FOOTBALL: Avondale bounces back with win over Ferndale
BY DAN STICKRADT
SENIOR EDITOR
dan.Stickradt@northoaklandsports.com
Twitter: @LocalSportsFans
AUBURN HILLS — With its backs against the wall, Auburn Hills Avondale took a step in the right direction Friday in terms of rejuvenating its football season.
On the tailspin of two close losses, including an overtime defeat to Berkley last weekend, and faced with the fact of having to win its final three regular season games to automatically qualify for the MHSAA postseason, the Yellowjackets recorded an important 28-15 OAA Blue Division homecoming win over visiting Ferndale to keep their playoff hopes alive.
Wins over Pontiac and Waterford Kettering in the final two weeks will secure Avondale a spot in the field of 256 playoffs teams.
Behind the speedy backfield combo Joshuwa Holloman, a two-time 100 meters state champion, and veteran Chase Lalla, who is in his fourth season of varsity football, the Yellowjackets had enough balance to pull away from the Eagles.
Defensively, Avondale (4-3, 3-3) thwarted a trio of long Ferndale drives and yielded only two second half touchdowns, one which harmlessly came with only 10 seconds left in the contest.
Holloman finished with 176 yards on 13 carries and two touchdowns, while Lalla added two scores on 133 rushing yards and nine carries, as Avondale’s ground assault was too much for the Eagles (3-4, 3-3) to overcome. The Yellowjackets compiled 361 yards on the ground.
“We all just put in the work in the weight room, I’ve been working my tail off and the whole team has been working hard,” said Lalla on his team’s resurgence in Week 7. “We just going to keep stepping it up. We’ve got Pontiac next, it should be a really good game.
Avondale scored first with 3:44 left in the first quarter on a 34-yard sprint by Holloman, which put the Yellowjackets in the lead for good. Lalla, who also chipped in with 11 tackles for good measure, added a 7-yard TD run with 6:10 left in the second frame, which led to a 14-0 halftime advantage.
Ferndale cut into the lead with 8:27 left in the third, when Markell McCoy broke free for a 64-yard touchdown sprint, only to see Holloman break free for a second time with a 58-yard scamper with 8:07 left in the third, putting his team up 21-7.
Avondale put the game away when Lalla cruised to a 37-yard run with 2:08 remaining. Lalla played varsity ball at Oxford as a freshman before transferring to Avondale in 2012 and is now a third-year starter for the Yellowjackets.
“He’s a heckuva football player,” smiled Avondale coach Steven Deutsch of Lalla. “He’s done a lot for our program for three years. I have been talking about that kid for three years. He’s a heckuva running back and a really good linebacker. The kids look up to him — he’s as tough as nails. He helps give us a great 1-2 punch and when we get going, we’re tough to stop.
“We’re back on track. We’re going to enjoy this, then get back to the drawing board and get ready for next week,” continued Deutsch. “I am proud of these boys for playing some (quality) football after two rough in a weeks. We kept our hopes alive. We talked all week that this is our playoff week one, next week will be playoff week two and the last week will be our playoff week 3. We know we have to win out.”
McCoy, who had 190 rushing yards, scored on a 36-yard run and ensuing two-point conversion to cap the scoring for Ferndale.
“Our goal all season long was to keep getting better and that’s what we’ll keep on doing,” sighed Ferndale coach Eric Royal. “I know the playoffs are probably out of reach, but we still have a chance to win two more games and finish (above five hundred).”
Robbie Ginter and Quinton Hawkins both added nine tackles for Avondale.
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