EASTHAMPTON – Thanksgiving was a special day for the Easthampton football team.
Senior captain Kinnon McColgan scored his first career touchdown. Senior captain and quarterback Colin Hogan scored three rushing touchdowns for the first time.
Classmate and fellow captain Jake Kostek added two touchdowns for the Eagles, who beat Northampton, 34-18, Thursday at Mountain View School.
“It’s amazing, winning on Thanksgiving,” Kostek said. “I couldn’t ask for a better game. Great last game. I love my football team.”
It’s the first time Easthampton has a winning streak in the holiday series that started in 2018. Northampton leads the series 5-2.
“I’m still in shock,” said McColgan after finishing a lap around the field with his teammates.
The Eagles finished 6-5, their first season over .500 since 2021.
“I couldn’t have asked for more for my last game,” Hogan said. “It was awesome.”
It was announced after the game that head coach Kyle Dragon is retiring from coaching. Dragon took over head coaching duties in 2023 following the death of Matt Bean. Dragon has been involved in football for 19 years, the last nine at the high school level.
“It’s emotional,” Dragon said. “It’s tough. I haven’t lost the passion for it, you just know when it’s time.”
Northampton finished 2-9.
“Despite everything that happened, my kids played hard,” first-year Northampton coach Rocco Fernandez said. “This was one of our better offensive performances we’ve seen all year. Defensively, we did very well at points. Obviously, we could have gotten a couple stops here and there, but I’m proud of the way my kids showed out today. Obviously, not the way I wanted the season to end and not the end my seniors wanted.”
The game ended on a sour note. A fight broke out on the field following Hogan’s third touchdown with 3 minutes left on the clock. Once the extracurriculars stopped, the officials waved the white hat, stopping the game early for the first time in series history.
“We’ve been chippy all year and throughout the last two weeks of practice I went to the guys and told them to calm down this week,” Hogan said. “Even though it was a brawl at the end, I think our team kept our composure for the most part. We didn’t let them get to us as much as they wanted to.”
McColgan gave the Eagles a boost with a career play. The Blue Devils recovered a fumble at midfield and reached the red zone on an Ethan Rivera 26-yard run. On first-and-10 at the 18, Patrick Larson stopped Hamp quarterback Dion Cadiz for a 3-yard loss. On second down, Kostek hit Rivera first then McColgan cleaned up the play for a 4-yard loss.
On third-and-16, Cadiz dropped back to pass, but his pass floated over the middle. McColgan tipped the ball in the air and made the interception. The linebacker worked his way up the right side, cut across toward the middle and followed blockers down the left hash mark en route to an 83-yard return for a touchdown with 4:39 left in the opening quarter.
“It felt like a full-circle moment,” McColgan said. “Bittersweet. Good way to end.”
His teammates relished the moment.
“That turned the momentum for sure,” Hogan said. “I was worried they were going to start scoring on us, then I looked back and Kinnon is running down the field.”
On the first play of the next Northampton series, Eagles junior lineman Harrison Farrar, who is playing his first year of football, recovered a fumble near midfield. Hogan picked up 20 yards on a keeper on the first play, then scored himself on the second play. Kostek added the conversion run for a 14-0 lead.
“We always talk about turnovers; every week, every practice,” Dragon said. “That’s been the philosophy of the defense. To take advantage of those situations in the beginning is awesome.”
The Blue Devils answered on their next series when Gerald Lopez punched in the first of his two touchdowns to pull Hamp within 14-6.
“Gerald is a kid we’ve been looking to break out all year,” Fernandez said of the junior running back. “This was the best game he’s played for us so far.”
Easthampton came back with a 5-minute drive as Kostek scored from the 3 for a 20-6 lead. Northampton committed three pre-snap penalties on the drive.
“There were a lot of things going on out there on the field today,” Dragon said. “I give (my team) credit for staying composed as long as they did.”
The Blue Devils gained some momentum before halftime. A 24-yard run on third down by Cadiz set Hamp up at Easthampton’s 23. On third-and-7, Rivera scored on a 20-yard run.
“Ethan Rivera played a helluva game his final year,” Fernandez said.
That momentum was lost following a three-and-out to start the third. Hogan then scored his second touchdown to give the Eagles a 28-12 lead.
Easthampton had its first chance to put the game away early in the fourth. The Eagles had third-and-goal from the 2 leading by 10, but Lopez stripped Hogan of the ball for a turnover.
Cadiz kept the next drive alive with a fourth-down conversion for the Blue Devils, but the drive ended after seven plays. On second-and-15, Easthampton lineman Travis Carpenter pressured Cadiz toward the Northampton sideline. Cadiz launched a pass downfield where Hogan made the interception.
Four plays later, Hogan added his third and final touchdown to seal the win.
“We were texting in our group chat we needed to win this for coach,” Kostek said. “Winning it for him is all that mattered for us.”
Trailing 28-12, Cadiz picked up 46 yards on a third-and-1 run. After sneaking through the line, the junior spun around the defense and raced for the end zone. Larson saved the touchdown, but Lopez scored on the next play to cut the deficit to 28-18.
Cadiz “is running the option very well,” Fernandez said. “He’s been doing a phenomenal job with it these last few weeks. He’s been the fire power for our offense.”
