ADAMS — It wasn’t simple, but the Hoosac Valley football team knew what was needed to overcome an eight-point deficit in the fourth quarter and Belchertown at Renfrew Field on Friday night.
An 18-yard touchdown from Kam Kastner to Qwanell Bradley, plus a two-point try from Griffin Mucci, knotted the game at 16. The game remained tied with six minutes left as the Hurricanes marched down the field in 13 plays. Mucci punched in the game-winning score from 1-yard out with just 22 seconds to play as Hoosac Valley improved to 2-4 on the year with a 22-16 Intercounty League South win over visiting Belchertown.
“They’re getting better,” Hoosac Valley coach Mike Bostwick said. “They were on point [on that drive] and we threw in a couple of timeouts just to reset them. They’re getting there and they’re maturing. I tell them that they’re not freshmen anymore — but they are.”
Christopher Daskam gave the Orioles (3-3, 1-2) a 16-8 lead on a stretch run to the left side with just 24 seconds left in the third quarter.
Kadan Tatro set the tone for Hoosac Valley with a big return on the following kickoff and the Hurricanes set up shop at Belchertown’s 30-yard line.
Tatro took the first play from scrimmage for 5 yards but the Hurricanes found themselves in a tough spot — fourth and 10 from Belchertown’s 18-yard line. Bradley, a freshman, made his presence known earlier in the game by breaking through three arm-tackles on his way to a 16-yard touchdown run in the first quarter.
He closed the night with five carries for 36 yards but on fourth and 10, Kastner needed Bradley to make a play through the air. Lined up on the left side, Bradley broke free on an up-and-out route and Kastner threw his receiver into open space in the end zone for six points.
A 10-yard sack by Jayquan Vazquez derailed Belchertown’s following drive and the Hurricanes got the ball back at their own 11. With a little under six minutes to work with, Hoosac leaned on Mucci and the ground game. Mucci ran the ball eight times on the drive and punched in the game-winning touchdown with just 22 seconds left on the clock.
Mucci, a sophomore, closed the game with a team-high 79 yards on 16 carries. Tatro, meanwhile, added another seven carries for 49 yards.
Daskam ran the ball 17 times for a game-high 107 yards in the loss, and Josh Grillo added another 68 yards on the ground for the visitors.
While the Hurricanes put it all together in the fourth quarter, they also hit their fair share of turbulence. Hoosac Valley struggled to get the offense going in the first half with 10 plays that resulted in a penalty or muffed snap in the first half.
Belchertown looks to get back in the win column next week when it hosts Frontier in a huge IL South matchup.