Ferndale Beats Avondale 23-22 for First Win of Season

With 22 seconds left in the game, and 22 points already on the scoreboard, Avondale attempted a two-point conversion to go for the win and avoid dragging the game into overtime.

Fortunately for the Ferndale Eagles varsity football team, they stopped the Yellow Jackets at the two-yard line and came away with a 23-22 win over division rival Avondale.

“We came through at the end and made some stops, and they decided to go for two and give me a heart attack,” Ferndale head coach Ryan Dunlap said.

Ferndale was trailing 3-9 at halftime, but came out in the second half with what seemed like all of the energy and momentum.

Avondale's offense moved the ball all game long, including a 70-yard drive with three minutes left in the game when they needed a touchdown most.

"There was no question we were going for two. It wasn't even a question," Avondale head coach Steve Deutsch said.

"I got a running back who is dying for air and my quarterback is exhausted, so I didn't want to go to overtime. I wanted to end it right there and just be done with it. We had our chance, and it just didn't work out," Deutsch said.

Ferndale's Aaron Davis and Earl Tilford combined to make the biggest stop of the game on Avondale’s unsuccessful two-point conversion.

“We tackled better and we covered excellent. When you play a team who can make all the throws and make all the reads like (Mitch) Robinson can, you’re really asking a lot from our coverage guys,” Dunlap said.

Ferndale's offense wasn’t clicking in the first half, but after making some halftime adjustments they came alive under the leadership of quarterback Eric Ellis. Ellis rushed for two touchdowns and passed for another.

"In the first half we held them to three points. In the second half we gave up three touchdowns," Deutsch said.

The most valuable player of the game was Elliott Oldham, the Eagles co-captain and starting wide receiver and free safety.

“Elliot really played a great game catching the ball, calling and disguising our coverage’s like you need to do against Avondale. He came up with a key interception and knocked another ball down. This was his best game by far and he’s always capable of doing that,” Dunlap said.

And that was enough for the Eagles to sneak by the Yellow Jackets in their inaugural game at Dick Bye Field, which was preluded with a ribbon cutting ceremony and a flag dedication with representatives from three branches on America's armed services: the Army, Navy and Marines.

“We played zero-cover defense a lot of reps tonight with no free safety help. My hat is off to our defensive backs and our coaches,” Dunlap said.

What’s next: Ferndale (1-3) hosts North Farmington on Friday, Sept. 23 at 7 p.m.