Ava senior Brett Lambert carried 18 times for 189 yards last Friday night – and five touchdowns – as the Ava Bears ran away with a big SCA Homecoming victory over Houston, 46-0.
Those statistics become even more impressive in the fact that Lambert did not see action in the second half of the game.
Ava held a 32-0 lead at the half, and expanded the lead to 39-0 when sophomore Kyle Clinkingbeard scored on a 1-yard run at 9:09 in the third period. Senior Brock Mitchell, who was awarded the Homecoming King title at halftime, was 4-for-7 on extra point attempts.
Playing with a running clock in the second half, Ava would drive its final nail at 7:28 in the fourth quarter when sophomore quarterback Dexter Fish passed to classmate Jesse Johnson for a 5-yard touchdown, and Mitchell added the point-after.
Fish’s touchdown pass was Ava’s only aerial of the game.
Senior Charles Bruton took defensive honors for the Bears with 10 tackles on the night.
Crowned Homecoming Queen during the halftime coronation ceremony was senior Abby Dean.
Attendants to the king and queen were Pete Leonard, Garrett Baird, Emily Petty and Nicole Rieken.
The Bears, who scored every time they had the ball Friday night, set the pace of the game by scoring on the first play from scrimmage.
Houston took the opening kickoff and ran three plays and punted. Dalton Allen returned the punt to the Houston 46-yard line, and on the first play, Lambert found a big hole and ran the distance.
Mitchell’s kick was wide left but the Bears were on the board 6-0.
Baird intercepted a Houston pass on the Tigers’ next possession, and with 4:57 left in the first quarter Lambert scored from six yards out to give the Bears a 12-0 lead.
The snap from center was fumbled on the PAT attempt, and holder Baird recovered to complete a pass to Taylor Coonts who was stopped short of the goal line.
Lambert scored on a 1-yard run at 10:10 in the second period, and Mitchell’s kick found its mark to put the Bears up 19-0. The Ava lead was expanded to 26-0 at 7:23 in the third quarter on a 40-yard run by Lambert and Mitchell’s point-after.
Ava’s final score of the first half, and Lambert’s final of the night, came with 1:19 left when he scored from six yards out.
This week the Bears have the first of four consecutive road trips as they travel to Thayer to face the 3-1 Bobcats.
Thayer is coming off a win last week over Cave City, Ark. Their only loss was the SCA rival Mtn. View-Liberty.
The Bobcats have also defeated Salem and Willow Springs this season.
The Bears will be looking at a very good Thayer team this week. In fact, Coach Dan Swofford says he is surprised they are not state ranked.
Swofford says Thayer runs the ball very well, and is very similar to Ava in that respect.
They have a very experienced team, including some who have “played in the Dome,” Swofford says. In 2008 and 2007 the Bobcats took second in state in Class 1, losing both times to Orrick. The 2008 loss was in double overtime.
