Trojans roll to 55-16 win at Avella
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California’s Jaeden Zuzak runs past the Avella Eagle mascot for one of his five touchdowns in Friday night’s game at Avella.
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California’s Damani Stafford runs far and away from Avella to score the first touchdown in Friday night’s game.
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California’s Matt Trunzo tackles Avella’s Kwondre Porter during Friday night’s game.
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California’s Nathan O’Savage runs past Avella’s Noah Markle in the second quarter of Friday night’s game.
Avella’s Noah Markle celebrates the Eagles’ first touchdown against California Friday night in a Class A Tri-County South Conference game.
Avella's Tanner Terensky catches a pass against California during Friday night's game.
AVELLA — It was supposed to be a big night for Avella.
The team was 3-0 for the first time since 2013, with its opponent also sporting an undefeated record. A win would have given the Eagles the inside track at an undefeated season and a conference championship. Even with COVID-19 regulations, the school’s band and cheerleaders still created a lively atmosphere, at least somewhat fitting the occasion.
There was one problem: California was there as well.
It turned into a big night, alright, but not for the home team. The Trojans jumped out to a 28-0 lead in the first quarter, and despite a couple of turnovers and plenty of mental mistakes, California didn’t have a ton of trouble handing Avella its first loss, 55-16, in a Class A Tri-County South Conference game.
“We came out flat,” Avella coach Ryan Cecchini said. “We just didn’t tackle well all game. If you’re going to compete with Cal, a team that runs the ball a lot, you have to be able to tackle. We just didn’t tackle tonight.”
The first play set the tone. Cal’s quarterback and featured attraction, junior Damani Stafford, took the first play from scrimmage 60 yards for a touchdown. Stafford finished the night with 126 yards and two touchdowns on 11 carries, but it was his elder teammate who stole the show.
Cal’s next drive took a little longer, but the result was the same with a different face leading the charge. Running back Jaeden Zuzak picked up 46 yards on the drive, with the last 10 coming on a touchdown that put the Trojans up by two scores. He would finish the night with video game numbers: 260 yards and five touchdowns on just 15 carries.
“He’s a very good running back,” Cecchini said. “He’s going to give anybody he plays problems. It helped that we didn’t tackle well, but I can’t say enough about his great job running the ball.”
It looked like the Eagles (3-1, 3-1) might have an answer on the ensuing drive. Things went awry, however, near the red zone. With the ball at Cal’s 25 yard line, quarterback K.J. Rush’s pass turned into a wounded duck, and California’s Kwondre Porter picked it off and returned it to the Avella 45. It was the first of two interceptions on the night for Porter, who almost had a third late in the game.
The Trojans’ offense made sure that play hurt Avella as much as possible when Zuzak scored his second touchdown of the night on a 36-yard run. This put Cal ahead by three scores, and firmly in command.
California (3-0, 3-0) dominated the first quarter, leading 28-0 and outgaining the Eagles 216-25, with all 216 yards coming on the ground. Avella never could get off the mat.
It wasn’t all easy for California. Zuzak fumbled twice, and Cal fumbled five times total, losing three of them. The Trojans gave away more than 100 yards in penalties, with 35 coming on Avella’s first scoring drive. A snap flew over punter Connor Vig’s head for a safety.
The Trojans overcame all of that, however, for what coach Ed Woods considers a statement win.
“We can be a pretty good football team once we clean all these other things up,” he said.
The Trojans’ Nathan O’Savage caught two passes for 45 yards, including a 43-yarder from Stafford for a touchdown. Vig connected on six extra points.
Noah Markle scored both touchdowns for the Eagles, ran for 33 yards on 10 carries and had two receptions for 10 yards.
Both teams have three games left, with Avella looking for a better night starting next week at Mapletown. The Trojans start their final three-game stretch at home against Jefferson-Morgan. The Tri-County South championship race looks to be down to two horses, with California and Carmichaels both remaining undefeated after Friday.
Both Woods and Cecchini feel their teams need to clean up the mental aspect of football if they are to finish the season on a high note.
“We have to clean up our mistakes and our mental errors,” Cecchini said. “We have to focus on getting better.”
“I think we beat a good football team tonight,” Woods said. “But we need to be consistent in all phases of our game.”