NORTHAMPTON – The Suburban League South football title rested in the hands of Northampton’s special teams unit.
Good thing for the Blue Devils, senior Josh Castro brought his strength to the field, too.
Castro bobbled Agawam’s onside kick attempt with 19 seconds left, but the reserve emerged from the scrum with the ball and championship in hand as Northampton held off the Brownies, 19-14, Friday night at David Wright Field.
“I was hyped, real hyped,” Castro said. “I was so excited.”
The Blue Devils capped their regular season at 7-1, their lone loss a forfeit to Westfield due to illness. Brackets for the MIAA Division 4 Tournament will be released on Monday. Northampton, which was No. 12 in the most recent Power Ranking list released by the MIAA, is expected to play its first round game Friday.
“There was definitely a lot of emotion. (The title) was in the back of our heads,” Northampton senior receiver Trey Rios said. “We kept telling us it was just another game.”
Northampton was in control throughout, but Agawam (4-4) made it close late. The Brownies had possession on their own 14-yard line, trailing 19-7 with less than 30 seconds remaining. Quarterback Niko Nuzzolilli threw a deep pass along the sidelines that was tipped into the hands of a streaking Noah Jodoin, who took it to the end zone.
Agawam attempted the onside kick, but Castro was ready, albeit nervous.
“In practice, we were on hands team and the ball went under me. It was bad,” Castro said. “Not that I was nervous to play on the field, but I was so happy to get that ball and save the game.”
The Blue Devils have been receiving contributions all season from up and down the lineup. Castro is just the latest to make an important play.
“To have kids like that who sit on the bench all game, you have to trust them to come in at any time and make a play like that,” senior quarterback Ben Sledzieski said.
Added Northampton head coach Joe Kocot, “It’s what it’s all about. If a kid can have that one or two, or a handful of memories, that’s all you need. It puts some gas in the tank.”
On Agawam’s series prior to its second touchdown, the Brownies faced fourth-and-7 from Hamp’s 10 with five minutes left in the fourth. The drive ended when Chris Delano intercepted Nuzzolilli in the end zone.
“There’s a lot of players who can make plays,” senior linebacker Wesley Parent said. “A lot of players have been playing football for a long time and have a knack for the play.”
Agawam used a methodical 14-play opening drive to take a 7-0 lead. The Brownies went 85 yards and was 2-for-2 on fourth down. The drive took just over 8 minutes and got the attention of Kocot.
“You put so much into it and you see that first drive and you’re like “Ffffff, what do we do?’” Kocot said.
The Blue Devils answered. They went 71 yards on nine plays to tie the game. They had four first downs over the first five plays that covered 41 yards. Sledzieski was under pressure when he found Mykal Norris from 15 yards out on fourth down for the touchdown.
Hamp made it 13-7 just before halftime. The Blue Devils went 73 yards on nine plays in 1:50. They had five first downs, three converted by Marty Maslowski. Sledzieski hit Kelvin Perez from 4 yards out in the front corner of the end zone for the touchdown.
Rios gave the Devils a boost in the second half. He missed the final five minutes of the second quarter after getting hurt, but started the third and hauled in a 47-yard touchdown pass from Sledzieski. Rios caught the ball around the 25 and burst past two defenders, who collided into each other attempting the tackle.
“I was really motivated to do something for my team after I got banged up,” Rios said. “(Sledzieski) gave me a good ball and I shook off some tackles and got a touchdown.”
It was all Northampton’s defense from there. Agawam had 138 yards rushing in the first half, but was held to 57 after the break.
“A big part of it was it started with our D-line,” Parent said. “They were able in the second half to make some adjustments, stay lower and get off the ball quicker. I think that was a big piece of it because it freed up some space for our linebackers to make the plays.”
Sledzieski finished 16 of 34 for 200 yards. He found six different receivers. Rios had four catches for 82 yards. Sledzieski led the team with 71 yards rushing on 11 carries.
Ryan Crowther had an interception in the first half.