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Falcons show signs of promise in loss to Bloomfield

Cameron Casey (3) looks for open space in Friday’s CCC game at Bloomfield. The Falcons lost, 55-7.

BLOOMFIELD, Oct. 8, 2021 – The Avon High football team dropped their ninth straight game to Bloomfield dating back to 1982 and gave up more than 47 points to the Warhawks for the fourth straight game Friday night at Phil Rubin Stadium in a 55-7 defeat in Central Connecticut Conference play.

But there are signs of potential surrounding this Falcon squad that played in just their second game of the season.

After undefeated Bloomfield (5-0) took a 7-0 lead, it was the Falcons who marched 62 yards on 12 plays to tie the game on a seven-yard touchdown pass from Tabor Engle to Cameron Casey. In the second half, Avon had a long drive when they converted on a fourth down and one play and a third down and 11 play to keep the drive alive.

“We punched them right in the face in the first quarter and we moved the ball really well,” Avon High coach Jeff Redman said. “We made them punt (on their first series of the game) and we were playing physical.

“Unfortunately, it got the best of us and some players went down and we were trying to subsitute as best as we could,” Redman said. “But they are a great team and they just kept coming at us. We did our best that is for sure. We’re going to be very successful against other teams that don’t have the talent that Bloomfield does.”

Bloomfield used their terrific speed to get outside and race down the sideline. The Warhawks had three scoring plays of 40 yards or more.

“They were giving us the outside so we wanted to take advantage of that,” Bloomfield coach Ty Outlaw said. “(Avon) was playing their (type of) ball and they slowed us down, bunched everything up, played power and went real slow. We like to go real fast.”

After Avon stopped Bloomfield’s opening drive, the Falcons coughed up the ball deep in their own territory. The Warhawks scored on the first play with quarterback Darrien Foster finding receiver Jose Felicano in the end zone for a 19-yard reception and a 7-0 lead with 3:40 remaining in the first quarter.

Foster completed 9-of-11 passes for 204 yards and five touchdown passes with two TD receptions to Feliciano.

Avon tied the game on its 12-play, 62-yard drive that ate up nearly eight minutes. Avon converted on fourth down and 1 play and a third down and 1 play to keep the drive going. Cameron Dawiczyk (13-25) picked up the first down in both occasions.

Casey’s TD pass with 9:02 remaining and the extra point from Toby Klafter tied the game with 9:02 remaining in the first half.

Bloomfield received Jose Felicano (1) catches one if his two TD passes on Friday night from Bloomfield QB Darrien Foster, who threw five TD passes.

Back-to-back big plays boosted Bloomfield. After Foster completed a 20-yard pass to Robert Dunkley to keep a drive going, Foster threw a short screen pass to Trevon Ortiz, who found open space and scored on a 43-yard TD reception for a 14-7 lead.

Bloomfield forced an Avon punt and took two plays to score the next time they touched the ball. Foster completed a 41-yard TD pass to Shane Bell for a 20-7 lead. The Warhawks missed the extra point.

On Bloomfield’s next possession, a 51-yard punt return from Bell gave the Warhawks the ball on Avon’s eight yard line. Bloomfield scored immediately on an eight-yard run from Dallas Rose (8=113) to swell the lead to 27-7 with 2:37 left in the second quarter.

Bloomfield scored on their opening drive of the second half after recovering a fumble when they kicked the ball to Avon, the Warhawks quickly added another touchdown on a 31-yard touchdown pass into the corner of the end zone from Foster to Feliciano for a 42-7 lead.

Rose, who had a game-high 113 yards on the ground, scored two TDs in the final 9:31 of the game for the final tally.

Engle led the Falcons on the ground, rushing for 70 yards on 18 carries with Casey rushing for 32 yards (9-32) and Dawiczyk running for 25 yards. (13-25). Engle completed 3-of-5 passes for 23 yards.

NOTES: Avon returns to action on Friday night when they host Tolland at 6:30 p.m. at the high school. The game was originally set for September 10 but it was postponed due an COVID-19 outbreak on the team. The dedication ceremony for the new lights around the high school field, originally set for that September game, will be held on Friday night. … Avon last beat Bloomfield in 1968.

Avon’s Tabor Engle (9) finds it tough to run in Friday’s CCC game in Bloomfield. The Warhawks prevailed, 55-7.

Bloomfield 55, Avon 7
At Bloomfield
Avon (1-1)                        0    7    0  0  — 7
Bloomfield (5-0)              7  20  21  7  — 55
First quarter
B: Jose Felicano 19 pass from Darrien Foster (Matthew Miller kick), 3:40
Second quarter
A: Cameron Casey 7 pass from Tabor Engle (Toby Klafter kick), 9:02
B: Trevon Ortiz 43 pass from Foster (Miller kick), 7:10
B: Shane Bell 41 pass from Foster (kick failed), 4:02
B: Dallas Rose 8 run (Miller kick), 2:34
Third quarter
B: Robert Dunkley 28 pass from Foster (Miller kick), 9:10
B: Felicano 31 pass from Foster (Miller kick), 8:11
B: Rose 57 run (Miller kick), 1:31
Fourth quarter
B: Rose 12 run (Miller kick), 1:12
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Avon – Tabor Engle 18-70, Cameron Dawiczyk 13-25, Cameron Casey 9-32, Toby Klafter 1-minus 22, Cole Milardo 2-4; Bloomfield – Dallas Rose 8-113, Conelius Patrick 7-53, Darrien Fosters 1-minus 11
PASSING: Avon  — Tabor Engle 3-5-0, 23; Bloomfield – 9-11-0, 204
RECEIVING: Avon – Tyler Brokenshire 2-16, Derek Graves 1-7; Bloomfield – Robert Dunkley 3-56, Trevon Ortiz 2-46, Shane Bell 2-55, Jose Felicano 2-50
RETURNS: Avon – Kickoff returns: Connor Lavore 2-47, Cameron Dawiczyk 1-22, Nick Seminara 1-1, Isiah Adams 1-5; Bloomfield – Punt return: Shane Bell 1-51

Gerry deSimas, Jr., is the editor and founder of The Collinsville Press. He is an award-winning writer and has been covering sports in Connecticut and New England for more than 40 years. He was inducted into the New England High School Wrestling Hall of Fame in 2018.

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