SOUTH HADLEY — The South Hadley football team ran into a brick wall on Friday: three-time state champion Mashpee.

And the Falcons cruised past the Tigers, 48-8.

“I’m proud of my kids. I don’t see anybody in our division stepping outside of their comfort zone,” South Hadley coach Scott Taylor said. “They’re a great team, (Mashpee coach) Matt (Triveri) has a great program.”

Mashpee opened with 20 points in the first quarter. Senior running back Devaun Ford ran for a 32-yard touchdown, followed by a 12-yard run from Camron Kergo just minutes later. The Falcons then put their passing game on display when quarterback Ian Miller threw a pass to South Hadley’s 30-yard line, where Ford jumped to grab the ball and took it to the end zone for a 49-yard score.

Down 20-0 early in the second quarter, the Tigers’ special teams found some life. Returning a punt in his own territory, Ford was hit and lost the ball, as Tyrell Braithwaite recovered it at the Mashpee 43-yard line. Following the fumble, a 1-yard rush from Ben Watkins and two incomplete passes from junior quarterback Ethan Murphy forced South Hadley to punt.

In the third quarter, Miller connected with tight end Xavier Gonsalves for a 44-yard score. Less than three minutes later, Mashpee designed a quarterback run and Miller took it in for a 14-yard score. Ford capped the first half with a 69-yard touchdown run to give the Falcons a 40-0 cushion going into halftime.

Mashpee’s balanced offense and ability to be a threat with both the run and the pass was a major concern for the Tigers.

“You’ve got to pick their poison,” said Taylor. “They’ve got playmakers all over the place.”

Late in the contest, the Tigers gained a rhythm offensively on the ground. Three plays after freshman Jack Haber ran for 20 yards, Kyle Johnson ran for gains of 33 and 10 yards to set South Hadley up in the red zone. Haber ran in for the 1-yard score with 48 ticks left in the game to avoid the shutout and put the score at 48-8.

Taylor was pleased with how his team never quit in the second half.

“That’s something we try to pride ourselves on and preach and I’m proud of our guys,” Taylor said.

Mashpee 48, South Hadley 8

Mashpee

20

20

8

0

—48

South Hadley

0

0

0

8

—8

First quarter

M—Devaun Ford 32-yard run (conversion failed), 6:58.

M—Camron Kergo 29 run (conversion good), 2:00.

M—Ford 49 pass from Ian Miller (conversion failed), 1:43.

Second quarter

M—Xavier Gonsalves 44 pass from Ian Miller (Gonsalves kick), 9:00.

M—Miller 14 run (kick failed), 6:35.

M—Ford 69 run (Gonsalves kick), 4:02

Third quarter

M—Cameron Sweeney 65 run (Brady Johnston run), 2:59.

Fourth quarter

SH—Jack Haber 1 run (Kyle Johnson run), 0:48

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Mashpee–Ford 5-156, Cuozzo 1-17, Rose 2-2, Kergo 1-29, Miller 1-14, Sweeney 1-65, Hendricks 4-12, Govoni 1-4, Pereira 2-9, Peters 1-4, Roberts 1-1. South Hadley-Watkins 7-11, Couture 8-34, Borowski 7-24, Murphy 4-(-17), Cottingham 3-22, Braithwaite 4-3, Haber 5-30, Johnson 3-39

PASSING—Mashpee–Miller 4-4-123-2. South Hadley–Murphy 3-8-10-0, Borowski 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING—Mashpee–Kergo 1-13, Gonsalves 2-61. South Hadley-Piquette 1-8, Sullivan 1-7, Couture 1-(-5)