
The Avon High football team won their fourth game on Friday night with a 35-0 shutout over Hartford Public, a victory that includes five rushing touchdowns.
An opportunity lies in front of the Avon High football team.
The Falcons have a chance to take a big step toward a possible spot in the CIAC Class M playoffs if they can beat Branford on Friday night at 6 p.m. at home on the turf field.
Avon (4-1) is ranked No. 4 in the CIAC’s latest football ratings with Branford (5-1) ranked No. 5. There are four weeks left in the 2021 campaign and the top eight teams earn an invitation to the CIAC football tournament.
“In your life, when you have a great opportunity, you have to do everything possible to take advantage of it,” Avon High football coach Jeff Redman said. “If not, live with it.”
It’s the first time since the 2013 season that the Falcons have been in the hunt for a tournament berth this late in the season. The Falcons qualified for the CIAC tournament three times in 2008, 2009 and in 2012.
Avon earned this opportunity after beating Hartford Public on Friday night, 35-0, in the first-ever meeting between the two schools in a CCC Tier 4 contest. Avon (4-1, 3-0 Tier 4) and Rocky Hill (4-2, 3-0) share the lead in the CCC division.
“We were sharp. We were disciplined,” Redman said. “We just do what we do.”
The Falcons plan is to run the ball. Again, again and again. Avon didn’t throw a pass on Friday night.
“We wore them out. Everyone matches up with us,” he said. “But everyone gets pounded with the double teams (blocking scheme) and we keep it up. They got tired.”
Defensively, Avon pitched their first shutout since beating the Bulkeley/HMTCA/Weaver co-op squad in October 2018. The Falcons were able to contain Hartford Public’s talented quarterback Christian Garcia.
He ran for a team-high 104 yards on 26 carries but his teammates gained just another 13 yards on the ground. Garcia completed just one pass for minus one yard.
“I was worried because Hartford Public has so many athletes. (Garcia) can run all over the place. I wasn’t sure if we could keep up with him,” Redman said. “But we were a little quicker off the ball and got better at not letting the kids get outside (on us).”
Avon’s game plan wasn’t difficult to understand. Run the ball and keep it out of Garcia’s hands.
Quarterback Tabor Engle ran for a game-high 171 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries while Cameron Dawiczyk had a career-high 112 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries. Cameron Casey ran for 57 yards and a pair of touchdowns on four carries. The Falcons ran for a total of 371 yards.
When we reached Redman this weekend, he was already focused on his team’s upcoming opponent – Branford. “They’re big and they run the ball really well,” he said. “They have a lot of skill players. It will be very, very hard.”
The Hornets play in the Southern Connecticut Conference and the game is part of the Connecticut Football Alliance’s efforts to provide out-of-league contests for teams to test themselves. The Hornets play in Tier 3 with the smaller schools in the SCC.
Redman wasn’t ready to talk about playoffs. His focus is on preparation.
“We don’t talk about that,” he said. “It’s one game at a time. If we get there (to the playoffs), then we get there. For now, it’s just dreams. You have to earn it.”
In the CIAC’s playoff format, teams earn points for their respective victories but they also get bonus points reflecting how many wins a defeated opponent has. Branford’s five wins would help the Falcons stay among the top eight teams in Class M.
Avon 35, Hartford Public 0
At Avon (Oct. 29)
Hartford Public (2-5) 0 0 0 0 — 0
Avon (4-1) 7 14 14 0 — 35
First quarter
A: Cam Casey 15 run (Toby Klefter kick)
Second quarter
A: Casey 22 run (Klefer kick)
A: Tabor Engle 8 run (Klefter kick)
Third quarter
A: Cameron Dawiczyk 3 run (Klefter kick)
A: Dawiczyk 12 run (Klefter kick)
Individual statistics
RUSHING: Hartford Public – Christian Garcia 26-104, Tansari Roach 5-11, Eric Williams 5-2; Avon – Tabor Engle 17-171, Cam Dawiczyk 11-112, Cameron Casey 4-57
PASSING: Hartford Public – Christian Garcia 1-5-1, minus 1; Avon: no passes completed
RECEIVING: Hartford Public – Jordan Knight 1-minus 1
RETURNS: Punt returns – Garcia (HP) 5-170
FUMBLE REC: Robert McDade (HP), Cam Casey (A); BLOCKED PUNT: Jose Rodriguez (HP); INTERCEPTION: Andrew Silewski (A)
CCC Tier 4
Team | Div. | Overall |
Avon | 3-0 | 4-1 |
Rocky Hill | 3-0 | 4-2 |
Tolland | 3-1 | 4-3 |
Hartford Public | 2-3 | 2-5 |
Lewis Mills | 1-2 | 3-4 |
N.W. Catholic | 0-3 | 2-4 |
East Catholic | 0-3 | 1-6 |
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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