TURNERS FALLS — The Smith Vocational defense forced five Franklin Tech turnovers and that was the difference as the Vikings captured the inaugural Thanksgiving game with the Eagles, 24-14.
The victory was historic for the Vikings (5-5) in more ways than one. Not only was Wednesday the first time in program history that Smith Voke was playing on Thanksgiving, making the win all the more special, but it also brought the Vikings to .500 on the season, which is the first time ever that the team finished .500 or better in its six-year history.
“My goal this year was four wins, and we got five, and next year we just raised the bar,” Smith Voke coach Vincent Guiel said. “I played in a real big Thanksgiving Day game with West Springfield and Agawam, so I knew what the tradition this would bring, and I knew the guys would be excited to play. Things like this are huge for a program. From here on out, I will play Franklin Tech on Thanksgiving and the kids will look forward to it.”
Franklin Tech dropped to 3-8 with the loss, and coach Joe Gamache said he was most disappointed for the six seniors.
“Our senior class played a lot of varsity football for us,” he said. “All six have impacted this program.”
The Vikings scored a pair of touchdowns directly off Franklin Tech turnovers and survived a deep drive into their territory by the Eagles’ offense when a fumble ended another. Three of the four turnovers came in the second half, and two were when the Eagles were within one score of taking the lead.
“Our defense was our biggest worry coming in because they have a dynamic offense,” Guiel said. “Every time it came down to it, our seniors … I cannot say enough, they played so good, and defensively, that’s what won us this game.”
Gamache agreed that the Vikings’ defense was the difference.
“Flat out, they outplayed us today,” he said. “They are a much-improved program and a program on the rise. Their big linemen made some nice plays today. The turnovers really hurt, and when you are chasing points, you can’t afford to turn the ball over.”
Smith Voke jumped out to a quick lead as it took advantage of a fumble when Franklin Tech attempted to punt after a three-and-out on the game’s opening drive. That set up the Vikings at the Franklin Tech 34 and big runs by Ethan Rivera and quarterback Nick Marcinowski set up the Vikings at the Franklin Tech 4. Eric Leet rumbled in from there and before anyone in the crowd was shivering from the cold, Smith Voke had a 6-0 lead.
Smith Voke followed that up with an onside kick attempt (something the Vikings did on nearly all their kickoffs), which it recovered and appeared headed for another score before Marcinowski was intercepted by Franklin Tech linebacker Tim Fritz at the Eagles’ 28. That was the lone turnover of the game by the Vikings.
But Smith Voke’s defense held on fourth down, and the Vikings took over at the Eagles’ 31. Six plays later Rivera swept around the right end from 9 yards out to score and give the Vikings a 12-0 lead on the first play of the second quarter.
Franklin Tech got on the board late in the first half as a bad punt by the Vikings set up the Eagles on the Smith Voke 23. A 12-yard screen pass by Owen Bashaw to Jared Bergmann on third-and-13 moved Franklin Tech to the Vikings’ 3, and a quick-snap on fourth down saw Bashaw dump a quick pass to Kai Rodriguez in the end zone for a score with 13.4 seconds to play in the half. Bergmann ran in the conversion for a 12-8 deficit at the break.
Turnovers really hurt the Eagles in the third quarter as each of their first two possessions ended on the first play due to a fumble. The second fumble of the frame came at their own 11, and set up Smith Voke for its third score as Rivera recovered the fumble. Marcinowski ran in the touchdown from 7 yards out to put the Vikings up 18-8. Franklin Tech only ran five plays in the third quarter.
The Eagles made things interesting late when Bashaw threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to Bailey Young with 2:51 to play, but Leet broke off a 42-yard touchdown run with 1:45 to play to give the Vikings a two-score lead. Franklin Tech moved deep into Vikings’ territory in the final minute, but the Smith defense rose to the challenge and held on for the 10-point win.
Marcinowski was named Most Valuable Player for the Vikings. He went 0 for 5 passing with one interception, and rushed for 21 yards with one touchdown. Rivera finished with 83 yards on 17 carries, and Leet finished with 64 yards on nine carries.
Franklin Tech’s MVP was Bergmann, who finished with 17 yards on 15 carries and also completed a pass for 30 yards to Lucas Upham. Young entered the game needing 88 yards to hit 1,000 but finished with 70 on 14 hauls.