By Jeff Hodge
Contributing Writer
AVON – It’s sectional time in Indiana, and anything can happen on a given Friday night. Allow me to show you Exhibit A …
Class 5A No. 12 Ben Davis looked liked it would cruise to an easy victory over host Avon by building an early 17-0 lead. But the Orioles roared back from a 24-14 fourth-quarter deficit with two touchdowns to shock the Giants, 28-24, in a Sectional 6 opening-round game Oct. 23.
After settling for a 21-yard field goal on their opening drive, the Giants pooch-kicked into a stiff wind. Avon could not handle the short kick, and BD recovered in Oriole territory.
Senior Phillip Dudley took a pitch-out around the left end and pulled up for a pass to junior Jordan Cole for a 40-yard touchdown, and BD was up 10-0 after the PAT after a seven-second drive.
The following kickoff was mishandled again by the Orioles, setting up the Giants at Avon’s 31. Just as it looked like Avon might stop BD on 4th and 4 from the 25, however, Dudley broke through several tackles and onto another touchdown.
That made it 17-0 with 2:07 to play in the opening quarter, and Avon had yet to run an offensive play.
Once the Orioles did get their offense off the bench, they were able to move downfield and cut the lead to 17-7 before the quarter ended as senior Taje High scored from 30 yards out on a sweep.
On BD’s next possession, the Giants managed a -24 yards and were forced to punt. It appeared as if Avon had arrived for the game when, taking over at the BD 44, it took only four plays to close the gap to 17-14 when senior quarterback Samuel Wulle found a streaking Domonique Blackmon for a 29-yard TD.
The halftime score: BD 17, Avon 14.
In the third quarter, Ben Davis opened its lead to 24-14 after an 11-play drive that consumed 4:18 and culminated in a six-yard TD run by Dudley. It looked like BD was going to advance to the next round of the playoffs heading into the final period with a 10-point lead and a now-stifling D.
Nope. Avon scored on its next possession, going 68 yards in 2:27 aided by a personal-foul call against the Giants on a 15-yard pass play. Junior Darren Oliver took a dive up the middle one yard for a score, and suddenly it was 24-21 with 9:23 remaining.
The Oriole defense came alive and stuffed the Giants on their next possession, forcing BD to punt from its own 19 into a stiff wind. Setting up at the 48 with 7:21 to play, the Orioles scored on the eighth play on a nine-yard run by Blackmon to take a 28-24 lead with 5:02 to play.
Ben Davis had one last-gasp effort with 1:20 to go. Taking over at their own 14 and with no timeouts remaining, the Giants ran a halfback pass play with Dudley into the strong wind. The ball hung in the air as Blackmon – Avon’s Mr. Everywhere – hauled in the pass to seal the victory.
Avon, which finished tied with Harrison (West Lafayette) for sixth place in the Hoosier Crossroads Conference, improves to 4-6 with the win. Next up for the Orioles is their Oct. 30 sectional semifinal at 5A No. 8 Pike, a 31-15 winner at Terre Haute North. The Red Devils (9-1) have won eight in a row and captured their second Conference Indiana crown in three years by three full games over three other schools.
Ben Davis, which finished tied with defending 5A state champion Center Grove for third place in the Metropolitan Interscholastic Conference, ends its season at 5-5. The loss capped off a devastatingly disappointing season for the Giants, who started the season at No. 2 in the 5A coaches’ poll.
Sectional 6
Brownsburg 65, Indianapolis Tech 0
#14 Zionsville 17, Terre Haute South 14
Avon 28, #12 Ben Davis 24
#8 Pike 31, Terre Haute North 15
The box score:
Ben Davis 17 0 7 0 – 24
Avon 7 7 0 14 – 28
BD – Esteban Cortez 22 FG
BD – Jordan Cole 34 pass from Phillip Dudley (Cortez kick)
BD – Dudley 25 run (Cortez kick)
A – Taje High 30 run (Trevor Schmidt kick)
A – Domonique Blackmon 29 pass from Sam Wulle (Schmidt kick)
BD – Dudley 6 run (Cortez kick)
A – Darren Oliver 1 run (Schmidt kick)
A – Blackmon 9 run (Schmidt kick)
BD Avon
First Downs 11 10
Rushes-Yards 43-157 39-147
Passing Yards 86 109
Comp-Att-Int 6-13-1 5-5-0
Fumbles-Lost 2-0 2-2
Penalties-Yards 10-95 7-34
Rushing
Ben Davis: Dudley 22-94, Donte Asher 14-40, William Barksdale 5-16, Bryce Turner 2-7
Avon: Blackmon 14-73, High 7-48, Oliver 10-31, Wulle 6-[-1], Team 2-[-4]
Passing
Ben Davis: Barksdale 5-11-0 52, Dudley 1-2-1 34
Avon: Wulle 5-5-0 109
Receiving
Ben Davis: Cole 3-52, Turner 2-18, Tiyrai Fuller 1-16
Avon: Kendall Griffin 3-60, Blackmon 1-29, Lance Magee 1-20
