Hard-running Falcons control the game on the ground and beat Tolland, 7-3

Avon’s Cameron Dawiczyk (2) leads quarterback Tabor Engle (9) through an opening in Friday’s Central Connecticut Conference game in Avon.

AVON, Oct. 15, 2021 – The only thing that was missing was some grass stains on their uniforms.

The Avon High football team kept the ball on the ground Friday night and grinded past Tolland five yards at a time to win their second game of the season, 7-3.

With a turf field that was installed in 2019, there won’t be any more grass-stained uniforms when playing at home. But the Falcons kept the ball on the turf to control the contest.

Avon (2-1, 2-0 CCC Tier 4) had four drives of nine plays or more including a 17-play, 74-yard march that ate up 10 minutes and 57 seconds and ended with quarterback Tabor Engle scoring from three yards away with 7:40 left in the game for the game’s only touchdown.

Engle finished with 176 yards on 31 carries while teammate Cameron Dawiczyk finished with 48 yards on 13 carries.

“When it comes down to the game, there is our toughness and our ability to run the ball is pretty good,” Avon High coach Jeff Redman said. “It’s a hard offense to stop when everybody does their job. It is just muscle and all it is just grinding. It’s old-fashioned football. They have a dinosaur like me coaching so that is what we do.”

Tolland (3-2, 2-1 CCC Tier 4) took a 3-0 lead with 6:43 left in the third quarter on a 23-yard field goal from Mitchell Enman. The Eagles marched 78 yards on 13 plays, converting twice on third down to keep the drive alive.

Tolland had a first down and goal on the Avon 7-seven yard line but the Falcon defense stiffened. On third and goal, Dawiczyk made a big tackle on the six-yard line after a reception to keep the Eagles out of the end zone.

Trailing by three, the Falcons ran the ball down Tolland’s throat with 17 consecutive running plays – 10 from Engle.

“I just do what I am asked to do,” Engle said. “Anything I can do to help the boys win. I do the best I can on the field and try to get it done.”

Avon’s Cameron Casey (3) tries to find some running room in Friday night’s 7-3 win over Tolland in the first home game of the season.

Twice, Avon converted on third down to keep the drive alive. The longest run of the drive was 12 yards by Engle to the Tolland 28-yard line.

The Falcons drove down to the seven-yard line but after a motion penalty, Avon had first down and goal from the Eagle 12-yard line. Engle ran five yards on first down and on third down, Engle ran four yards to the three. Engle powered in from the three for the touchdown with 7:40 left in the game.

The extra point from Toby Klafter gave the Falcons a 7-3 lead.

Tolland didn’t wilt and drove to the Avon 16-yard line thanks to a few big plays. After an 18-yard kickoff return from Evan Wilson, the Eagles began on their own 46-yard line. Tolland QB Nathan Bowes completed an 11-yard pass to Evan Albert to keep the drive alive. Two plays later, it was Malik Diaby with a 20-yard run to the Falcon 20-yard line.

But the drive stalled on Avon’s 16-yard line. On second down, a Tolland receiver dropped a ball – which was a problem throughout the game for the Eagles. Several passes were dropped including a potential touchdown pass in the end zone in the second quarter.

On fourth down, Dawiczyk batted the ball away from a Tolland receiver and the Eagles gave up the ball on downs.

“I saw a little rollout and I have been practicing that all week,” Dawiczyk said. “He threw it, I went up and made the play. I was there I was in position. I was able to make the stop.”

The Falcons didn’t give up the ball again, making four first downs to run out the clock on a 10-play, 59-yard drive that ended up on the Tolland 25-yard line.

“It all comes down to heart,” Engle said. “These kids were bigger than us. They might have been stronger than us, but we have in here (pointing to his heart) and here (pointing to head).

“That is what won us the game today,” he said. “We were all tired (on the 17-play scoring drive) but like I said it’s all in the heart. We were physically beat down but we weren’t mentally beat down.”

The game was tied 0-0 at the half. Diaby had a pair of intereceptions to stop a pair of Falcon drives. Avon drove to the Tolland 16-yard line on their opening possession but the 13-play drive was stopped when Diaby intercepted Engle in the end zone.

Engle did complete a 48-yard touchdown pass to receiver Tyler Brookenshire in the first quarter but it was called back when the Falcons were penalized for an illegal man downfield.

Tolland did block a punt early in the second quarter and began their drive on the Avon 25-yard line. But Falcon lineman Nils Jerger sacked Bowes for a 10-yard loss on first down. The Eagles got as close as the Falcon 26 before turning the ball over on downs.

Avon gave up just 29 yards rushing in the game. Bowes completed 11-of-25 passes for 112 yards for the Eagles.

Avon and Tolland warm up before Friday’s CCC Tier 4 contest in Avon — the first football game at the field under the new permanent lights that were installed over the summer.

NOTES: It was Avon’s first win over the Eagles since 2015, snapping a four-game winning streak by Tolland in the series. … It was the fewest points that Avon has scored in a victory in nearly 40 years. The Falcons beat Middletown in 1982 by a 7-6 score. … Avon renews their long rivalry with neighboring Farmington next week when the Falcons host the River Hawks beginning at 6:30 p.m. The two teams haven’t played since 2006 when Farmington joined the Central Connecticut Conference. … The Tolland game was a rescheduled game, originally scheduled for opening day on Sept. 10. The game was postponed on that Friday when some Avon players tested positive for COVID-19 and other players were not eligible to play due to quarantine protocols. … At halftime, Town Council chair Heather Maguire hosted a brief ceremony celebrating the Lights over Avon initiative that raised money to put lights around the turf field at the high school.  … It was the first home game of the season for the Falcons.

Avon 7, Tolland 3
At Avon
Tolland (3-2)                    0  0  3  0  — 3
Avon (2-1)                        0  0  0  7  — 7
Third quarter
T: Mitchell Enman 23 FG, 6:42
Fourth quarter
A: Tabor Engle 3 run (Toby Klafter kick), 7:40
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Avon – Tabor Engle 31-176, Cameron Dawiczyk 13-48, Cameron Casey 2-12, Isiah Adams 1-minus 5, Tyler Brookenshire 1-1; Tolland – Alexander Blake 6-10, Malik Diaby 1-20, Nathan Bowes 6-minus 1
PASSING: Avon – Tabor Engle 2-11-2, 37; Tolland – Nathan Bowes 11-25-0, 112
RECEIVING: Avon – Cameron Casey 1-24, Cameron Dawiczyk 1-13; Tolland – Evan Albert 4-39, Thomas Sheehan 1-4, Malik Diaby 2-25, Matthew Tybor 4-34
SACK: Niles Jerger (A) 1-10; BLOCKED PUNT: Connor Graham (T) 1; INTERCEPTIONS: Malik Diaby 2-24