BELCHERTOWN – Six touchdowns and four two-point conversions added up to a 44-8 win by Belchertown against rival Pathfinder on a cold 28-degree morning for football on Thanksgiving.
After Nolan Otto connected with Eli Sayball-Wimmer on a 94-yard touchdown pass, the Belchertown High School quarterback asked a reporter, “How many passing yards do I have?”
“I haven’t added it up,” said the reporter, “but it’ll be in tomorrow’s paper.”
“I’ll have four figures,” Otto said. He was neither boasting nor exaggerating, for there was a deeper meaning to his four-figure reference. “My brother passed for over 1,000 yards here, and I wanted to keep it in the family.”
Sayball-Wimmer’s grab came when the game was well in hand for the Orioles (3-8). Otto’s 284-yard aerial attack included five TD throws; two strikes to Sayball-Wimmer, two to Andrew Fijal and one to Chris Daskam. Josh Grillo’s 24-yard jaunt accounted for the Orioles’ lone rushing touchdown.
“You saw this team come together today, their selflessness,” said Belchertown first-year coach Dan McCarthy. “When freshman Colin Mullins caught a two-point conversion they all got around him because they know how hard he works. That’s a reflection on our entire team.”
Pathfinder (2-8) would need to wait another year to cop its first Thanksgiving Day trophy since 2015. The Pioneers relied on a running game that resulted in 144 yards on 35 carries, but their offense was stymied by numerous turnovers.
“It wasn’t in the cards for us today,” said Pathfinder coach Joe Baldyga. “We couldn’t stop that passing game, but we’re losing only three seniors. We’re going to hit the weight room and we’ll be back next season.”
Junior running back Colby J. Hill was the Pioneers’ workhorse with 67 yards on 16 carries including a four-yard touchdown rumble late in the fourth quarter to avoid the skunk. Junior running back Giovanni Perniciaro had 38 yards on eight carries and Austin Lagimoniere rushed for 32 yards and caught a nine yard pass.
The Pioneers’ best chance to make a game of it ended in the second quarter when Lagimoniere picked off Otto’s pass at midfield but fumbled the interception return. It was recovered by Sayball-Wimmer and two plays later Fijal’s 15-yard grab made it 22-0.
It hadn’t started out so well for Otto, whose first two passes were incomplete. “At first I was a little annoyed by the drops but I trust my receivers,” he said. “It was an awesome culmination to our careers.”