Final surge gives Avella win at Jefferson-Morgan
JEFFERSON – Avella won the fourth quarter, and the game, Friday night against Jefferson-Morgan and remained in the thick of the playoff race in the Class A Tr-County South Conference.
Chas Rush and Gae Samol ran for fourth-quarter touchdowns as Avella defeated the Rockets 30-21 at Parker Field.
The Eagles (3-1, 4-3) trailed 21-14 entering the fourth quarter, but Rush rambled 18 yards for a touchdown with 10:43 remaining. Caleb Amaismeier ran in the two-point conversion to put the Eagles ahead 22-21.
Samol sealed the win with a 28-yard jaunt to the end zone with 3:53 to play. He also ran in the conversion.
J-M (1-3, 1-6) had taken a 21-14 lead on an 18-yard TD pass from Triton Farabee to Justin Woodward with two seconds remaining in the third quarter.
Avella scored first on a strange play. The Eagles fumbled at the Rockets’ three-yard line on a run up the middle. The ball bounced forward into the end zone, where it was recovered by Avella’s Bo Allison, giving the Eagles a 6-0 lead.
Jefferson-Morgan moved out to a 7-6 lead in the opening minute of the second quarter, when Liam Rogers bolted 41 yards off left tackle for a touchdown.
Avella went back on top with only 11 seconds left in the first half. Freshman running back Gavin Gatewood went nine yards around right end for a touchdown, then scored on a two-point conversion run on a reverse, giving the Eagles a 14-7 advantage.
J-M converted a third-and-20 early in the third quarter and the play set up a two-yard quarterback sneak by Farabee that tied the score at 14-14.