"We knew he was going to get his yards," Paulsboro coach Glenn Howard said. "But we didn't want him to pop the 75-, 50-yard touchdowns on us, which wasn't easy because he's such a tremendous talent."
Paulsboro used a relentless, smash-mouth defense to stop Woodbury's last-ditch effort, a 12-play drive that ended at the Paulsboro 15-yard line, and escaped with a 12-6 opening victory Saturday at Woodbury.
The win gives Paulsboro an early edge in the Colonial Conference Patriot division.
"This gives us a lot of confidence," Paulsboro lineman Pop Little said. "A lot of people were doubting us. But we knew we could do it."
Little was part of a defense that held Averett to 80 yards on 16 carries.
Offensively, Donald Childress and Dimere Turner carried the load for the Red Raiders. Childress finished with 69 yards on 15 carries; Turner, 66 yards on 16 carries.
After a drive that lasted more than eight minutes, Turner fumbled on the Woodbury 10-yard line. Averett was there to pick it up and return it for a 90-yard touchdown, giving Woodbury a 7-0 lead with 9 minutes, 22 seconds left in the first half.
It was one of the few Red Raiders mistakes in the game, and the junior running back was quick to make up for it. With 37 seconds remaining in the half, Turner punched the ball in from 4 yards out, bringing his team to within a point.
"I never put my head down after I fumbled," Turner said. "I just wanted to keep going and get it back, and that's what I did."
Paulsboro opened the second half with a nine-play drive that ended when Averett intercepted a pass. Though Averett forced two turnovers, the junior threw an interception in the first half and fumbled three plays after his third-quarter interception.
The fumble led to Paulsboro scoring the go-ahead touchdown, a 5-yard run by quarterback Zack Funk with 4:31 left in the third quarter.
"We struggled to move the football today," Woodbury coach Zack Valentine said. Averett "will get better, and this team will get better. We kept fighting in this game, and I'm happy with that."
Paulsboro 0 6 6 0 – 12
Woodbury 0 7 0 0 – 7
W: Anthony Averett 90 fumble recovery (Alex Hindle kick)
P: Dimere Turner 4 run (kick blocked)
P: Zack Funk 5 run (pass failed)
Contact Chris Melchiorre at rallysports@phillynews.com.
