Falcons Run Past (18) Eagles in Wichita

WICHITA, Kan. – The strength of the new-look Friends offense was on full display on Saturday night in Wichita, where the Falcons' (3-0) electric ground game powered them to a 54-20 victory over (18) Avila (1-2).

Avila football is very familiar with how head coach Terry Harrison's offense works from his years at Bethel. But now, in Harrison's second season with his new school, his run-first and almost run-only offense has quickly begun to emulate those successful Thresher squads: Friends has churned out crazy rushing stats and high point totals in each of its first three games this season, and, on this Saturday night, Avila was the latest victim. Friends rushed for over 500 yards as a team and averaged nine yards gained per play on offense, and the Eagles were unable to keep the Falcon offense at bay long enough to mount a comeback for the third straight week to open the season.

Friends marched down the field on its opening possession before Avila came up with a clutch stop when Terrell Valentine helped the Eagles recover a Kaden Rigsby fumble less than five yards from the end zone. It felt like that could have been an early jolt for the Eagles in all facets of the game, but instead the Eagles went three-and-out on the ensuing possession, and the Falcons swiftly made good, scoring through quarterback K'Vonte Baker on the next drive to open the scoring.

But if the Eagles were taken aback by Friends' early offensive success they did not show it. Instead, quarterback Eli Williams led the Eagles on an 11-play drive sandwiching the first quarter break that ended in an immediate Eagle response. After Williams hit Jalen Thach for a 15-yard gain, his first catch as an Eagle, Williams then linked up with Kendal Wooley in the side of the end zone for six points to tie the score. Dylan Globe hit the PAT after the Falcons had failed on theirs, and the Eagles had a 7-6 lead with 12:44 left in the second quarter.

However, that lead did not last long. Friends flexed its prowess with the flexbone offense from then on, and ultimately cruised to a surprising victory in a scoreline that the Eagles have not had to endure very much over the last handful of seasons. After Wooley's touchdown, Elias Pino broke off a 61-yard touchdown run, Friends blocked an Avila punt, and then both Kerrion Hadnot and Jett Cheatham rushed for scores, giving the Falcons a 27-7 lead at the intermission.

After Cheatham scored again to open the second half the Eagles pulled a score back courtesy of freshman running back Daleshaun Coleman, but Friends scored the next two touchdowns to extend the lead further in the early stages of the fourth quarter. Avila pulled one more back when Williams linked up with Thach for a score, but Pino broke into the end zone once again in the final minute of regulation to put a bow on a 54-20 Friends victory.

Seven different Falcons combined to help the team net over 500 rushing yards – five different players recorded at least 80 yards on the ground in the win. Coleman led the Eagles with 75 rushing yards; Ross Scharping impressed in his first collegiate action, rushing for 49 yards on just five carries. Defensively, Dennis Johnson led the Eagles with a career-high 12 tackles, while Valentine added six, including two for a loss.

Up next, Avila football will return home to Kansas City to face another preseason KCAC favorite, the Bethel Threshers, in a rematch of the game that ultimately decided the KCAC regular season championship a season ago at The Z. Kickoff between the Eagles and Threshers is set for 1 PM on Saturday, September 16. Admission to football games at The Z is priced at $10 per car; as always, you can watch the game live and for free on the Avila Sports Network with Joe Van Amburg on the call from Kansas City.