Brenden Curry

Going into tonight’s contingency game, both teams had chips on their shoulders. A 6-3 Haverford team had just missed the playoffs, and an Avon Grove team with a 1-9 record wanted to end their season on a positive note, with a victory for the seniors’ final game.

“It’s a team effort, everyone played their hearts out tonight for the seniors. They played their hearts out for their last game in this stadium,” Avon Grove senior quarterback Tanner Peck said.

The Haverford Fords defeated the Avon Grove Red Devils by a close score of 15-7. This was Avon Grove’s second game this season where they had given up under 20 points. The other victory for the Red Devils came against Kennett in Week 1. “It was sad to go out like that but it was definitely a fun season,” Peck said.

The game against Haverford would be Peck’s final football game ever. He will sign his Division I lacrosse commitment with Penn State on November 18. He said that he has always idolized Avon Grove football and it is where many of his athletic memories were made.

“It means a whole lot. There’s a bunch of memories here, all playing football since I was a freshman,” Peck reflected on the meaning of tonight’s contingency game.

The Red Devil defense had a jolting start in the first quarter. Junior Kyle Speer forced a fumble on the Fords’ first offensive drive. Senior Michael Tipton began a memorable night by recording two tackles within seconds of each other. The first tackle was his first sack of the night.

“We all connected and it was just a team effort to get this defense together,” said Avon Grove senior Michael Tipton. “Our defense really stepped up and played the whole game,” Red Devil senior Stephen McDannald commented.

Haverford ran a “Wildcat” type play to score their first touchdown. Senior Jai Thornton scored a three yard touchdown for the Fords. Haverford led 6-0 due to a missed extra point attempt.

The Red Devils fired back with a 26 yard return from senior Austin Radecki. Quarterback Tanner Peck continued to throw to Radecki with the absence of sophomore Beau Kush. With under a minute left in the first quarter, Peck overthrew a potential touchdown pass to Radecki.

“We had some good runs and good passes but we shot ourselves in the foot a lot,” Peck said.
Twenty seconds later, freshman Nate Jones caught a 33-yard pass from Peck to convert a fourth down and 20. Jones then scored a touchdown for the Red Devils. A successful field goal attempt by Anthony Scarpato gave Avon Grove a 7-6 lead. Avon Grove began their first drive of the second quarter on their own one-yard line. Avon Grove committed a safety which gave Haverford an 8-7 lead.

Haverford’s Jai Thornton gained 31 yards on the ground to get his team into scoring position. The Avon Grove defense made a triumphant defensive stop that forced the Fords to attempt another field goal. The Haverford field goal attempt was no good.
Avon Grove defenders Drew Saienni and Kyle Speer sacked Haverford quarterback Jack Donaghy. Jai Thornton ran two straight 15+ yard runs for the Fords. Donaghy threw a 24 yard pass to senior Chris Lyons. Lyons’ 24-yard gain resulted in a 12-yard touchdown. Lyons’ touchdown would be the game-winning touchdown.

Senior Michael Tipton continued his memorable night by earning his second sack. Tipton finished the night with six tackles, one assist and two sacks.

Tipton truly believes he stepped up his game tonight. For him, it was the perfect ending for his first season playing football. His transformation from not knowing how to get into a defensive stance or knowing what a right tackle is, was amazing according to Tipton.

“I think I really did well in these past few games, especially tonight. It’s my last time ever playing on this field and it was a really exceptional experience,” Tipton commented on his performance.

In front of a packed stadium at Avon Grove High School, the Oxford Hornets came back and held on to a 27-26 victory over the Avon Grove Red Devils. Both teams received passionate support throughout this thriller.

“It was a fun game but I wish to see the outcome changed,” Avon Grove senior quarterback Tanner Peck commented on his team’s heartbreaking loss. “We came out and we played hard but it didn’t go to where we wanted it.”

