Fresh off its Homecoming victory last Friday night, the Avery football team hoped that the momentum from the win would carry over into its conference contest with Hendersonville on a damp night for football at MacDonald Stadium.Avery began strong with the first touchdown of the night, but the Bearcats answered with a bang, using big plays on offense for 35 unanswered points in a 35-6 Avery loss.
Offense was at a premium through the opening quarter as neither team could put points on the board. Avery used the final possession of the period to march downfield, and on the third play of the second quarter struck for the first points of the game. On fourth down from the Hendersonville 32-yard line, Avery chose to roll the dice and go for a conversion. Vikings quarterback Adam Pate found wide receiver Dylan Aldridge in stride, who outran the Hendersonville defense for a touchdown. The extra point kick was unsuccessful, but Avery held a 6-0 advantage.
Avery’s hard-fought lead lasted all of 18 seconds, as Hendersonville’s Cedrick Allen received the ensuing Viking kickoff and raced 90 yards to put the Bearcats on the board. The point after try was good and the Bearcats led 7-6.
Throughout the first half, the Avery offense found success running the football, but was not able to drive deep into Hendersonville territory. Late in the first half Avery committed its first turnover when a fumbled snap was recovered by the Bearcats in Viking territory. The Bearcats cashed in on the opportunity when quarterback Ben Walgenbach threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Daniel Orr. The Will Roper extra point kick gave the Bearcats a 14-6 halftime advantage.
Avery doubled Hendersonville in total offense for the first half, but still found itself on the short end of a deficit.Hendersonville tacked on 21 second half points while holding the Vikings to 19 yards of offense over the final two quarters of play. The Bearcats received the opening kickoff of the second half and drove 84 yards over 12 plays to reach the end zone again. Almost six minutes was consumed off the third quarter clock when Walgenbach connected with Orr for a second touchdown pass, a seven-yard dart to give the Bearcats a 21-6 edge.
Avery turned the ball over via fumble on its first offensive play of the second half. The Bearcats capitalized just three plays later when Walgenbach ran seven yards for a score to up the lead to 28-6 with 3:42 remaining in the third period.
With its second and final possession of the period, Avery was held to a three-and-out and punted the ball away to the Bearcats. Avery ran only four offensive plays in the entire third quarter as Hendersonville dominated the time of possession battle.
Following the punt, the Bearcats continued to grind out yards as well as the clock. A nine-play, 79 yard drive which elapsed almost five minutes off the clock was capped by Walgenbach’s second touchdown run, a 24-yard scamper to close out the game’s scoring.
Avery was unable to find an answer for the Hendersonville defense, while injuries continued to hamstring the Big Red’s chances of victory.
Colton Blackburn led the Vikings rushing attack with 11 carries for 46 yards, while Adam Pate was 4 of 7 passing for 76 yards and a touchdown. Chris Childress, Taylor Potter, and Travis Thomas each recorded six tackles in the contest. Cedrick Allen led the Bearcats with 16 carries for 81 yards, while Ben Walgenbach was 5 of 10 passing for 139 yards.
The Vikings fall to 1-6, with an 0-2 conference mark. Avery travels to Columbus to take on Polk County in Western Highlands Conference play on Friday night.
