By LIAM HOFFMANN
The first and second-seeded teams in the Class D playoffs have advanced to the very end – No. 1 Avon and No. 2 Alexander will square off at Rush-Henrietta this Saturday, Nov. 16th at 3 P.M in the Section V Football Finals. Alexander’s only regular season loss came at home with the River Hawks in town back on Sept. 27th. Here’s everything you need to know:
No. 1 seed AVON RIVER HAWKS (10-0, 9-0 in class play)
vs.
No. 2 seed ALEXANDER TROJANS (9-1, 8-1 in class play)
How they arrived here: Avon has scored 94 points and allowed only three across two sectional wins. They beat No. 8 Notre Dame Batavia/Byron-Bergen (63-0) in the quarterfinals before downing No. 5 Canisteo-Greenwood (31-3) in the semis. Alexander began their run by beating No. 7 Attica (30-14) before a tight victory atop No. 3 Oakfield-Alabama/Elba (14-7).
Players to watch for Avon: Wes Farley Sr. RB/MLB 152 carries, 1,392yards, 9.2 yards per rush, 21 rushing touchdowns, 10 receptions, 93 receiving yards, 47 solo tackles, 76 total tackles; Kalman Dolgos Jr. WR/SS 101 carries, 1,215 yards, 12.0 yards per rush, 29 scrimmage touchdowns, eight receptions, 96 receiving yards, 381 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 20 solo tackles, 32 total tackles; Jordan Murray Sr. WR/CB 45 carries, 322 yards, 7.2 yards per rush, four rushing touchdowns, 32 solo tackles, 42 total tackles, four interceptions; James Chase Fr. RB/LB 12 rushes, 158 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns; Emmanuel Calderon Diaz Sr. WR/OLB six receptions, 132 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, 16 solo tackles, 29 total tackles; Blaydan Borsching Jr. RB/LB 14 receptions, 202 receiving yards, one receiving touchdown, 33 solo tackles, 54 total tackles, one tackle for loss; Travis Hollada Sr. OG/DE 62 solo tackles, 96 total tackles, seven sacks, five tackles for loss; Ryan Davis Sr. OG/DT 40 solo tackles, 68 total tackles, 4.5 sacks; Robert Bridges Jr. WR/FS 32 solo tackles, 54 total tackles; Connor Smith Sr. OT/DE 26 solo tackles, 46 total tackles, three sacks; Brice Ballew Jr. WR/CB 19 solo tackles, 24 total tackles, three interceptions.
*Player stats have been updated since original publishing.
Alexander: Ryder Reichert So. RB/LB 640 rushing yards, seven rushing touchdowns; Brody Heckman Jr. QB/S 346 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns; Damien Hale Sr. TE/LB 355 rushing yards, five rushing touchdowns, 39 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, three fumble recoveries, one interception; Kaden Torres Jr. WR/LB 254 rushing yards, four scrimmage touchdowns; Mason Snyder Jr. WR/DB 12 receptions, 245 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns, 36 tackles, five interceptions, three sacks; Jacob Brooks Sr. WR/DB eight receptions, 60 receiving yards, two receiving touchdowns; Dylan Pohl Sr. RT/DE 27 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, eight sacks; Jacob Smith Jr. LT; Sean Pietrzkowski So. FB/MLB 54 tackles, 12 tackles for loss, two sacks.
Coaches: Andy Englert (Avon), Tim Sawyer (Alexander)
Last meeting: The River Hawks’ Sept. 27th win atop the Trojans was 0-0 with a quarter gone before Avon scored 20 points in the second en route to the 41-14 victory. Dolgos accounted for six total touchdowns – five rushing – throwing for 165 yards and running for 178.
History 101: Avon last took the Class D sectional title in the Spring of 2021 to cap off a COVID-19-affected season. Prior, the River Hawks won four Class DD championships in seven seasons from 2008-2014. They also claimed a pair of Class B championship wins in the 1980s (1983, 1986). Alexander wore the Class D crown in 2016 and 2018 for its only Section V championships.
What’s next: The winner will advance to face Section VI’s Class D champion, either Clymer-Sherman-Panama or Franklinville/Ellicottville on Nov. 22nd in the Class D Far West Regional Championships.
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