Avon Grove senior linebacker Matt Lawrence intercepted a pass from Oxford quarterback Ethan Herb after the ball deflected out of the hands of Oxford wide receiver Devon Sumner. Lawrence returned the pass for 15 yards. Later in the first quarter, Oxford senior halfback Musty Mahmud scored a 10 yard rushing touchdown.

Avon Grove senior quarterback Tanner Peck threw a 13 yard pass to Matt Lawrence which led to an 8 yard touchdown pass to senior Austen Radecki. Peck then completed a quarterback sneak for a two-point conversion to give Avon Grove an 8-7 lead.
Avon Grove extended their lead with another passing touchdown from the duo of Peck and Radecki. The 80 yard touchdown pass extended Avon Grove’s lead to 15-7.

“They were really feeling it, he was leading him (Radecki) perfectly,” Grant commented on the chemistry between Avon Grove’s passing duo of Tanner Peck and Austen Radecki.

The Avon Grove defense recorded two sacks on Ethan Herb from defensive lineman Zack Mann and Bashom Haith. Later on, Avon Grove senior linebacker Andrey Green retrieved an interception from Herb.
“We stopped them when we needed to and we got the ball when we needed it the most,” Avon Grove senior wide receiver Johnny Grant said.

A fumble recovery by Oxford’s Eric Bentz allowed the Hornets to score a 6 yard touchdown run by Zach Deasey while on its next possession. Bentz’s touchdown made Oxford inching within one point, 15-14.

With sophomore Beau Kush injured, Tanner Peck fulfilled his punting duties and delivered a 53 yard punt that soared high enough to land at the 11 yard line. Avon Grove’s Andrey Green intercepted a pass from Oxford’s Ethan Herb in the end zone with 12 seconds left in the 1st half.

Austen Radecki returned the kickoff 24 yards to begin the second half. About a minute later, senior Johnny D’Aquanno fumbled with Oxford’s Devon Sumner recovering. On Avon Grove’s next possession, Radecki received a 34 yard pass from Peck. D’Aquanno redeemed himself by scoring a 12 yard touchdown for the Red Devils. Junior Taylor Kim ran a successful 3 yard two-point conversion attempt. Avon Grove held a 22-14 lead.

A 21 yard run from Peck gave him momentum to then throw passes to seniors Jake Parola and Austen Radecki for over 20 yards each. Parola’s 25 yard grab resulted in a 27 yard field goal from senior Avon Grove kicker Anthony Scarpato. As time expired in the third quarter, Oxford began their comeback with a 61 yard touchdown catch from wide receiver Devon Sumner. Oxford was trailing at the end of the third quarter by score of 26-21.

Johnny D’Aquanno began the fourth quarter with a 20 yard reception for the Red Devils. An interception by Oxford’s Patrick Winters eventually led to a 55 yard touchdown reception from junior Ryan Hubley. Oxford’s two-point conversion attempt was no good. Oxford regained the lead, 27-26.

After the Oxford touchdown, the Red Devils begin their first comeback attempt. John D’Aquanno returned the kickoff for 24 yards. Jake Parola retrieved a 7 yard pass from Peck. Tanner Peck then ran two plays with a total of 13 yards.
“Down by one point you got to get a field goal or a touchdown to win the game,” Peck commented on his mindset for the comeback attempts.

With 4:29 remaining in the fourth quarter, Avon Grove successfully attempted a conversion while on 4th and 10. Parola received a 20 yard pass thrown by Peck to get the first down. Despite the fancy footwork of Peck, a 20 yard field goal attempt from Anthony Scarpato was no good.

During Avon Grove’s second comeback attempt, a pass interference call was issued against Oxford. Avon Grove started from the Hornet 24 yard line after the penalty. Tanner Peck ran for 12 yards to get Avon Grove to the Oxford 12 yard line.
On 1st and 10 from the Oxford 12, Peck’s pass to Jake Parola was intercepted by Oxford linebacker Patrick Winters with less than a minute left.

