Pickin' Splinters

Rochester's Independent Sports Source

Avon rolls to 6-0 start

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Wes Farley rushed for 169 yards and three touchdowns on 16 carries as Avon defeated Geneseo/Mount Morris, 41-6, Friday night October 11th, 2024. (Photo: STEVEN TWARDZIK)

By PAUL GOTHAM

AVON, N.Y. — Nearly nine miles separate Avon High School from Livingston County foe, Geneseo.

The Riverhawks of Avon left no doubt Friday night in laying claim to that stretch of mostly two-lane roads.

Kal Dolgos and Wes Farley scored three touchdowns apiece as host Avon cruised to a 41-8 victory over Geneseo/Mount Morris.

“It’s always great to beat Geneseo,” Farley said. “That’s our road now, baby. Route 39 is our road.”

Farley capped a 7-play, 80-yard drive with a 24-yard scamper to give Avon a 14-0 lead with 7:43 remaining in the second quarter. The senior running back then took the opening kickoff of the second half and returned it to the Geneseo 20. Five plays later, he found paydirt again for a commanding 34-0 lead.

“It was really our O-line,” he said. “Our O-line got it done upfront. I don’t know how to explain it, but the O-line did its job.”

Avon was at its best on that 80-yard drive early in the second quarter.

After recovering a fumble, Geneseo/Mount Morris quarterback Reece Byrnes connected with Troy Johnson on a 36-yard pass play to set up the Blue Devils inside the Avon five-yard line.

Three plays later, sophomore defensive back Elijah Rex intercepted a pass in the end zone.

“As soon as that happened, it was pedal to the metal,” Dolgos said. “We didn’t slow down. We just kept going. That pick and that drive set us up for the rest of the game.”

After facing a third-and-six from their own 24, the Riverhawks ripped off first downs on the next three plays before Farley found the end zone.

The drive was characteristic of Avon’s approach for the night: seven plays with six coming on the ground.

“Our O-line gets it done up there,” Dolgos said. “Every play, 110 percent then me and Wes run, run, run as hard as possible every single play.”

Kal Dolgos finished with 106 yards and three touchdowns on 13 rushes while completing 4-of-7 passes for 76 yards. (Photo: STEVEN TWARDZIK)

The one pass play on the drive, Dolgos hit Rex on 26-yard play to set up the Riverhawks on the Geneseo/Mount Morris 24.

“You get that challenge and how do you respond?,” said Avon head coach Andy Englert who credited assistans Justin Dueppengiesser and Mike McGough with implementing a successful game plan. “That interception was huge. We just starting finding our gear once we did that. The kids responded and we were able to go.”

Of Avon’s first 39 plays of the game, 32 came on the ground. They finished the night with 281 rushing yards and 56 through the air.

Farley rushed for 169 yards on 16 carries. He capped his night with a 72-yard jaunt for a score. Dolgos had 106 yards on 13 rushes to go with 4-of-7 passing for 76 yards.

“What those two do is unreal,” said senior offensive lineman Connor Smith. “It’s really fun to watch. They just take off. It makes our job so easy. We dominate the line of scrimmage, get to the linebackers and from there they just make plays.”

Rex made three catches for 56 yards.

Bobby Bridges led the defense with 10 tackles. Jordan Murray and Travis Hollada accounted for eight and seven tackles respectively.

Winless in 2023, Geneseo/Mount Morris (4-2) opened this season with four wins. The Blue Devils currently would be the No. 4 seed in Class D if sectionals opened today.

“Geneseo is a good team,” Englert said. “They got some good athletes. Their line is big. It showed early in the game. That’s the thing with Class D. It’s tough football. It’s small-town football. It’s nice when you’re right down the road, and you’re battling like that.”

Avon (6-0) holds the top spot in Class D. It’s been three years since Avon last claimed a sectional title. That one came in 2021 when high school football moved its season to the spring due to Covid-19.

“We’re chasing that block,” Hollada said. “We want it. We’re working. We’re eating. We’re playing our football.”

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