ATHOL — Following the postgame handshake, Athol coach Bill LaRose ran and jumped into the middle of the team huddle to celebrate a come-from-behind, 16-12, victory over previously unbeaten Frontier Regional at O’Brien Field on Friday.

The Red Raiders scored a pair of fourth-quarter touchdowns, including the final dagger with 35.4 seconds left as Tyler Lutz took a sweep left 15 yards to the end zone. Nick Casella’s 2-point conversion was good as Athol took its first and only lead of the game.

“We’ve played two independent games, and one team was in Division 3 above us, so we’ve been in some battles before and this group of kids is really focused in terms of conditioning,” LaRose said. “We’ve worked them hard in practice to be well conditioned and I think our size wore Frontier down a little bit and we just took the game over in the fourth quarter.”

Athol (4-2, 3-0 Intercounty North) trailed 12-0 at halftime and the score remained that way when the Red Raiders took the ball over at their own 21 with 5 seconds in the third. That began a 16-play drive that spanned nearly six minutes and saw Casella (14 carries, 139 yards) score from 3 yards out. He then ran in the conversion to pull Athol to within 12-8 with 5 minutes, 38 seconds remaining.

Frontier’s next possession ended on a three-and-out as the Athol defense stiffened. Athol took over at its 37 with 4:16 to play and two timeouts.

The Red Raiders went to work as running backs Casella, Lutz, Robbie Nelson and Mason Barrieau each saw carries on the final drive. Casella’s 13-yard gain on a first-and-10 from the Frontier 18 was the longest play of the drive, and brought the ball to the Frontier 5 with just over one minute remaining.

Frontier’s defense threw the Red Raiders for back-to-back losses, including Aaron Landry’s sack of Trevor Mousseau for a 7-yard loss with just over 40 seconds left. That made it third-and-goal from the 15, and what had been a raucous Athol crowd, suddenly turned a bit more quiet.

The calm was short-lived, as Lutz took a handoff and swept around the corner for the go-ahead score.

“I think people overlook his talent,” LaRose said. “He’s been big for us all year and he came through for us in a huge situation.”

Frontier (4-1, 2-1) had 35 seconds to work with but the Athol defense came through again.

After an incompletion by Frontier quarterback Myles Freeman on first down from the Athol 33, defensive tackle Trevor Curtis broke through the line on second down and sacked Freeman. On third down, Freeman scrambled for 15 yards but was tackled, ending the game.

Stephen Worthley recovered a fumble on Athol’s opening possession, and the Red Hawks marched down the field for the game’s first touchdown. The first two Frontier plays from scrimmage saw Stephen Worthley run for 19 yards and Landry run for 39, setting up Frontier with a first-and-goal situation. On third down, Worthley took it in from 1-yard out. The conversion run failed, but Frontier had a 6-0 lead.

Frontier punched in its second touchdown just before halftime, as the Hawks went on a 13-play, 59-yard drive that ended with Seth Gewanter’s 1-yard score that put the Hawks up 12-0 at the break.

Landry finished with 125 yards on 15 carries, but the Athol defense held Worthley to just 26 yards on 10 carries, and Gewanter to 35 yards on 12 hauls.