“We had many plays where we could of but I made a bad decision at the end,” Tanner Peck stated. “I didn’t see the linebacker in the middle, I should’ve thrown it on top of him but tried to put it on the receiver, and he made a good pick. Unfortunately it lost us the game.”

This game clearly showed why high school football is a unique phenomenon in American culture. Everyone wants to see a thriller and the crowd stayed till the very end to see who would come out on top.

Avon Grove held their second annual “Unite for Her” game in support of Breast Cancer awareness against the West Chester East Vikings. Avon Grove went “pink” but lost their homecoming game by a score of 62-34.
Avon Grove got to a quick start with an interception from senior Jake Parola. Parola intercepted the pass from West Chester East quarterback Jon Jon Roberts. The interception eventually led to a 12-yard rushing touchdown for Avon Grove from junior Taylor Kim. A successful two-point conversion came from a lateral pass from Tanner Peck and Beau Kush. Kush, a former quarterback then threw to a wide-open John D’Aquanno.
Another interception for Avon Grove came from Johnny Grant who was wide open in coverage. Once again, Tanner Peck connected with Beau Kush for a 41-yard touchdown reception. Avon Grove went for a two-point conversion but was unsuccessful. Avon Grove led West Chester East 14-0.
West Chester East responded with a 10-yard touchdown run from sophomore quarterback Jon Jon Roberts. Later in the first quarter, Avon Grove senior Jake Parola fumbled the ball with the Vikings’ Nick Horan recovering. The Vikings had two penalties that cost them 35 yards. Later in that drive, Viking running back Dan Genthert scored a 4 yard touchdown. Avon Grove led West Chester East 14-13 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, senior Zach Mann recovered a fumble for Avon Grove. The turnover resulted in a field goal for Avon Grove from senior kicker Anthony Scarpato. The Vikings quickly responded with a 53-yard touchdown reception from wide receiver Alex Corialos. West Chester East took a 20 to 17 lead with 6:43 left in the half.
Peck later through a 53 yard pass to Jon D’Aquanno and then a handoff to Beau Kush that resulted with a 7-yard run. Scarpato tied the game at 20 with 6:03 remaining in the half.
Later, sophomore Matt Walters intercepted a pass in the end zone from Jon Jon Roberts. Two minutes later, West Chester East got the ball back and responded with a 13-yard rushing touchdown from Dan Genthert. Jon Jon Roberts later completed a 17 yard shovel pass to Genthert giving the Vikings a 34-20 lead at halftime.
The momentum changed when Jon Jon Roberts ran 45 yards for a touchdown. Beau Kush caught a one-yard touchdown reception from Tanner Peck two minutes later. With 3:14 left in the third quarter, Jon Jon Roberts ran a 30-yard touchdown. Near the end of the quarter, West Chester East running back Dan Genthert ran a 2-yard touchdown.
Tanner Peck threw an interception in the beginning of the fourth quarter. West Chester East sophomore Rob Boland recovered it. Junior Nick Manes scored an 18-yard touchdown for the Vikings giving them an astonishing 62-28 lead. As time expired, freshman Nick Skulski came in as relief and threw a touchdown pass to another freshman Jerad Wilson.
Despite the blowout, the support from the Avon Grove community was a step in the right direction for Breast Cancer awareness, as the fight goes on.

On Friday night, Avon Grove lost their home opener to Downingtown West by a score of 41-13.

“It’s pretty embarrassing to come in and lose to them,” senior Tanner Peck commented on Avon Grove’s loss. “We worked so hard for this and the coaches put in so much time and we came out here and played awful.”

Peck also said that he did have a positive attitude going into tonight’s game. Many miscues including 12 penalties and costly turnovers committed by Avon Grove killed their chances of victory.

After Avon Grove went three and out on its first drive, Downingtown West junior Jimmy DiSantis blocked a punt and return it for a 21-yard touchdown. Junior kicker Brendan Bowler kicked a two yard extra point giving Downingtown West a 7-0 lead.

