NORTHAMPTON — The Belchertown football team had a big day on the ground in its 35-8 win over Smith Vocational, Saturday night.
The Orioles (2-1) had a solid game plan that attacked gaps all over the field, while the Vikings (0-3) struggled to contain the explosive plays and missed opportunities offensively.
“We’re getting better,” Belchertown coach Ed Wyzik said. “I thought it was a good win. We’re still making a few mistakes but we capitalized on their mistakes. The bottom line is we can’t have that many penalties heading into the next few games.”
There were a lot of penalties between the teams. While the Orioles were hurt by the penalties, it was the Vikings who were floored by them. Smith Voc had holding calls that brought back good runs or flags that hurt their field position.
“I was pleased with the guys,” Smith Vocational coach Keith Lebeau said. “We moved the ball, we just shot ourselves in the foot with all of those penalties. I’m pleased. I’m not happy with the score but I’m pleased with our effort out there.”
The Orioles were off to the races immediately, needing only three rushes before Sam Winston ran the ball 10 yards for a touchdown. The extra point gave Belchertown a 7-0 lead.
The Orioles’ second possession went the same as their first, as they ran the ball three times before quarterback Owen Sedlacek kept it himself for the 1-yard score. Belchertown missed the kick but led 13-0 with 2 minutes, 45 seconds left in the first quarter.
The score remained the same until 2:22 left in the second quarter when Sedlacek found Cal Daskam for a 21-yard touchdown. The extra kick was good as Belchertown led 20-0.
The Vikings struck before the half, as quarterback Cayden Guimond connected with Chevron Wall for a 55-yard touchdown with 32 seconds remaining. Smith Voc converted the two-point attempt to pull within 20-8 at halftime.
Belchertown opened the third quarter the same way it opened the first: pounding the ball. The Orioles rushed five times before Sedlacek ran in another 1-yard touchdown. They converted the two-point attempt to bring the score to 28-8.
The score remained that way until Daskam ran for a 5-yard touchdown with 4:30 remaining in the fourth quarter. The extra point was good as Belchertown led 35-8.
Daskam was critical for the Orioles. He ended the game with seven rushes for 101 yards and a score. He also caught a 21-yard touchdown.
“He’s a play-maker,” Wyzik said. “He’s going to give us what we need. Right now with what I see out in the league, he’s one of the better athletes. Last year he was pretty good against a lot of good seniors. This is his year to shine. He’s given us 100 yards a game and he’s catching the ball well. He’s an all-purpose kid out there. He can do anything.”
Belchertown played the game with a lot of fresh faces, including on defense.
“We started to rotate a lot of guys around,” Wyzik said. “We have a lot of guys that are going both ways so we’re going to put some other people in and see if they can actually help us down the long run. We’ve got league games coming up so we have to find out, so if somebody goes down, we have to make sure we have another guy ready.”