Game suspensions, postponements, and in some cases cancellations, occurred during the majority of Week 1 high school football games as nasty storms swept through western Massachusetts over the weekend.
If you were in the stands at Ware High School on Friday night when Ware’s game with Easthampton kicked off around 8:45 p.m. (an hour and 45 minutes after the original game time) — kudos to you for sticking it out. The field lights were out when I arrived there at 6:30, so my original thought was that the game was postponed – which would make sense considering the heavy rain and prominent lightning in the sky above. But as I drove through the parking lot and saw it was filled with running vehicles, I realized everyone was patiently waiting for a decision to be made on whether or not the game was going to be played.
After lightning stopped for long enough to get the game started, it returned to the gloomy sky within the area during the first quarter. Me and the rest of the folks in the press box were shocked when the officials seemed to ignore it as the game continued on.
Ware used a potent ground attack to jump out to an early lead and didn’t look back as action reached halftime. The Eagles found themselves down 20-0, but felt they had begun to gain some momentum during the latter portion of the second quarter. At halftime, the officials called the coaches to midfield and determined the elements were too unsafe to play in. Because the game had reached halftime, it was enough to be considered a full contest – which gave Ware a 20-0 win over Easthampton.
“Obviously we wanted to finish this game,” Eagles head coach Kyle Dragon said after the game. “But circumstances beyond our control didn’t let us finish it. I think we learned some stuff about ourselves from tonight. Some things we need to work on just from that first half of football.”
Dragon and the rest of the Easthampton squad were disappointed to say the least, and you couldn’t help but feel for them. The Eagles were also playing in their first game since the tragic passing of head coach Matt Bean, and they have openly dedicated the season to him. So Easthampton made the 45 minute trip to Ware, waited almost two hours to play, and then was told the game was over at halftime – when the lightning was going on throughout the entire first half. It didn’t make sense.
The game should’ve been stopped after the first sign of lightning, which would have given the Eagles a chance to play a full game on a different day. Several games were moved to Saturday or Sunday, which certainly would have been reasonable for this contest as well.
Regardless, Easthampton started its season 0-1 in frustrating fashion. The Eagles will host Monument Mountain in their home opener Friday at 7 p.m.
Status of Belchertown/Northampton Week 1 contest unknown
One of the most intriguing games of the opening week of high school football never got the chance to be played. Friday’s weather dismissed the original game date between Belchertown and Northampton, so it was moved to Saturday at 6 p.m. Perhaps the morning would have been a better time for the game, as that second attempted kickoff was postponed due to weather. After that, the tilt was moved again to Monday afternoon at 4:30, which is when the third postponement took place – once again because of weather.
There is currently no date scheduled for the Blue Devils and Orioles to play this game, but we do know it won’t be this week.
Northampton (0-0) and Belchertown (0-0) will instead begin their seasons at 7 p.m. this Friday. The Blue Devils head to Westfield, and the Orioles host Pittsfield. Those contests will be tough tests to open the year for both teams.
Amherst cruises to 44-point win in season opener
Amherst came out with a point to prove in Week 1. The offseason hype around the Hurricanes was surely there, and with one game of evidence they have so far lived up to that hype. Amherst ran away with a 50-6 win over Putnam on Saturday at Community Field. Senior tailback Jameson Dion exploded for 346 total yards and five total touchdowns, including scores from 83, 81, 49, 48, and 42 yards out.
Having Dion along with backfield members Matt Hockman (90 rushing yards) and Junior Ramsey (32 yards, one touchdown) helped Holyoke transfer and senior quarterback Gavier “NeNe” Fernandez settle into his first game with ease. Fernandez had the easiest job on the field: feed his running backs the ball. He only had to attempt one pass, and that one pass was a good one. Fernandez uncorked a 49-yard touchdown toss to Dion in the second quarter. The majority of the Hurricanes starters only played one half considering the 50-6 halftime lead.
Amherst (1-0) hosts Springfield International Charter School (1-0) on Thursday in what is the Bulldogs’ second season as a varsity program though they did open with a win over Commerce last weekend. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
Smith Vocational starts season with statement
The Vikings were ready to rumble the second they hopped off the bus in Lexington. The long trip to Minuteman Regional was well worth it, as Smith Voc trounced Minuteman 43-0 Friday night and returned to Northampton with a 1-0 record.
Jared Baer and Jamie Tobin scampered for two touchdowns apiece on the ground. Quarterback Alex Martinez – who is expected to be an offensive force for the Vikings in 2023 – connected with star receiver John Majewski for a touchdown. Majewski was atop the leaderboards in receiving yards throughout all of last season. Bryan Leyton added a rushing score as well for Smith Voc in the win.
The Vikings return to action on Friday night as they once again hit the road. Smith Voc will battle Ludlow before playing its home opener in Week 3 against Keefe Tech.
Other schools looking to bounce back after Week 1 losses
Frontier hit the road for a difficult test against Lunenburg last weekend. Aiden Dredge rushed for the lone Red Hawks touchdown in a 32-6 loss. Up next for Frontier is a more ideal road trip to Franklin Tech on Friday night at 7 p.m.
Holyoke dropped its season opener against Pittsfield 42-8 last Friday. Quarterback Nathan Pok was 4-for-9 with 42 yards and a touchdown pass. Defensively, Ethan Zayas (interception) and Jaheim Davis (fumble recovery) came up with takeaways. The Purple Knights travel to Agawam on Friday night at 7 p.m.
South Hadley hung around with Wahconah in its first game of 2023, but the Tigers ultimately fell 28-16 as they had issues with the potent Warriors rushing attack. Wahconah has been one of the more successful programs in Western Mass. over the past several years, and South Hadley hung with them toe-to-toe from start to finish. South Hadley’s next bout is on Friday in an away game with Greenfield at 7 p.m.
