Ava wins the battle of the Bears

Changing leaves and mild autumn weather made for a picture-perfect drive for the fans who traveled to Douglas County Thursday night for the Bear-to-Bear clash on the gridiron.

 

The Bears from Howell County knew they were going to have a battle on their hands from the get-go.  Traditionally a powerhouse in the SCA, the Ava Bears were looking to improve on their 6-2 record and solidify an advantageous position in the Class 2 District 4 standings.

 

Willow’s first possession ended with a punting situation, and it only took two plays for Ava to score on a 75-yard run by the quarterback, Aiden Lane.  Willow Springs got a good return by John Baugh followed by a deep sideline launch from Jace Rodgers to Caden Lee.  Rodgers tacked on an 8-yard run which set up a touchdown pass to Kayden Woolsey.  And the WS Bears were on the board.

 

A two-point conversion pass to James Dean tied the game score at 8-8.  On the next possession, Ava fumbled the ball and it was recovered by Willow’s Elijah Roberts.  The Willow Bears’ defense showed up to play and impressive stops by Gavin Glenn, Evan Owens, Brody Schmedeke, John Jones, and Isaac Murphy kept Ava away from the goal line for the rest of the first quarter.

 

The Ava Bears managed to get to the end zone three times in the second quarter, but it was not without some bright spots for the WS Bears.  The defense kept bringing it from Woolsey, Jones, Schmedeke, the Smith Brothers, Everett and Asher, and a tremendous defensive night for Gavin Glenn.  Briston Ortega punted the ball extremely well with and against the wind which seems to perpetually blow at the stadium at Ava.  The half ended with a score of 28-8, Ava.

 

In the third quarter, things began to unravel for Willow.  A couple of mishandled kick returns set up additional scores by Ava, and frustration began to mount for the WS Bears.  Emotions ran high, tempers flared, and things began to get chippy out on the field.  Ava scored 20 points in the third quarter and tacked on another touchdown in the beginning minutes of the fourth.  Both teams worked in some younger players, the turbo clock ran, and the game ended with a score of 54-8, Ava Bears.

 

This game marked the end of the regular season, but district play will begin on Friday night. The Willow Springs Bears will travel to Fair Grove to face the #1 seed in the district and the team sitting atop the Class 2 state rankings, the 9-0 Fair Grove Eagles.