RSS
|
|
Plainville’s (5-1) secondary reeked havoc on quarterback Dan Heelan. The Devils intercepted three Heelan passes, one of which was returned for a touchdown.
On 2nd-and-12 from his own 34-yard line, Heelan lofted a pass to the left. Aaron Benson snatched the ball for his second pick of the day. Benson snuck though defenders for a 40-yard touchdown return, giving Plainville its last points of the day with 7:22 to go in the game.
"He wanted to play this game so bad," Archangelo said. "For him to do what he did defensively, with the interceptions and the turnovers and returning that one, the kid’s just a great athlete."
Sophomore halfback Ben Sparks led the offense filling in for the injured T.C. Scott. Sparks had 11 carries for 80 yards and two TDs.
On the fourth play of Plainville’s second drive, Sparks found a seam to the right. He broke a tackle and brought it in for a 48-yard touchdown run. Todd Carroll found Andrew Satalino open in the end zone for the 2-point conversion, giving the Devils’ an 8-0 lead.
Plainville ended a Falcon drive abruptly by causing and recovering a fumble on their second play. The Blue Devils quickly capitalized on a 34-yard TD run by Sparks, going ahead 15-0 with 5:23 remaining in the first half.
"He’s had quite a few carries for us, he just hasn’t carried the bulk of the load with T.C. Scott back there," Archangelo said. "He’s had some opportunities to touch the ball, and when he has he’s done real well for us.
"He’s got the dog in him; he’s got the fight in him, he doesn’t want to give up. I think that was pretty apparent today in his running ability."
Plainville’s defense made a big goal line stop to keep the shutout intact at halftime.
On the Falcon 40, Carroll dropped back to pass and was stormed by defenders. He tossed up a prayer and Matt Gouvela picked it off. Gouvela returned it to the 4, giving Avon a prime chance to score with 1:15 left in the second quarter.
An encroachment penalty moved the ball to the 2. The Falcons were stuck for a one yard loss on the first rushing attempt, and Heelan gained one on the next play. On third-and-goal at the 2, Heelan rolled to the left. Benson read the play perfectly and grabbed an interception in the end zone with four seconds to go in the first half.
"We had a mistake and luckily it didn’t hurt us," Archangelo said. "Our defense stepped up as they’ve done all year. I think our defense came in here with something to prove today because we had a very poor showing last week against Berlin, and they wanted to bounce back. That stance kind of solidified how much they wanted to shutout this team today."
Kevin Czellecz had eight carries for 44 yards, and Tom Bouchard had a 37-yard TD reception. Bea Ewbank led Avon with 22 carries for 74 yards.
Scott is expected to miss at least two more weeks with a knee injury. Sparks will continue to fill his void as the starting halfback
The Devils will host Middletown Friday at 7:00.