In the second quarter, senior Tanner Peck threw a 24-yard pass to sophomore Beau Kush who made a spectacular diving catch into the sidelines. However, when Downingtown West got the ball back two minutes later, senior Nick Pagel threw an 88-yard touchdown pass to senior running back Mitch Meleski. The touchdown gave Downingtown West a 14-6 lead.

Senior Austen Radecki caught a 20-yard pass, which resulted in a 40-yard touchdown pass from the Whippet 40 later in the drive. Senior Elijah Tinson blocked the field goal attempt made by Avon Grove kicker Anthony Scarpato.

Near the end of the half, Downingtown West quarterback Nick Pagel threw a 55-yard touchdown pass to senior Derrick Boyer. Along with a fumble recovery by senior linebacker Matt Bokovitz, Downingtown West took a 28-6 lead at halftime.

As the second half started, the Whippets continued their offensive dominance. Downingtown West sophomore Braden Harper ran for 63 yards resulting in a 5-yard touchdown from Mitch Meleski. The touchdown extended the Whippets’ lead to 34-6.

In the third quarter, Avon Grove junior Kyle Harris intercepted a pass with an 18-yard return. At the four-minute mark, junior running back Jimmy DiSantis caught an 18-yard pass from senior Nick Pagel.

Avon Grove wide receiver Austen Radecki finished the night with a 42-yard touchdown reception in the fourth quarter.

Avon Grove is looking to rebound from their heart-breaking home opener loss when they host West Chester East for their Homecoming game on October 5th at 2:30 p.m. The fan support was evident tonight and they look to use the Homecoming game as a way to unite the community and bring back alumni.

According to Merriam-Webster’s dictionary, “victory” is defined as, “achievement of mastery or success in a struggle or endeavor against odds or difficulties.” In sports, victory is earned with hard work and patience. The hard work and patience paid off for the Avon Grove Red Devils as they earned their first victory of the season.

Avon Grove defeated West Chester East 41-31 on their homecoming game for their first victory of the season. Offense and defense plus special teams were clicking for the Red Devils but the offensive side showed the most explosiveness.

Avon Grove started the scoring on their first play scrimmage with junior quarterback Tanner Peck throwing a 63 yard pass to senior wide receiver Jared Braxton. A successful two-point conversion made the score 8-0 in AG’s favor.

Senior Jared Braxton recovered a fumble on the following kickoff after the Avon Grove touchdown drive. That drive produced a 12 yard pass from Tanner Peck to Senior Tripp Moran and a missed field-goal attempt hitting the right upright.

“I think their passing game has been there all year for us,” said Avon Grove head coach Doug Langley. “I think it’s our strong point and it’s been getting better every week.”

In the beginning of the second quarter, West Chester East quarterback Jon Jon Roberts delivered a 66 yard touchdown to place West Chester East within a score. The Red Devils responded with another touchdown pass from Peck to freshman Beau Kush to make the score 21-7.

“It was awesome,” said junior quarterback Tanner Peck on the offensive performance. “It was a lot of fun and the line did a great job. Everybody played well and it was awesome, fun time.”

“We had a better flow and honestly I think the offense is starting to trust each other. It’s coming along nicely,” said senior Ryan Amanto on the Red Devil offense’s recent power surge. “Chemistry is building beautifully. We’re not turning on each other as much as we used to but we are coming together as a team and as a family.

West Chester East responded nearly a minute later when Viking running back Jordan Jackson scored a 22 yard touchdown. Later in the second quarter, Amanto was tackled in the end zone for a safety.

West Chester East did take the lead in the beginning of the third quarter with a touchdown pass from Jon Jon Roberts to wide receiver Alex Corialos. Avon Grove did score another touchdown with an unsuccessful two-point conversion attempt to retake the lead 27-23. Later in the third quarter, Tanner Peck once again threw another touchdown pass to Tripp Moran.

The fourth quarter started off with an interception by Ryan Amanto that started the drive that led to a rushing touchdown by senior Brandon Smethurst. Sophomore Kyle Harris recorded an interception midway through the fourth quarter. West Chester East did score a 13 yard touchdown with 0:43 left on the clock.

