Skip to content

Ava Bears Win Battle of the Bears At Willow Springs

The Ava Middle School Bears traveled to Willow Springs on Thursday, Oct. 3. Ava emerged the winners in both of the “Bears vs. Bears” contests.
The Ava seventh grade squad defeated Willow Springs 20-6. Ava scored the only touchdown of the first half, a one yard run by Caleb Johnson with 6:10 remaining in the half. The run capped an 11 play, 68 yard drive.
The Bears took the second half kickoff and moved the ball near the Willow Springs 10 yard line before losing a fumble. Willow Springs returned the favor on the following play, and Iveck Chittenden recovered the ball for Ava on the Willow Springs 12 yard line.
Johnson scored his second touchdown of the game two plays later and ran for the conversion to give Ava a 14-0 lead with two minutes remaining in the third quarter. Willow Springs fumbled again on the second play of their next possession and that fumble was recovered by Dodge Stout at the Ava 47 yard line.
Johnson scored again from 42 yards out to extend the lead to 20-0. Willow Springs scored a touchdown midway through the fourth quarter for the final 20-6 margin.
Ava won the eighth grade contest 22-8.
Ava’s Brittain Tetrick put the Bears on top with a 6-yard touchdown run to cap an 11-play, 79-yard drive.
Aaron Everett passed to Takoma Dobbs for the conversion and an 8-0 lead. Ava opened the second half with another time consuming touchdown drive, covering 55 yards in 11 plays and running nearly 7 minutes off the clock. The drive culminated with Dobbs completing a 15-yard pass to Michael Lane for the touchdown. Everett ran for the conversion to extend Ava’s lead to 16-0.
Willow Springs fumbled the ball on the first play of the fourth quarter and that fumble was recovered by Ava’s Quinton Kelly. Kaid Sizemore ran 40 yards for a touchdown on the ensuing play to boost the lead to 22-0. Willow Springs found the end zone in the final minutes and added the conversion for the 22-8 final score.
The Bears will next play host to the Zizzers from West Plains on Thursday, Oct. 10. The seventh grade game is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. The Bears will then wrap up the season next Tuesday, Oct. 15, at Mountain Grove. Games are scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. that night as well.