SOUTH HADLEY — With the playoffs in sight, South Hadley turned to its arsenal of running backs, who collectively keyed the Tigers’ 34-6 triumph over Chicopee, Friday night on military appreciation night.
The victory assured the surging Tigers (6-3, 5-1 Suburban North) of their fifth straight win and a spot in the postseason. They may have been in anyway, but South Hadley was not about to leave anything to chance and as the likely third seed, they face a possible showdown against Frontier Regional.
No one told the Tigers, who lost 10 seniors, that this was supposed to be a rebuilding season.
“Coach (Scott) Taylor said it best when he said this may not be the most talented team he’s had, but it’s the toughest,” captain Matt Loughrey said. “We’ve got a lot of fight and the young guys all stepped up.”
The game plan was simple, yet effective. The Tigers, who began the season 1-3, employed their backfield depth to set up two long touchdown runs by Liam Dawson (155 yards rushing) to take control of the game right away.
“This is a huge win,” Dawson said. “No one expected us to be in the playoffs and we worked so hard and we’re so glad it paid off.”
Dawson had electrifying touchdown runs of 41 and 55 yards, and Ben Watkins added a 2-yard score to spark South Hadley to a 21-0 halftime lead. Those big touchdown runs came on two straight touches by the junior running back.
“My blockers did a great job, and I just turned on the gas,” Dawson said.
Both came on pitches to the outside that bordered on dangerous. But quarterback Mike Pratt put the ball in the right spot and watched Dawson do the rest.
Pratt did not attempt a pass. With the way the running game was working, the Tigers did not need to throw.
Chicopee just could not counter Dawson’s speed, nor could it key on him. That led to 324 yards rushing by the Tigers.
“It’s hard to focus on one guy,” Taylor said. “We always say we’re going to do it together.”
Defensively, freshman linebacker James Couture had a big night. He sacked Chicopee quarterback Dylan Conover for a 13-yard loss in the second quarter and helped foil a drive with a big hit on him with 3:49 remaining prior to halftime.
The Pacers appeared poised to take the lead on their opening drive, marching to the Tiger 1-yard run. But South Hadley forced two incomplete passes by Conover thanks to some heavy pressure and held.
The Tigers proceeded to march 99 yards in 9 plays, capped by a 41-yard scoring run by Dawson that put them up, 7-0 with 42.7 seconds left in the opening quarter.
Those two series seemed to turn the momentum in favor of the Tigers. A goal-line stand followed by a dazzling touchdown run gave the Tigers a measure of confidence they never relinquished.
The Pacers again moved into Tigers territory on their next series. But once again, a fourth-down pass fell incomplete. South Hadley saw Dawson score his second touchdown, a 55-yard run 3:54 into the second quarter for a 14-0 advantage.
Defensive lineman Marcus Larrier also had a huge defensive play during the first half. He batted down a Conover pass and intercepted it late in the quarter.
The Tigers took a 21-0 lead when they drove 37 yards in 5 plays following a short punt, capped by a 2-yard touchdown run by Watkins.
A 59-yard run by Hunter Borowski (113 yards rushing) set up Dawson’s third touchdown. It came on a 2-yard run at 5:25 of the third quarter to provide the Tigers with a 28-0 lead.
A 52-yard touchdown run by Hunter Carey gave South Hadley a 34-0 lead 12 seconds into the final quarter. Chicopee used a 5-yard run by John Vega against South Hadley’s second-team defense to score its first touchdown with 10:22 left in the game.
South Hadley 34, Chicopee 6
|
Chicopee |
0 |
0 |
0 |
6 |
—6 |
|
South Hadley |
7 |
14 |
7 |
6 |
—34 |
First quarter
SH—Liam Dawson 41 run (Shawn Mitchell kick) 0:43
Second quarter
SH—Dawson 55 run (Mitchell kick) 8:06
SH—Ben Watkins 2 run (Mitchell kick) 1:06
Third quarter
SH—Dawson 2 run (Mitchell kick) 5:25
Fourth quarter
SH—Hunter Carey 52 run (kick failed) 11:48
C—John Vega 12 run (run failed) 10:22
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—South Hadley–Dawson 11-155, Borowski 8-113, Watkins 6-18, Pratt 6-18, Alex Burns 2-11, Ethan Murphy 1-9. Chicopee-Flores 2-5, Conover 9-23, Caldero 10-83, Vega 2-28, Tadeo 3-37, Rodriguez 1-(-6), Ryan 2-19.
PASSING—Chicopee–Conover Flores 8-18-62.
RECEIVING—Chicopee-Matta 5-37, Vazquez 1-11, Flores 2-2-14.