Avella rolls into WPIAL playoffs
PERRYOPOLIS – Avella rode a big first half all the way into the WPIAL Class A playoffs.
The Eagles scored 36 first-half points Friday night and cruised to a 48-20 victory over Frazier in the Tri-County South Conference.
Avella (5-2, 6-4) finished in third place in the TCS and gained the final automatic playoff spot. Frazier is 4-3, 5-5 and the Commodores will have to hope for a wild-card berth to the postseason.
The Eagles scored five first-half touchdowns and three of them covered more than 40 yards.
Dominic Muzzi opened the scoring only 64 seconds into the game when he rambled 56 yards up the middle to the end zone. Gavin Gatewood ran in the first of his three two-point conversions.
Frazier (4-3, 5-5) answered on its first possession as quarterback Brady Secrest scored on a one-yard sneak. The conversion failed and Avella led 8-6.
It didn’t stay that way for very long as Avella used a 57-yard jaunt by Gatewood, only 58 seconds after the Frazier score, to take a 14-6 lead.
Gag Samol had a pair of 13-yard touchdowns in the second quarter – he also had a 54-yard TD negated by penalty – and Gatewood ran in both conversions that made it 30-6.
The Eagles took flight on their next possession as Chas Rush passed 44 yards to Muzzi to make it 36-6.
Frazier had a first-and-goal late in the first half but Avella’s defense came up with an interception.
The Eagles scored twice in the fourth quarter on a 10-yard run by Rush and an eight-yard TD by Muzzi.
Samol led Avella in rushing with 124 yards on 10 carries.