Howdy,

There's no secret as to what Avon High School is going to do on offense. It's going to have Colin Moore run. A lot.

Stopping Moore, or getting a hand on him, is another matter. The Coventry/Windham Tech/Bolton co-op found that out firsthand last Saturday. The senior running back ran 25 times for a school-record 293 yards and four touchdowns as the Falcons won, 35-15.

"He's the whole package," Avon coach Brett Quinion said. "I've coached guys with linear speed who were very fast and quick, but I've never coached anyone that's as tough as he is, as well as has quickness, balance and speed."

Moore ran 302 times last season for 2,206 yards. It ranks 16th all-time for the most single-season rushing yards in state history, according to the Connecticut High School Football Record Book.

Avon (2-0) ran 38 offensive plays Saturday, so Moore was responsible for almost 66-percent of the offense. He also took the direct snap on many plays.

"We run a lot of motion and stuff that defenses key on," Moore said. "We really get a lot of different looks, and our offensive line are horses. They give it all they've got on every play. I cannot say enough for what they do for me."

Left tackle Chappy Wingo (6-foot-4, 275 pounds), left guard Nick Rowe (6-3, 230), center Dan Rodrigues (5-11, 210), right guard Nick Taylor (6-3, 250), right tackle Ryan Rogers (5-11, 235) and tight end Stephen Griffin (5-11, 190) make up the Falcons offensive line.

Avon's défense also did its part in the win as it had a shutout through three quarters. The Patriots run the triple option, a difficult offense to prepare for, but their first team was held to 3.1 yards a carry.

"We spent the whole week on defense," Quinion said "We short-changed our offense in practice working on the D. We dissected every play of the option, every blocking scheme."

Linemen Luke Jalbert, Brett Polinsky (6-1, 280), Griffin and Rowe each had strong showings.

Junior Jimmy Murphy, a 5-6 outside linebacker, also put on a show as he seemed to be in on every play.

"He's amazing," Quinion said. "He's a 150-pound fireball. His motor is incredible. I've never seen anyone that has a motor like him. … To have him on the flanks is terrific."

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Here are YOUR games of the week:

Derby (2-0, 0-0 NVL Brass) at No. 2 Ansonia (2-0, 0-0), today, 6:30 p.m.: The two Valley neighbors tangle for the 90th time.

Cheshire (2-0, 0-0 SCC D-I East) at Hand (2-0, 0-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Man, the SCC D-I East is brutal.

Fairfield Prep (2-0, 0-0 SCC D-I West) at No. 1 Xavier (2-0, 0-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Prep has won both its games 47-0. That ain't happening this week.

Hillhouse (1-1, 0-0 SCC D-II West) at Branford (1-1, 0-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: It's been a bad couple of days for Hillhouse. Last Friday, it lost last Friday to No. 3 Hand. Tuesday, head coach Tom Dyer was given a two-day suspension without pay for his role in the school's grade-tampering scandal. So, yeah, the Academics have some frustration to work off. Branford shouldn't be in a much better mood. It turned it over at the Cheshire 14, 30 and 34 in last Friday's 20-0 home loss.

Manchester (2-0) at Simsbury (2-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: Both already have a "WE'RE FOR REAL" win. Manchester beat Class LL quarterfinalist Hall in Week 1, 34-21. The Trojans blanked Class LL quarterfinalist Conard last Saturday, 21-0.

No. 6 West Haven (2-0, 0-0 SCC D-I East) at Notre Dame-West Haven (1-1, 0-0), Friday, 7 p.m.: The battle for West Haven supremacy. It's also the state's fiercest football rivalry.

Fitch (2-0, 1-0 ECC Large) at Norwich Free Academy (2-0, 1-0), Saturday, 1 p.m.: NFA's starters haven't played much after thrashing two struggling programs. Now it's playing Fitch and Ledyard in back-to-back weeks. Neat.

St. Joseph (1-1, 1-0 FCIAC East) at Darien (2-0, 1-0), Saturday, 1:30 p.m.: St. Joseph is better than its record shows, having given No. 3 Staples fits in Week 1. On paper, Darien looks like an FCIAC title contender.

Vaya con dios….