CHICOPEE — The Holyoke football team couldn’t stop Chicopee Comp’s scoring outburst, falling 53-35 Friday night.
The Colts (3-3), led by running back Isaias Gomez, scored almost at will in the second half and it pushed them over the hump whenever Holyoke (2-5) got close.
“I feel like we made too many mistakes,” Holyoke quarterback Gabriel Fernandez said. “We really beat ourselves. I feel like we can play better than that. I really wanted to make playoffs and we really had to win out but I just felt like we kept shooting ourselves in the foot.”
The Colts scored first on a Gomez 24-yard touchdown run. The extra point attempt was good and Comp was up 7-0.
Fernandez, who missed last week with a concussion, started off slow but began to find his footing during the third drive of the game. He capped the drive with an 8-yard TD throw to Jael Cabrera to tie the game.
Comp took a 14-7 lead on a Nathaniel Lepage 6-yard completion to Travis Kagan.
The Colts found success in the air again midway through the second quarter when Lepage connected with Kyle Jones for the 4-yard score and a 21-7 lead.
The Purple Knights survived a Fernandez fumble by forcing a turnover on downs. Fernandez responded by driving 79 yards and completing a 47-yard bomb to Aiden Consedine for the touchdown with just 1:30 remaining in the first half. Consedine drilled the extra point to pulled Holyoke within 21-14.
Comp didn’t end the half quietly, as Lepage led the charge from Holyoke’s 41-yard line after a big kick return. The result of the drive was a Gomez 2-yard run for the touchdown and a 28-14 halftime lead.
Gomez began the second half without skipping a beat, carrying the ball for a 33-yard touchdown just a minute and a half into the third quarter.
Leading 34-14, the Colts found the end zone again, this time on a Lepage 10-yard completion to Peyton Batchelor.
Holyoke responded as a Fernandez 21-yard touchdown pass to Scott Leary pulled the Purple Knights within 40-21 with 4:30 remaining in the third quarter.
Gomez found the end zone late in the third quarter on a 22-yard run for the touchdown. He finished the game with 17 carries for 207 yards and four touchdowns.
Trailing 47-21, Fernandez led a drive on the ensuing possession and handed it off to William Dumoulin for the 1-yard TD run to open the fourth quarter. Holyoke attempted a two-point conversion but failed to convert, leaving the score at 47-27 Comp.
Later in the fourth, Fernandez led a five-minute drive that resulted in a 28-yard touchdown pass to Jake Swinehart.
“We didn’t execute defensively in any quarter,” Holyoke coach Joe Dutsar said. “The special teams was a mess. Offensively, we moved the ball fairly well. Gabby came back and had a great game but we left a lot of points on the field.”
Fernandez was 25 of 46 for 383 yards with four touchdowns and one interception. He also ran the ball 14 times for 81 yards.
“To me, this was a playoff game,” Fernandez said. “There was a lot on the line. I tried to just work with the team, keep our heads up and just play smart.”