Above: Avenger defense takes down Pilgrim’s Justyn Murphy (3). Photo by Mary Macintosh 

First home game of the season

EG’s football team hosted Pilgrim this past Friday night in a non-league opener to the 2023 football season. Despite the high temps and humidity, fans came out in support of both teams. Drive after drive, each team would push towards the goal line only to come up short resulting in more than 15 turnovers on downs and punts. There were a few high points for the Avengers, including an interception by Ryan Sheeran (#5), but they were outweighed by errors and challenges with closing the deal throughout the game.

With just a few minutes on the clock in the 4th quarter, the Avengers were forced to punt from within their own end zone.  A high snap and unfortunate bounce back resulted in turning over the ball to the Patriots at the Avengers 12-yard line.  Pilgrim was finally able to make something happen with a quarterback keeper by Chace Roberts (#10) putting the first points of the game on the board.  The Avenger defense was able to stop the Patriot’s 2-point conversion attempt but were not able to mount a response before the final whistle resulting in a 0-6 loss for the Avengers.

After the game, Coach John George shared that the team had four unforced errors and that wasn’t going get them the win.  He noted that the Avenger defense played well, but offense was under the gun the entire second half particularly inside their own red zone.  Moving forward, Coach George feels that the team needs to leverage its strong line, eliminate unforced errors, and make plays in the end zone. 

The EG varsity team is traveling to Cumberland High School this Friday, Sept. 15, with a 7 p.m. kickoff in a league game. Fans are encouraged to come out to Tucker Field to support the Avengers, who are likely facing a worthy opponent in the Clippers who are coming in hot after their recent 26-14 win against Somerset.

Avengers successfully defend against 2-point conversion. Photo by Mary MacIntosh

Returning varsity quarterback Alex DeTomasis (8). Photo by Mary MacIntosh

Avenger Ryan Sheeran (5) disrupts Patriot pass attempt. Photo by Mary MacIntosh

Winslow Klika (61) looks to buy time for QB Alex DeTomasis (8). Photo by Mary MacIntosh

EG running back Carlos Gallegos (24). Photo by Mary MacIntosh

Roman Prosseda (7) looks to block Patriot pass. Photo by Mary MacIntosh