NORTHAMPTON — Northampton football coach Joe Kocot likens this year’s offense to a yo-yo.
The Blue Devils were run heavy last year. If an opponent could find a way to stop the run game, options were limited.
Now, not only can Northampton run the ball with backs like Brett Holden and Braeden Tudryn, the team can air it out with receivers like Jake Brittain and Jake Delisle.
“Last year the other team’s best corner would be on Brittain. Now are you going to put it on Delisle?” Kocot said. “Well now Brittain is open. It’s a ying-yang thing. … Same thing in the backfield. It’s like a yo-yo.”
Northampton utilized big plays on the ground and in the air to take down Holyoke, 41-27, on Friday at David Wright Field.
Blue Devils quarterback Tom Jacques threw for 235 yards and a touchdown on 12-for-16 passing. Holden ran for three touchdowns and 118 yards on 12 attempts.
Holden opened the scoring at the 10:30 mark of the first quarter. He took a handoff up the middle and after gaining a few yards almost went down, but stayed up and trucked down field for a 61-yard touchdown.
On the ensuing Holyoke drive, the Blue Devils forced a turnover on downs when a Gabriel Fernandez pass sailed incomplete.
Fernandez is one of the best dual-threat quarterbacks in the region. While analyzing film from Holyoke’s game against Chicopee last week, Kocot realized that the team needed to keep Fernandez in the pocket and do their best to contain him.
Keeping Fernandez at bay was no easy task. The senior quarterback rushed for 100 yards and a touchdown on eight attempts and threw for two touchdowns. But the Blue Devils defense forced two key interceptions.
“It was a good all-around, defensively sound game,” Kocot said. “Everyone contributed.
Delisle kicked a 20-yard field goal on Northampton’s following drive to up the lead to 9-0. With 2:46 to go in the opening quarter, Fernandez ran for a 13-yard touchdown to pull Holyoke with 9-7 after the extra point.
On the ensuing kickoff, Delisle received the ball at Northampton’s 25-yard line. He made a man miss along the sideline and scampered in for a 75-yard touchdown.
Special teams was especially important in the game. Delisle returned a kick for a touchdown and kicked a field goal. Holyoke’s Lucas Maisonet returned a kick for a touchdown early in the second quarter.
“There are three phases (of the game),” Kocot said. “If you only do two of them, that is 67 percent. The thing about special teams is that big plays are often times bigger than big plays on offense or defense, because it’s a surprise.”
Maisonet’s second-quarter return followed a 13-yard touchdown run from Holden and pulled Holyoke within 22-14 after the extra point.
Holden rushed for his third touchdown with 2:34 to go in the first half with a 21-yard carry up the middle to make it a two-possession game.
Kavan Powers intercepted a Fernandez pass late in the half, but Northampton ran out of time to capitalize before the break.
Holyoke opened the second half with a bang. Northampton went for an onside kick to open the third, but Holyoke recovered. The Purple Knights took advantage and used a three-play, 34-yard drive, capped by a 7-yard touchdown pass from Fernandez to Aiden Consedine, to close the gap to 28-21.
The Blue Devils swiftly answered. On the first play of the ensuing drive, Jacques found Delisle wide open down the right side for a 67-yard touchdown. After the extra point from Delisle, Northampton led, 34-21.
Delisle has played soccer and hockey in the past, but Friday night was his first game of organized football. He finished with one receiving touchdown, a special teams touchdown and a field goal.
“(We are) happy to have him,” Kocot said. “A player like that makes everyone else better and the guys make him better.”
“I feel great,” Delisle said. “We all came out and did our thing.”
Holyoke responded with 8:14 to go in the fourth when Fernandez found Consedine for a 6-yard touchdown.
Holden sealed the win in the fourth quarter with a 15-yard touchdown.
“I’m happy the linemen did what they did,” Holden said. “I couldn’t have done it without them, my blockers. I have to thank them for making wide holes.”
Northampton’s offense looks different this year. With so many different ways for the unit to attack defenses, confidence is high.
“I’m pumped,” Jacques said. “I have so many weapons on the outside it isn’t hard to spread the ball around. I just tried to get it to my play makers.”
Northampton 41, Holyoke 27
|
Northampton |
16 |
12 |
6 |
7 |
—41 |
|
Holyoke |
7 |
7 |
7 |
6 |
—27 |
First quarter
N—Brett Holden 61-yard run (pass failed), 10:30.
N—Jake Delisle 20 field goal, 4:09
H—Gabriel Fernandez 13 run (Consedine kick), 2:46
N—Deslisle 75 kick return (Delisle kick), 2:31
Second quarter
N—Holden 13 run (run failed), 10:44.
H—Lucas Maisonet 85 kick return (Consedine kick), 10:22
N—Holden 21 run (run failed), 2:34.
Third quarter
H—Consedine 7 pass from Fernandez (Consedine kick), 10:36
N—Delisle 67 pass from Tom Jacques 8 (Delisle kick),10:18.
Fourth quarter
H—Consedine 6 pass from Fernandez 73 (Consedine kick), 8:14.
N—Holden 15 run, (Delisle kick) 1:01.
INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS
RUSHING—Northampton–Kevan Powers 4-8, Breaden Tudryn 5-27, Holden 12-118, Jacques 1-3; Holyoke—William Dumoulin 8-17, Fernandez—8-100, Jael Cabrera 1-7
PASSING—Northampton–Jacques 12-16-235-0; Holyoke—Fernandez 17-37-151-2
RECEIVING—Northampton–Nate Bidus 1-44, Holden 4-22, Jake Brittain 3-74, Tudryn 6-39, Delisle 2-78, Sam Walker 1-7, Powers 3-7; Holyoke—Cabrera 1-7, Consedine 4-40, Dumoulin 5-38, Swinehart 2-5, Scott Leary 5-45, Maisonet 1-8, Jacob Rist 1-7