Eagles Swamp Swedes in Rain-Shortened Contest

LINDSBORG, Kan. – Avila football was well on its way to another landslide win over the Bethany Swedes on Saturday night when the game was suspended and ultimate called off early due to weather. The game will be marked as final where it was suspended, and will go officially go down in the record books as a 21-0 victory for Avila (3-0, 3-0 KCAC) over Bethany (0-3, 0-3 KCAC).

The Eagles amassed a 21-0 lead after a quarter of competition while once again excelling in all phases of the game Saturday. Bethany ran one play in the second quarter before the game was suspended with 14:18 showing on the clock. The official reason for the suspension was imminent weather, and that forecast certainly proved accurate: heavy rain arrived in that region of central Kansas shortly afterwards, forcing both teams back inside and fans and staff to shelter in vehicles and campus buildings.

The contest remained in a state of unofficial limbo for close to four hours before, with the storm showing no signs of stopping, the two schools ultimately decided to formally end the game then and there. While the severity of the storm and the condition of the playing surface were chief concerns, other factors included travel distance, referee availability, and the difficulty of playing on a short week if the game were to be resumed on Monday, for instance. All those factors led to the decision to end the game with a 21-0 victory for the Eagles.

But in those 16 minutes of game action, Avila football put on a show about as entertaining as was expected given the matchup. Former All-KCAC kick returner Melvin Reid continued his early season excellence by returning the game's opening kickoff 47 yards across midfield to the Bethany 43 yard line. Seven plays later, Reid snuck through the Swedes' defense down the right sideline and Eli Williams lofted a 15-yard pass right to him, putting Avila on the board 4:31 into the game.

Bethany got one first down on its next drive before the Eagle defense forced a punt that Zeke Mumford placed at Avila's 2 yard line. Two plays later, on third and two, Avila's offensive line opened up a massive hole for Williams to push through on a designed quarterback run. He broke that run into the second level and down the right sideline, outracing two Bethany defenders to the house for a 90-yard score, the biggest play of Avila's season so far.

Soon after, though, the defense nearly matched Williams' exploits. After the Swedes picked up a first down through the air to get into Eagle territory, linebacker Nikolas Furlow stood up running back J.J. Allen for a loss on first down. But he wasn't done. On the next play Bethany quarterback Alec Giragosian was pressured immediately and was thrown down by a blitzing Eagle, and his pass was tipped by another Eagle before the ball fell right into Furlow's waiting arms. With a convoy of Eagles escorting him, he waltzed 77 yards down the left sideline for Avila's third touchdown of the day. Kaivon Mortazavi made his third PAT after a Bethany penalty, expanding the lead to 21-0.

The Eagles certainly didn't think that would be the end of their offensive output on the night, but five plays into Bethany's drive, and one play into the second quarter, that end arrived much sooner than either team anticipated. But still, with safety being the paramount concern for all involved, especially for the Eagles in their drive back to Kansas City, the contest was ultimately called off, resulting in a 21-0 win for Avila.

It was unconventional to be sure, but it still will go down as a win for the Eagles, who are now 3-0 to start the 2022 season. But now, things get serious: for the second straight season, Avila football now will enter its gauntlet of a midseason schedule that will see the Eagles face off with the three KCAC teams ranked in the preseason NAIA Top 25 all in the span of the next four weeks. That stretch starts this coming Saturday, September 24, when Avila travels to face #6 Southwestern, in a game currently slated to kick off at 6 PM. As always, you can watch all the action live on the Avila Sports Network.