“Offensive line was doing fantastic. Getting our blocks, Tanner (Peck) had plenty of time the pocket,” Junior Drew Saienni commented on the offensive line’s performance. Whenever there was a mistake, we corrected it and came back the next play.”

“I like to say that I rallied the team and I get everyone pumped. I can’t do it without everyone else.” Peck commented about his influence on the team. “Our line did great tonight and our running backs ran well. Receivers ran good routes and I just put the ball there.”

“Yes, a lot. Tanner’s leading the team as a captain and he is one of the leaders of the team. Saienni commented on Peck’s leadership role.

The whole team stood out in the victory against West Chester East. Amanto did say that if the defense sticks to their keys, they could be one of the best defenses in the Ches-Mont League.

“It all comes down to sticking with your keys and being mentally prepared. We were mentally prepared for most of today.” Amanto commented on the defensive performance.

With the victory against West Chester East, Avon Grove is now 1-5. The remaining schedule consists of one more home game against Downingtown West while finishing the season on the road against Delaware powerhouse Salesianum, West Chester Henderson and Coatesville plus Haverford Township.

Progress shows how much a sports team has learned in between games. In football, teams have at least one week to make progress in practice. With that tight practice schedule, it motivates them to get better and to show progress on the gridiron.

Avon Grove lost 27-8 to Unionville despite progress being made on the playing field. The improvement of the passing game stood out tonight as junior quarterback Tanner Peck was connecting with his receivers.

“I saw improvement everywhere,” said Avon Grove head coach Doug Langley. “They just came out and played hard and that’s what we need out of them.”

“I felt really good,” Peck said. “The line did a really good job and they’re a big team. Our line did great and they blocked. I could not have done it without them.”

Peck’s passing accuracy showed drastic progress. He took his time in the pocket according to Senior Tripp Moran. He threw the ball to senior wide receiver Ryan Amanto for a 17 yard gain in the third quarter. Later on in the drive, Peck threw a 45 yard touchdown pass to senior Cody Davis.

Peck was also involved in a lateral trick play that resulted in a two point conversion after the 45 yard touchdown pass. Junior Austen Radecki was the holder who gave Peck the ball on a lateral. Peck then threw it to senior Stone Harrison in the end zone. Peck also completed passes to senior wide receiver Jared Braxton and Junior wide receiver John D’Aquanno.

“Tanner really stepped up tonight,” said junior lineman Drew Saienni. “He did his job, he did his reads right and he moved the ball.”

“All over the field,” said senior Tripp Moran. “We saw it really in our hurry up offense. Our quarterback (Peck) as you can tell is having one of his highlight games tonight. It was really impressive.”

Tanner’s success from tonight mostly came from his accuracy. He says that he had his form right and his receivers ran the right routes. He also said that he has chemistry with all of his receivers.

Late in the third quarter, senior Cody Davis recovered a fumble. He ran to the end zone unscathed but the referees called it back because they ruled the Unionville player down, and the ball was blown dead.

“Horrible call,” said Avon Grove head coach Doug Langley. “There was a huge momentum boost for us and it got taken away from us.”

“You win some and you lose some,” Moran said. “That was the play that didn’t go our way. You know, teams have that but we have to deal with it.”

Once again, the Red Devil defense showed progress especially on the defensive line.

“We played really tough,” Moran said. We played play in and play out. It was really impressive but their (Unionville’s) offensive line year in and year out is really outstanding.”

“We did all right,” Saienni said. “We got to step it up a little more on the offensive line, we stepped up a lot today.”

Senior Stone Harrison contributed to the defensive effort with two interceptions. Senior Brandon Smethurst recovered two fumbles in the third quarter. Senior Ryan Amanto almost had an interception in the end zone but he deflected the ball away from Unionville wide receiver Patch Johnson.

The progression of morale and attitude was also shown tonight. “Absolutely. We were much more positive tonight,” Peck said. “We showed what type of team we can be, now teams have to look out for us that’s for sure.”

