NORTHAMPTON — Friday night’s game promised playoff intensity between two teams with serious postseason aspirations, but the Northampton defense reigned supreme as the undisputed champion of the evening.
The Blue Devils capitalized on five turnovers and Marty Maslowski returned two fumbles for touchdowns 26 seconds apart in the third quarter, the clear difference in a 34-11 blitz of visiting Wahconah in a key Suburban League South collision at David Wright Field.
From a 21-3 halftime lead for the hosts, Maslowski’s returns of 86 and 36 yards sent the game careening into blowout territory and forced running time for the entire fourth quarter.
“We’re just trying to take care of us,” said ’Hamp coach Joe Kocot, whose team improved to 4-0 within the Suburban League South and 6-1 overall. “The kids played hard. Our team speed is off the charts, and everyone’s just flying to the ball.”
Northampton, currently the 13th-ranked team in the most recent MIAA Division 4 Power Rankings, jumped to a 7-0 lead off the opening drive of the game, a 68-yard march, capped off by a 2-yard scoring flip from Ben Sledzieski to Wes Parent and Maslowski’s extra-point kick.
Wahconah (5-2, 2-2 SL South), which was 7th in the most recent Div. 7 rankings, answered quickly behind a 12-yard completion from Lucas Pickard to Owen Salvatore, an 11-yard gain by Doug Collins and Noah Poirier’s 25- and 9-yard gainers down to the Northampton 17. The Blue Devils then got their first turnover, a pickoff by Chris Delano, but during his return Delano fumbled and Dan Epe recovered for the Warriors at the Hamp 21. Wahconah couldn’t move from there, but Ethan Orsini got the visitors on the board with a 37-yard field goal to pull within 7-3 with 2:22 left in the first.
After an exchange of punts, the Blue Devils moved 72 yards in six plays and Sledzieski cashed it in with a nifty 35-yard stop-and-start scramble down the right sideline for the score. Maslowski’s second point-after boosted the lead to 14-3.
Before the half, Delano came up with his second interception of Pickard and returned it 17 yards to the Warriors’ 28. Mykal Norris went 23 yards up the middle for the score with 1:42 to play, and Maslowski’s kick made it a 21-3 game. Norris then intercepted Pickard in the final seconds, running it back 29 yards to the Hamp 34 to close things out.
Wahconah looked to cut into the deficit right away at the top of the third quarter, driving from its own 30 helped by a 28-yard run by Salvatore and a 15-yarder from Poirier. The Warriors reached the 1-yard line before a false start pushed them back to the 6. On fourth-and-goal, Caleb Steiniger strip-sacked Pickard and Maslowski scooped up the ball at the 14, with nothing but clear sailing ahead for an 86-yard return.
As if one defensive player’s dream wasn’t enough, the same scene played out on the next series, with a sack by Steiniger, a fumble and a 36-yard return by Maslowski — this time with an unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty tossed in as well.
“I give props to Caleb, he knocked the ball out both times,” said Maslowski. “My mind was just run as fast as I can. I got there, got to celebrate with my team, and everything was just downhill since then.”
Wahconah reached the end zone for the only time with approximately three minutes left, when Pickard found Jesse Chapman for a 15-yard score. The two connected once again on the two-point attempt to bring the final to 34-11.
“It doomed us for sure,” said Wahconah coach Gary Campbell. “Even with the turnovers in the first half, I felt we were in it. We moved the ball pretty well on the first drive, and then it was self-inflicted wounds. We did it to ourselves. When you do it against a good team, it gets exponential, and those things get bigger and bigger.”
The Warriors actually had a slight edge over the Blue Devils with 259 total yards to 247. Sledzieski completed 11-of-15 passes for 115 yards and ran for a game-high 80 yards. Norris added 39 rushing yards and Trey Rios was Hamp’s top receiving target with four catches for 68 yards.
Despite throwing three interceptions, Pickard ended the night 13-of-26 passing for 152 yards. Salvatore caught six balls for 45 yards while Jacob Cooper (53 yards) and Chapman (43) each had three receptions. Poirier topped the Wahconah ground gainers with 67 yards.
Northampton looks to clinch a SL South title next week when it hosts Agawam, while Wahconah travels to play at West Springfield.