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Avella gets it in gear, improves to 2-0

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Katie Roupe / Observer-Reporter Avella's Zach Thompson catches a pass while West Greene's Donavan Weaver takes him down during the second quarter of the game on Friday, September 6.

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Katie Roupe / Observer-Reporter Avella's Zach Thompson crosses the goal line for a touchdown in the second quarter against West Greene.

AVELLA – Mistakes? Yeah, there were a few.

But Avella understands how to make up for some of those shortcomings: keep the ball in the hands of the two most potent players on offense, quarterback Santino Paris and wide receiver Zach Thompson.

The two helped Avella regain its footing after a sluggish start and rolled over West Greene, 36-0, Friday night in a Tri-County South Conference game.

The win moved the Eagles to 2-0 overall and 1-0 in the conference. West Greene has split its two conference games so far.

“Our goal was to come out strong,” said Avella head coach Ryan Cecchini, “and we did just that on defense. Until our offense got going, the defense stepped it up for us.”

Paris had an incompletion and two interceptions in his first four attempts, then settled down to finish with seven completions on 13 attempts for 105 yards and two touchdowns. Thompson caught one of those touchdowns and had a key punt return at the end of the first half that was a backbreaker for West Greene. Walt Kopko had a two-yard touchdown catch in the fourth quarter.

Junior running back Nick Kusich had a 36-yard touchdown run in the second half and also returned a fumble from 36 yards out that made it 22-0 in the third quarter. He finished with 82 yards on 16 carries.

“West Greene has one of the biggest lines in the conference,” said Thompson. “But our skill group took control of the game.”

Thompson’s punt return was key because it turned a 9-0 lead into a 15-0 advantage at halftime for the Eagles.

“I saw the open field,” Thompson said. “They tried to contain me, but Jake Temple and Tyler LaRue got some good blocks in. And Jake got the last one that sprang me.”

Avella’s defense held West Greene quarterback Owen Main in check as the sophomore completed one of 12 passes for 14 yards and was intercepted once. Dalton Wildman rushed for 124 yards on 18 carries, but 37 of those yards came on a first-half run. The Pioneers lost tailback Ben Carlisle to a shoulder injury in the first half.

“Our defense was stout all game,” Cecchini said.

Avella used a long touchdown pass to Thompson for its first touchdown, then let Thompson return a punt for a touchdown while building a 15-0 lead at halftime.

Paris got off to a shaky start, tossing two interceptions to Wyatt Bowman and misfiring on two others, But West Greene had its own problems keeping the ball. Main fumbled the ball at the West Greene 20 and Avella recovered. The Eagles drove to the five before Shawn Carl kicked a 21-yard field to make it 3-0 two minutes into the second quarter.

“We knew what to expect from them,” said West Greene head coach Paul Kreuzer. “It’s like looking in a mirror. Avella had more passion for the game in the second half.”

Paris seemed to find his passing form after that, hitting Thompson for a pair of 27-yard completions. The first produced a first down, the second a touchdown and 9-0 lead with 1:45 left before halftime.

West Greene was forced to punt with 46 seconds left in the half but was penalized for illegal motion. Avella made the Pioneers kick again and Thompson returned it 56 yards for a touchdown and 15-0 lead. Thompson broke three tackles and changed direction twice on the return.

Avella’s defense played a strong half, stopping a 10-play West Greene drive in the second quarter when Carlisle was tackled two yards shy of a first down at the Avella 14.

“We’re just going to go back to the basics,” Kreuzer said. “I feel our offense is still there. There will be some adjustments. The kids are down right now. They knew a lot of the season hinges on this week and next week. But we have the same goals.”

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