Hall, Canaries soar past Pleasant Vy.
It was evident from Allen’s first play from scrimmage that it was going to employ Gavoni Hall as their main offensive weapon ... and for good reason.
The senior running back had a monster effort in the Canaries’ 41-14 victory over Pleasant Valley on Friday.
“Our offensive line is well-improved,” said Allen head coach George Clay, whose team improved to 1-1.
“They’ve been working hard for us, they’re stronger, and Hall is getting great holes to run through because of it.”
The speedster opened the Canaries’ first possession with a 29-yard run, displaying the agility, speed and shiftiness to propel the visitors downfield.
The Bears (0-2) had difficulties bringing the talented runner down, as he amassed 292 yards on 21 carries and three touchdowns.
“He’s got some great alleys to look at and once he hits them, he takes off,” Clay said.
“He’s phenomenal once he gets going.”
As an integral component of the winners’ offensive scheme, once the team got going, they were tough to match, as well.
The Bears, who were also notably improved from Week One, displayed their intensity in scoring the night’s first touchdown, as senior quarterback Jack Stephens pounded through from the 1-yard-line for PV’s first score of the season.
However, Hall and his compatriots responded immediately and went to work, recording 35 unanswered points to mount a 35-7 lead early in the fourth frame.
“It’s always nice to get that first win under your belt, especially for us, at Allen,” Clay said. “We need something like this to keep pushing our momentum forward and hopefully, this will get us ready for (East Stroudsburg) North next week.”
Despite being down, the Bears showed resilience and didn’t seem out of the contest, as they consistently challenged their opponents and battled hard the whole time.
“The kids are starting to figure it out,” Pleasant Valley head coach Blaec Saeger said.
“It’s a brand new system, a brand new culture, a brand new everything, but they’re starting to get me and they’re starting to learn. We kept moving the ball tonight and we had a much better showing. We have a tremendous group of kids, I’m so ... proud of them and I love coming to work with them everyday.”
After the Bears battled back to 35-14 on another Stephens score (5-yard run) with 3:21 remaining, Allen’s Hall had another answer to slam the door shut on any comeback hopes.
A 42-yard score by the talented back added to his already-impressive night and capped off a remarkable performance.
Early in the game, Pleasant Valley faced some tough luck when senior tailback Ahmad Wyatt went down with an injury and didn’t return to action.
Then, another offensive option, Robert Papaleo came up lame after being brought down, and saw limited action the remainder of the night. Saeger is hopeful the two athletes can return soon.
TARGET: OWN FOOT ... Despite the better showing by both sides from the first week, both coaches cited penalties and turnovers as things they need to continue to improve upon. Both sides had over 50 yards in penalties, while Pleasant Valley had a blocked punt recovered by the Canaries and lost one of three fumbles.
BLASS’ PASSES ... Stephens and the Bears’ offense doesn’t look to the air too much, but sophomore wide receiver Ryan Blass had all four of his team’s receptions on the night for 44 yards.