NORTHAMPTON — The Northampton football team beat Longmeadow for the first time since 1996 earlier this season.
It marked the beginning of what could be a magical season for Northampton.
For a chance at a Western Massachusetts title, the Blue Devils had to beat Longmeadow again when the Lancers returned to David Wright Field in the Division 3 semifinals Friday night.
The Lancers shot down any championship hopes the Blue Devils had with a 49-16 win.
“It shows the difference between a good program and a good team,” Northampton coach Pat Sledzieski said.
The Blue Devils (6-3) had a game plan to come out throwing. The plan worked initially, as quarterback Ryan Bredin found Will O’Connor (five catches, 85 yards) for a touchdown in the second quarter to give Hamp an 8-7 lead.
“We had some things working from the passing game when they weren’t expecting it,” Sledzieski said. “They were just bigger and better tonight.”
As the Longmeadow lead grew, the passing game wasn’t a surprise anymore for Northampton.
The Lancers effectively shut down Northampton’s running game as Elijah Davis and Nik Smith combined for 77 yards on 24 carries.
Davis capped a 13-play drive in the third quarter with a 1-yard score. The drive featured the wildcat exclusively
“I thought we fought about as hard as we could,” Sledzieski said.
As for the home crowd, Longmeadow’s first play from scrimmage took them out of the game. Joey Cosenzi went 55 yards for a score to give Longmeadow an early lead.
The Northampton defense was banged up heading into the game and the result was 437 yards rushing for Longmeadow.
“We don’t have the replacement parts,” Sledzieski said.
Jared Leavens had a tackle for a loss for Northampton.
Isaiah Dubois led the Lancers with 124 yards on six carries, including a 46-yard touchdown.
Dubois did not play in the previous game against Hamp.
Just prior to halftime, Longmeadow quarterback Carlo Calabrese’s only completion went for an 18-yard touchdown to Nick Mishol as the Lancers led 21-8 entering the break.
After the half, Longmeadow turned a Northampton interception into another touchdown.
Calabrese added seven carries for 132 yards and three rushing touchdowns, including a 74-yard run in the third quarter.
Clay Moseman (seven carries, 78 yards) and Cosenzi (eight carries, 86 yards) also made big plays in the running game for Longmeadow.