“We changed our attitude in the second half and came out hungry so we got the game going.” Saienni reflected.

“The morale, day in day out is amazing by these guys. We can come out and get beat by 50 points but never see any of these guys let up.”

Moran also stated that the team’s attitude improved as well. He says that if something is not working in the first quarter, the team expects it to be working in the second quarter.

“Our attitude needs to get better day in and day out, and in every play in the game.” He said.

Time is a precious thing and it’s essential in our daily lives. Time gives us the ability to make our goals in life a reality. Time also allows things to develop and to learn how they work. In football, time is needed to learn the coach’s styles of offense and defense. Chemistry between the quarterback and the receivers/running backs are also developed with time. Defensive schemes are also improved as time goes on. Time is the key ingredient for a team to become a playoff caliber team.

Avon Grove lost 33-7 to the Oxford Hornets on Friday night. Scoring for the Hornets began with an 89 yard kickoff return by senior Colton Turns. The field goal attempt however was blocked by Avon Grove Senior Cody Davis.

Avon Grove surprised many by passing on the first play of scrimmage instead of running. Later in the drive, quarterback Tanner Peck was intercepted by Oxford tight end and linebacker Eric Bentz. Eventually, this Oxford possession resulted in a six yard touchdown by wide receiver Collin Dawkins.

Right after the start of the second quarter, Avon Grove received a morale boost from an interception caught by linebacker Brandon Smethurst.

“Smethurst. He ended up really kind of sealing the edge and forcing a lot of things inside. So he was a big plus,” said Avon Grove defensive coordinator David Lightcap.

“Tonight, we really didn’t have any standout players. We like to look at it as a full team effort but if I could say anyone, Brandon Smethurst and Jared Braxton with two defensive interceptions.” said senior Tripp Moran.

Smethurst also recorded a tackle on running back Joey Lopez in the second quarter and a sack late in the fourth quarter. Senior defensive back Jared Braxton’s interception came early in the fourth quarter.

Coach Lightcap also said that defensive improvement occurred tonight.

“Reality is that last week, we were lining up wrong. We were doing a lot of the little things wrong. So in this game we actually improvedall over. We switched a couple techniques up and they ended up actually being one of the bright spots of the game.”

A key defensive improvement that Coach Lightcap mentioned was the tackling of the secondary. He says it’s a long process and each week, they try to get better as the season goes on.

“Tackling is the biggest thing and that’s not what we were doing.”

Oxford however scored on a 37 yard touchdown by running back Musty Mahmud with a successful two-point conversion to expand Oxford’s lead to 20-7 in the second quarter. Nearly a minute later, Mahmud scored again with a 17 yard touchdown that gave Oxford a 26-7 lead. In the fourth quarter, Colton Turns scored the winning 41 yard touchdown for Oxford with nearly five minutes left to play.

Avon Grove’s only touchdown came in the first quarter with a five yard run by junior running back Andrey Green. Quarterback Tanner Peck started the game but was pulled with nearly five minutes left in the fourth quarter. Despite throwing incomplete passes and costly interceptions, he did manage to find senior wide receiver Stone Harrison to give Avon Grove offensive yardage. Harrison’s biggest gain for Avon Grove’s offense was a 31 yard reception in the third quarter. Some of his catches even had him jumping high in the air like a dolphin jumping out of the ocean in order to catch the ball.

“We improved in aspects,” said wide receiver Ryan Amanto. “I mean it’s a team and we need to start playing as a team and better as a team. It all comes down to being a team.”

Junior lineman Drew Saienni said that the offensive line improved from last week but believes the offensive lineman could have done better in the second half.

The health of Peck is key to Avon Grove’s offense.”We got to get Tanner healthy,” said Avon Grove head coach Doug Langley. “He’s not completely healthy so I think that’s the issue right now. He’s doing a good job and learning. He’s making the right reads. Once we get him completely healthy, he’ll be doing a good job.”