EAST LONGMEADOW — Late in the third quarter, East Longmeadow cut Amherst’s lead to one possession after a long touchdown run from Spartans quarterback Shane Becker.
The Hurricanes had just punted on their prior possession and needed to put together their best drive to regain control and extend their lead.
Amherst head coach Vinnie Guiel knew that, so he turned to his running back Jameson Dion with one simple message.
“He just said, ‘Go out there and do your thing. Take over this game,’” Dion said of his third-quarter conversation with Guiel on the sideline.
Dion did exactly that.
On the ensuing possession, Amherst called four straight run plays – all to Dion – the last of which he broke for a 21-yard touchdown to re-establish the ‘Canes two-possession lead and secure a win.
Amherst went on to defeat East Longmeadow 28-18 on Friday night behind 238 rushing yards and four touchdowns from Dion, improving its record to a perfect 5-0 this season.
“Coming into the season we knew we had the talent to do it, but actually doing it is another thing,” Guiel said of the undefeated record. “Winning a football game is not easy, at all, and it showed tonight. East Longmeadow is tough, really tough. They got big dudes up front, their receivers are good, that quarterback is a killer.”
The Hurricanes jumped out to an early 16-0 lead behind two first-quarter scores (17 and 53 yards) from Dion and coasted into halftime with a 16-3 advantage.
East Longmeadow held Amherst scoreless in the second quarter and outscored the Hurricanes 18-12 following the first frame. Friday was the first road game where Amherst was tested, and the ‘Canes responded exactly how Guiel hoped they would.
“We got a tough, resilient team, and it was a good high school football game for sure,” Guiel said. “It was a physical one. We’re here to play football, and that’s that. I’m proud of my guys, for sure.”
Becker threw for 154 yards for the Spartans, but a lot of it was short, underneath routes to the outside. With Amherst sitting in cover four and cover six looks, which was the plan coming in, there wasn’t a lot open down the field. The Hurricanes made East Longmeadow work for every first down.
And when the Spartans worked the ball into Amherst territory, their drives often stalled out. East Longmeadow turned the ball over on downs four times on the plus-side of the 50, and only scored one touchdown (the aforementioned 44-yard Becker run) and settled for a 33-yard field goal.
Guiel’s game plan was executed to perfection by his defense.
“All week we were really worried about keeping East Longmeadow in front of us,” Guiel said. “We knew they’d get chunk plays, but it’s important that we can’t let people get over our head. And it paid dividends, because they were moving the rock, but as they got closer to the end zone, they struggled a little bit when they didn’t have the room to run.”
The Amherst defense has been just as essential to the team’s success as the offense has been. The Hurricanes have yet to let a team reach 20 points, and the entire unit is working cohesively.
Defensive end Junior Ramsey – who was in the backfield several times on Friday disrupting Becker and the rest of the Spartans backfield – said he senses the defense’s prosperity has a lot to do with the bond of everyone involved in that unit.
“We’re just playing good all around,” Ramsey said. “The team is coming together as a family, everyone is really bonding, everyone is close together, everyone is friends. And that’s why I feel like we’re winning this year.”
The ‘Canes coaching staff has even incentivized physical, disciplined defense with small awards for players.
“Our defense is so much different than in the past here,” Guiel said. “We take pride in playing defense, and it’s something we really have worked on this year. We give awards for big hits and those kinds of things to get them fired up to play D.”
The defense came up big one final time in the fourth quarter with East Longmeadow driving inside the 20. Amherst forced a turnover on downs at its own 15-yard line, and the offense put the game away the following drive.
Dion capped off his night with his fourth and final touchdown run, this one for 65 yards. The senior eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark on Friday, which meant the world to him after an injury-riddled junior year in 2022.
“It definitely feels good after last year only playing around four games,” Dion said. “Coming back this year, the team’s doing well, and it feels great.”
With a miraculous win over Wahconah in Week 4 and a full 48-minute battle with East Longmeadow Friday, this Amherst football team is now battle tested after a few cupcake wins to start the year.
The Hurricanes are making a statement in western Massachusetts.
“Last two weeks have been dog fights, and it just shows that this team ain’t gonna give up and that we’re here to win,” Dion said. “We’re gonna do our job and play to the end.”
Up next for Amherst (5-0) is the storied Battle of the Bridge, as the Hurricanes travel to Northampton on Friday for a 7 p.m. bout with the Blue Devils.
Northampton has had Amherst’s number over the last several years, and have trounced the ‘Canes in dominant fashion – including last year’s 33-0 shutout. Despite the Blue Devils’ 0-4 record, Guiel is going to prepare his team for an old-fashioned showdown.
“They’ve stomped us the last three years, 50-biscuits each time,” Guiel said. “We’re excited for the game, the kids are really excited. [Northampton coach] Joe Kocot is a legend, he’s been doing this forever. They might not have the success record-wise, but they’re another one of those teams that are tough. So, prepare just like we’re playing the Buffalo Bills and hopefully go out and win a football game.”
As for Dion and the rest of the seniors who have yet to beat Northampton in their careers, they can see redemption on the horizon.
“I’m definitely excited for Noho week,” Dion said with a smile. “I’m always gonna be excited for Noho.”
