On a warm Saturday morning, the South Windsor Bobcats hosted the Avon Falcons in a must win game for both teams. The two squads entered the game 0-2, but in much different fashions. Avon has yet to score this season, while the ‘Cats have dropped two close games to Hall and Windsor.
The home Bobcats won the coin toss and elected to receive. After a decent return and opening carry by junior Jailil Montogmery, South Windsor looked ready to strike. Junior quarterback Wyatt Prather took the snap and handed it off to fellow junior Ryan Faux.
Fresh off a trio of touchdowns against Windsor, Faux broke free down the right side and would coast into the endzone for a touchdown just 30 seconds into the game.
Just a few plays into the following Avon drive, the Falcons quarterback would have the ball jarred out of his hands. A pack of Bobcats surrounded the ball and recovered it for a quick turnover.
Faux got his number called again and would find the end zone for the second time in a matter of minutes to put the ‘Cats up by double digits.
Trying to get something going offensively, the Falcons quarterback rolled out to his left. Unfortunately for him, senior Aiden Saada was in hot pursuit. Saada jarred the ball free and helped the Bobcats get their second fumble recovery in as many drives.
With a chance to put the game away early, Prather handed it off to Montgomery. A mean stiff arm took care of the only defender standing between Montgomery and the end zone. The Bobcat lead now stood at 21-0.
On the third Avon drive of the game, they finally picked up their first first down. As they got near midfield, they started to stall. On fourth down, South Windsor senior Jaden Bridgeforth batted the pass out of the air to bring the ‘Cats offense back to the field.
Senior Dom MacNeil rattled off a big run, soon followed by Bridgeforth to set the Bobcats up nicely. A holding call sent the offense back ten yards, but Prather would use those extra yards to find Faux over the middle for a touchdown reception. In only the first quarter, Faux tacked on his third touchdown of the game, marking the second consecutive week that he’s done so.
With the first half winding down to the final minutes, Avon mounted their best drive yet. The Falcons were in the red zone and looked to score their first points of the season. Just as it seemed good for the visitors, they’d be stuffed short and turn it over on downs as the half ended with a 28-0 Bobcat lead.
The Falcons started the second half with the ball and got to around midfield before they’d make another huge mistake. The third Avon fumble of the game was recovered yet again by the Bobcats.
Senior Isaac Gerber stayed patient behind his offensive line and would find the end zone for his first touchdown of the season.
With the clock winding down, Avon tried once more to get their offense going, but as soon as they got close to the end zone, disaster arose. The Falcons running back coughed up the ball and right into the hands of Bobcats senior Justin Flor. Flor’s recovery marked the fourth fumble of the game by Avon, all of which were recovered by South Windsor.
Flor would enter as quarterback and added on one last score for good measure as he erupted down the left side for a long touchdown run. The run would be the final points scored in the game, bringing the final score to 42-0.
South Windsor finally enters the win column after dropping two tough games on the road in their first two weeks. Following his strong defensive game, Saada knows the team still has a mission to complete. “It was a good win to add to our record but we still have work to do,” Saada said.
After his second consecutive three-touchdown performance, Faux spoke to The Prowl, saying “We played a great game today and everyone did their job. I’m proud of the team for never giving up even after two losses.”
Now sitting at 1-2, the Bobcats look to get even when they host the Simsbury Trojans next Saturday.
