NORTHAMPTON — The return of running back Nik Smith was subtle, yet highly effective for the Northampton football team Friday night.
In a 46-19 win over Commerce, Smith had two carries.
One of them was a 30-yard touchdown where Smith made the Commerce defense look like it was playing in slow motion.
“There’s something about being out here on senior night,” Smith said. “It doesn’t matter how many times I run the ball or how many rushing yards I get. It’s about being with the team.”
The other carry was for 38 yards, giving Smith two carries for 68 yards.
“It was good to work Nik in there and give him a few carries,” Northampton coach Pat Sledzieski said. “We saw how explosive he can be.”
On other plays, a fake to Smith opened up lanes for Elijah Davis and Beau Garbarini.
“Once we ran that sweep one time it opened everything up,” Davis said. “It gives us a more powerful running game.”
Davis had his usual dominant performance for the Blue Devils with 15 carries for 160 yards and two scores, including touchdown runs of 19 and 47-yards. Davis entered the game with over 1,000 yards rushing.
Garbarini (eight carries, 83 yards) scored first for Northampton with an electrifying 60-yard run where the running back seemed to find two or three extra gears to get to the end zone.
With all three backs producing at a high level and the inclusion of the wildcat offense, the Blue Devils (6-1, 3-1 Suburban South) are looking to make a playoff run.
According to Sledzieski, the Blue Devils clinched a home game in the postseason with the win.
“We wanted another home game,” Davis said. Losing to Westfield “last week was a bummer but we stepped it up this week. We had to.”
Davis added a 21-yard touchdown reception from Ryan Bredin.
“We can throw,” Sledzieski said. “Other teams need to see that.”
Hamp started slowly against Commerce (2-5, 1-3), giving up a 27-yard score to Justin Jean-Charles on the game’s opening drive.
Outside of games against Westfield and South Hadley, there haven’t been many deficits for the Blue Devils.
“We have some guys out on defense that haven’t played too much,” Sledzieski said.
When Hamp started hitting Commerce quarterback Semaj Hunter, the Red Raiders offense began to wilt.
Devontay Edmonds and Zac Brittain had one sack each for the Blue Devils.
Anas Nichols had 11 carries and 76 yards, including a 14-yard score, for the Red Raiders.
After the half, a 10-play 60 yard drive capped by a Davis touchdown made it 30-13.
In the fourth quarter, Edmonds (four carries, 42 yards) found the end zone for a 10-yard score.
