Ayden Aversa made an impact in all three facets of the game, scoring in three different ways as Old Forge beat Holy Cross for the 21st straight time, 37-6, in a Lackawanna Football Conference Division III game on a chilly night at Old Forge Veterans Memorial Stadium in Old Forge.
Aversa returned the opening kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown, and Cris Nino’s kick gave the Blue Devils a 7-0 lead just 21 seconds into the game.
A bad pitch in the endzone by Holy Cross led to a safety on the next series to put the Crusaders in a 9-0 hole. But one series later, Luca Berardi stepped in front of a Parker Harte pass and returned the interception 65 yards for a touchdown. The two-point play failed, but Holy Cross was within 9-6 at the 8:01 mark of the second quarter.
Harte scored from one yard out later in the quarter to give Old Forge a 15-6 lead, and two minutes later Aversa returned an interception 55 yards for a touchdown to give Old Forge a 21-6 lead just before halftime.
Old Forge increased its lead in the second half when Harte found Bobby Pezzuti for a 10-yard touchdown to give the Blue Devils a 27-6 lead with 6:17 left in the third quarter. Elio Castaldi blocked a punt for a safety late in the third, and Aversa found paydirt from 5 yards out with 5:02 left in the game for the final touchdown.