Josh Hartman | Sports Editor

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The football squad is coming off of a 39-28 loss that occurred last Friday September 5 vs Hamilton Southeastern. Our 1-2 Orioles came into week four of the season hungry for a win. And what better team to do that against than 3-0 rival Brownsburg Bulldogs. The rematch from last year’s nail biter in the playoffs went down Friday September 12 at C.F. Roark Stadium in Brownsburg, leading Avon’s season to go from bad to even worse within the span of a few hours.

Avon and Brownsburg both scored seven points to start the game. Avon suffered from their second safety in two weeks as a blocked punt trickled into the back of the endzone making it 9-7 in favor of the Bulldogs. Brownsburg came out firing in quarter number two as they added another ten points and made the score 19-7 late in the quarter. A pass from senior quarterback Henry Hesson to senior wide receiver Carmelo Mitchell made the game 19-14, after senior Sam Miller tallied on the extra point. The Orioles had the momentum going into the locker room at halftime and received the ball to start the third. On that first drive to start the second half, Avon fumbled the ball and gave it back to the Bulldogs who had great field position. They would go onto score just a few plays later making the score 26-14 early in the third. The Orioles tried to mount a comeback a few more times but could not find a way to get the lead. After a chippy, competitive second half, Brownsburg walked away with a 47-29 win vs our Orioles.

As for what Avon needs to work on? It starts with discipline. The Orioles had multiple penalties again tonight, including several personal fouls. To win against a talented team like Brownsburg, you have to keep your composure. The wide receiving core also has to be stronger. The wide receivers we have at Avon are very talented and need to use that to their strength. The team cannot afford them dropping multiple passes per game. Lastly, the defense has to stop the passing game. Senior receivers Preston Terrell and Luke Lacey were all over the field for Brownsburg and our secondary could not stop them.

Our wounded 1-3 Orioles will travel to Franklin Central next Friday, September 19 as they attempt to capture their second win of the season vs the Flashes, who are coming off a 27-0 loss to Zionsville. Kickoff is at 7:00.