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Monessen playoff bound after beating Avella

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AVELLA — Monessen clinched a Class A playoff berth with a hard-fought 14-6 victory over Avella in a Tri-County South Conference game Friday.

The Greyhounds (3-4, 4-6), who did not finish last season because of a lack of players, scored touchdowns in the second and fourth quarters and used a stingy defense that stopped several Avella drives deep in Monessen territory.

Freshman Daniel Dozier gave Monessen the lead in the second quarter, scoring on a five-yard run. Dozier scored  the ensuing two-point conversion and Monessen led 8-0 with 5:17 left in the first half.

Avella had several scoring chances in the second quarter. The Eagles (1-6, 1-9) turned the ball over on downs inside the Monessen 20-yard line early in the quarter, then lost a fumble after driving inside the Greyhounds’ 40.

The Eagles finally reached the end zone with 1:05 left before halftime when K.J. Rush connected with Noah Markle on a 18-yard touchdown pass. The two-point conversion failed and Monessen led 8-6 at the break.

The only scoring in the second half came when Monessen’s Theyvon Burke scored on an 11-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Burke appeared to be stopped on a run up the middle but bounced out of the pack and scooted around right end for the score.

Rush completed eight of 11 passes for 68 yards and led the Eagles’ ground game with 76 yards on 16 carries.

Monessen held a 178-121 edge in rushing yards and 227-189 in total offense.

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