In a game that featured 114 combined points, Churchill and Richard Montgomery put on a show last Friday night. Churchill improved to 7-1 thanks to an unforgettable showing from running back David Avit.
Avit reached the end zone six times, accumulating 482 all-purpose yards in the game. The senior’s powerful running led Churchill to a 64-50 win.
“His impact every week is tremendous,” Churchill head coach Joseph Rydzewski said.
Avit is this week’s Montgomery County High School Athlete of the Week.
Each week throughout the school year, the Montgomery County Sports Hall of Fame is partnering with Montgomery Community Media to honor an Athlete of the Week from the county’s more than 40 public and private high schools.
237 of Avit’s yards came on the ground.
“He’s a big strong kid. He carries the ball with an attitude,” Rydzewski said. “People assume he isn’t as fast as he really is.”
Avit played at Urbana for two years before moving to Potomac and transferring to Churchill. Since then, he has worked tirelessly to become his best self physically, according to Rydzewski.
Rydzewski said Avit dropped weight before his senior season, which transformed him into a more versatile back.
Avit’s new mix of speed and power has him dominating the county, amassing 16 total touchdowns and 178.3 yards per game.
Rydzewski said Avit has around 12 college offers, most from FCS schools, but hasn’t committed yet. Avit’s older brother, Ezekiel, is Maryland’s former top-ranked high school receiver. He’s currently a freshman at Maryland.
“He’s betting on himself for a power-five offer to come through,” Rydzewski said.
Leadership is an important trait to have on Rydzewski’s team, and he said Avit has made strides in becoming a leader.
“I think after last year, he got to the point where he understood the team is bigger than him,” Rydzewski said. “He used to be about David Avit; now, he’s about the Bulldogs.”
Rydzewski said Avit’s transformation is a testament to a continuously growing football culture at Churchill. The Bulldogs spent time at or near the bottom of the standings, but since Rydzewski took over during the pandemic, the Bulldogs morphed into a consistent playoff team.
Churchill’s lone loss this fall came at the hands of undefeated Quince Orchard.
Churchill averages 26.6 points per game this year and is primed for a postseason run. With Avit’s power out of the backfield, Churchill will be tough to beat.
Photo courtesy David Avit on X
