The Avery junior varsity football team used an opportunistic defense and a relentless offensive attack to double up the Mitchell Mountaineers jayvees 40-20 in Ledger on Thursday night.It was the Mountaineers who drew first blood in the grudge match to take a 6-0 lead but failed on its two point conversion attempt. Avery answered on its ensuing possession to knot the score on a 15-yard touchdown from quarterback Alex Villanueva to wide receiver Andy Gonzalez. The successful PAT by Dustin Clark gave Avery the narrow one-point advantage at 7-6.
Mitchell counter-punched with its own offensive attack, using the running of quarterback Troy Self and halfback Cody LaPlante to march the football downfield on the Viking defense. Mitchell used the combination in earnest as it scored a second touchdown, regaining the lead at 12-7.
Despite giving up the lead, the Avery offense proved time and again that it could strike with potency all evening long. Avery’s punishing ground game, combining the talents of running backs Nathaniel Buchanan, Kenny Hicks, and Thomas Moore was devastating. That, in addition to the athleticism out of the pocket by Villanueva to both run and pass spelled trouble for the Mitchell squad.
Villanueva did the honors of putting te Vikings back on the scoreboard. A drive was highlighted by a Villanueva carry which dragged Mitchell tacklers for a number of yards to inside the Mountaineers 10-yard line. The quarterback then capped the drive three plays later with a one-yard quarterback sneak with 32 seconds left before halftime. Clark’s second extra point staked the Big Red to a 14-12 edge.
The momentum-changing moment of the contest occurred on the final play of the first half when a pass by Mitchell’s quarterback Self was intercepted at the 15-yard line by Andy Gonzalez. The defensive back picked up blocks from teammates, raced by the Avery sideline, and outran would-be tacklers for an 80-yard touchdown. Avery’s conversion attempt failed, but the Vikings led 20-12 at halftime.
The Vikings seized firm control of the contest, using a seven play, 59-yard drive to again reach the end zone. The drove was highlighted by a 37-yard Villanueva pass and a five-yard scamper across the goal line on back-to-back plays. An extra point by Clark pushed the Viking lead to 27-12 with 6:32 left in the third period.
Mitchell answered the Avery score with its final touchdown on the evening when Self scored on a seven-yard keeper with 1:48 left in the quarter. The two-point conversion narrowed the Big Red advantage to 27-20.
Each time it appeared the Mountaineers could engineer a comeback, the Avery offense snuffed it out. Avery scored on the first play of the fourth period on a 52-yard touchdown pass from Villanueva to Colton Blackburn, making the score 34-20 with just over nine minutes left in the game.
Avery’s defense forced a key turnover on Mitchell’s ensuing drive which drained major air from the Mountaineers’ proverbial balloon. A strong hit by defensive back Taylor Potter jarred the football from a Mitchell receiver, which the Vikings recovered.
The Big Red used the opportunity with the football to run time off the fourth quarter clock by keeping the football on the ground. Avery eventually was forced by the Mitchell defense to punt, giving the Mountaineers the ball with three minutes remaining and trailing by two scores.
On Mitchell’s first play following the change of possession, Vikings sophomore defensive end Blackburn made an athletic play when he sacked quarterback Self, forced a fumble with the hit, and then recovered the football to again stymie the Mountaineers offense.
On the first play following the turnover Avery put the ball in the end zone, using play action to perfection as Villanueva threw a 25-yard touchdown strike to Gonzalez. The PAT failed, but the score provided the final margin in the 40-20 doubling of the Mountaineers.
The win marked the fourth in Avery final six contests, giving Avery a final season record of 4-6, with a 3-3 conference record. The record was a respectable one, considering the Vikings began the season losing its first four contests.
“I told these kids that I had never been prouder of a bunch of kids than I was with them,” Avery JV coach Mikey Laws said on the field following the win. “The kids never complained and did exactly what we asked, and they have improved every single week. They play their tails off, they execute, and their fundamentals have gotten better. The future for football looks bright for these kids.”
The victory was a particularly sweet one for Coach Laws, as his brother C.L. stood across the field from him Thursday night as a coach for the Mitchell squad, making for an interesting week for the family.
“Honestly, my brother and I have looked to this game all year long. I probably prepared for this game and watched more film on them than anyone this year. We knew what they wanted to do, and he knows what I like doing offensively as well,” Coach Laws elaborated. “We’ve really enjoyed it and had a good time with it. Both teams played hard and we parted in good ways. So needless to say, we’ve both had some sleepless nights over this one, but our team will take this one and enjoy it.”
Congratulations to the junior varsity football team on an entertaining and successful season.
