Uncharted territory hasn’t fazed the Amherst Regional football team so far.
The Hurricanes authored a historic regular season, finishing undefeated for the first time since 1959. Then they defeated Easthampton in last weeks’ Western Massachusetts Division 5 semifinals to win the program’s first playoff game in 20 years. Saturday, Amherst can take another step further.
The top-seeded Hurricanes (9-0) will face No. 2 West Springfield for the Western Mass Division 5 championship at 11 a.m. at Holyoke. The Terriers (7-2) took out Northampton in the semifinals.
“It might be our biggest challenge of the season with the overall athletes that they have,” Amherst Regional coach Chris Ehorn Jr. said.
West Springfield has experience. The Terriers won the 2017 Western Mass. title and played in the Division 5 state championship at Gillette Stadium that year.
“They’ve been here before, they know what to expect,” Ehorn said. “Right now we don’t know what it takes to win a Western Mass. championship, but it takes what it takes and we’re gonna give everything we have.”
Amherst has speed all over the field. Hurricanes quarterback J.B. Mills can throw to receivers CJ Woodfine-Holmes, Shane Robles, Darius Robinson and Zayd Sadiq short or long, and any of them can turn any catch into a touchdown. Dan Block and Josh Vecchio provide dangerous options in the ground game. The Hurricanes have used each of them judiciously throughout the season since they both play linebacker and have large defensive responsibilities. Pierre Tillus’ emergence as a reliable gainer of first downs adds a stabilizing dimension to Amherst’s backfield. A stout line anchored by seniors Jack Nagy and Cenai Collins controls the line of scrimmage.
“No matter what, I’m going to take our athletes over somebody else’s athlete,” Ehorn said.
It will be critical for Amherst to line up properly and avoid penalties. The Hurricanes sometimes makes their lives more difficult than necessary with false starts or personal foul flags.
“If we’re lined up properly, I think we’re going to have the upper hand,” Ehorn said. “In the past we’ve been able to get away with penalties here and there. This is a game we’re not gonna be able to get away with penalties.”
West Springfield will feature one of the most dangerous offenses in Western Mass. on the other side of the ball. The Terriers average 35 points per game led by one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the area: junior Ryan Russell. He carved up Northampton in the semifinal, going 16-of-19 for 262 yards and two touchdowns, adding another on the ground. Calvin Curtis provides balance in the run game, and receivers Michael Russell and Benjamin Green allow Ryan Russell to spread the ball around.
“They’re fast – high powered offense. They like to blitz. They have some pretty good play-makers,” Ehorn said.
But Amherst has leaned on its defense all season. The Hurricanes shut out three opponents and only allowed double digit points twice – an average of just over seven points per game.
“You retain a certain level of confidence when you can rely on your defense. They love preparing for teams, the different things we can do against different types of offense and we love the challenge,” Ehorn said. “Every week the defense is different based on what we might see. They love the challenge that West Side presents. They want to prove they can be just as good against a high-powered offense like them as they’ve been all season.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.