Taking advantage of a slew of turnovers committed by the home team, Ava beat Houston 43-20 in a South Central Association conference high school football game Thursday night in Tiger Stadium.
Houston’s offense lost possession of the ball a whopping seven times – four fumbles and three interceptions. Trailing 21-0 at the half, the Tigers closed to gap to 28-14 before an interception was returned for a score.
“I’m not sure who you can beat turning the ball over that many times,” said HHS head coach Eric Sloan. “When we were able to stay on the field, we did some good things offensively. To have that many turnovers and lose by three scores shows that we did a lot of things right. We just have to clean that up.
“I’m confident that we will; we’ve never done that before and hopefully we won’t ever again.”
The loss dropped Houston to 3-3 overall and 2-2 in conference play, while Ava improved to the exact same records. The two teams are in a battle for seeding in Class 2 District 3. Going into this week, Houston was fourth and Ava was sixth in the 7-team district, but that will likely change.
Next up for the Tigers is a road game against another set of Bears in an SCA matchup Friday (Oct. 10) at Willow Springs.
HHS freshman running back Tucker Venn (13) prepares to hand the ball to junior wide receiver Kane Crawford (15) on the first offensive play of the game. It ended with Ava recovering a fumble, as the Tigers’ committed the first of seven HHS turnovers. 
Houston’s defense lines up against the Ava offense, piloted by senior quarterback Aiden Lane (7). Lane scored 2 touchdowns (one on a run and another with a reception on a halfback pass play), and also had an interception while at defensive back. 
After being hit hard by Ava junior lineman Kale Hall, HHS junior receiver Dillon Shelton (11) loses the ball during the second quarter. 
HHS junior wide receiver Kane Crawford clutches the ball after catching a 13-yard touchdown pass in the third quarter. It was his first touchdown of the season. 
HHS senior Caden Guerra fueled the Tigers’ second-half surge with several significant rushing gains. 
HHS senior quarterback DJ Riley takes a snap during the third quarter. Riley threw a touchdown pass and scored a rushing touchdown in the period but later left with an injury and did not finish the game. 
With his team making some noise in the second half, HHS head coach Eric Sloan raises four fingers indicating the beginning of the fourth quarter. 
HHS freshman quarterback Stryker Sloan throws a pass in the fourth quarter. While filling in for senior DJ Riley (who was sidelined with muscle spasms), Sloan completed 3-of-4 passes. His first-ever pass in high school varsity play was caught by junior Kane Crawford for a 27-yard touchdown.
To view photos from the game, with the option to purchase, click here.
