Two teams were on the hunt for playoff glory, but only The Ava Bears walked away with it. They breezed by Eldon at home to the tune of 72-36. The win was just business as usual for Ava, who after ten games remain undefeated this season.
Rylin Dickson continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, rushing for 188 yards and five touchdowns on only eight carries, while also picking up 32 receiving yards. Dickson was no stranger to the big play, turning on the jets for a run that went for 69 yards. Another player making a difference was Aiden Lane, who threw for 51 yards and two touchdowns on only four passes.
Another reason for the win was Ava's imposing defensive line, which managed to get into the backfield for eight sacks. The heavy lifting was done by Leroy Horinek and Logan Churchill who racked up six sacks between them.
Eldon's lost on Friday despite a true team effort on the offense, the best among them being Hunter Hees, who threw for 398 yards and three touchdowns, and also punched in a touchdown on the ground. Hees is on a roll when it comes to passing touchdowns, as he's now passed for three or more in the last four games he's played. Zachary Smithson was another key contributor, gaining 145 total yards and three touchdowns.
Ava's win was their sixth straight at home , which pushed their record up to 10-0. That said, the team wasn't facing the toughest opposition over that stretch, as it included 1-9 Salem and 3-8 Eldon (their opponents had an average overall winning percentage of 40.1% over those games). As for Eldon, they have been struggling recently, as they've lost seven of their last eight matches, which put a noticeable dent in their 3-8 record this season.
Ava will square off against Mountain Grove at TBD on Friday. Mountain Grove will be hoping to continue their three-game streak of scoring more points each contest than the last. Eldon does not have any more games scheduled as of now.
