m.
Thanks to a donation from the Friends of Avon Football booster club, the game will be played under portable lights. The contest was originally scheduled to be played at 1 p.m.
It is the first game between the two schools since 1999 and it looks to be a key game for both team’s CIAC state playoff hopes – even in the fourth week of the season. Both teams are 3-1 and there are few teams that make the eight-team state tournament with two defeats.
It will be the second night game of the season at home for Avon (3-1, 2-0 CCC Div. III East). They beat Tolland two weeks ago under the lights, 47-7.
The new game time also gives Avon sports fans the opportunity to watch the Avon boys soccer team host Farmington in a crucial mid-season contest at 1 p.m. at Fisher Meadows.
Avon captured their Central Connecticut Conference football debut with a 27-0 win over Rocky Hill before dropping a hard-fought 22-20 loss to East Catholic the following week at home. Since then, the Falcons have had little trouble with Tolland or Fermi, which Avon beat, 35-6.
Senior Ian McDonald has been the catalyst for the Falcons on offense. He leads the team with 318 yards rushing on 39 carries with eight touchdowns. Leon Asberry has run for 109 yards and two touchdowns on 20 carries.
Throwing the ball, McDonald has completed 31 of-48 passes for 659 yards and four touchdowns. Sean Del Gallo is the leading receiver with 11 receptions for 265 yards and a touchdown while Geoff Kirk has pulled in nine receptions for 193 yards and two touchdowns.
Defensively, linebacker Teddy Allmendinger leads the team with 29 tackles while Kirk has 26 tackles, including 8½ tackles for a loss. Max Kritkos has made 19 tackles.
This will be the third of five night games this year for the Falcons and the second at home.
Bloomfield (3-1, 2-0 CCC Div. III West) lost to Berlin, 23-14 in their season opening contest. But the Warhawks have won three straight including victories over Plainville (62-21), Rocky Hill (26-19) and Tolland (34-0).
Bloomfield is led by QB Rayshawn Phillips, who helped Capital Prep/Achievement First capture the Class S Small Division championship last fall. Phillips has completed 45-of-63 passes for 695 yards and six touchdown passes. He has been intercepted just once.
On the ground, the Warhawks are led by Andrell Pinnock, who has rushed for 399 yards and 7 touchdowns on 53 carries. Phillips has run for 144 yards and four touchdowns. In the air, Jose Crespo has caught 11 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns while Russell Thompson-Bishop has caught nine passes for 99 yards and a touchdown.
Defensively, Bloomfield is led by Dillion Harris with 55 tackles, including five for a loss. Kahari Scarlett has made 35 tackles with a whopping 10 for a loss.
NOTES: Bloomfield is in Class S and is ranked No. 11 in the latest CIAC playoff rankings. Avon is ranked No. 10 in Class L. … The two teams last played in 1999 when Bloomfield rolled to a 60-0 decision. The Warhawks hold a 3-2 lead in the overall series. The last Avon win came in 1968 when the Falcons beat Bloomfield, 18-6 in the final game of the season.
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