East Longmeadow’s potent passing attack proved too strong with three first-half scores, and the Amherst Regional football team lost a Western Mass. game for the first time in more than a year Friday, falling 21-6 on the road.
“In the first half, we struggled to move the ball. East Longmeadow did a good job with their passing game,” Amherst coach Chris Ehorn said. “We had a hard time stopping it.”
It didn’t help that the Hurricanes starting quarterback and safety Jameson Dion left with an injury in the first quarter, and No. 1 receiver and defensive back Zayd Sadiq was unavailable.
“It’s important I do a better job of planning for such occasions,” Ehorn said. “Our offensive line is fantastic, and I need to do a better job of using them to their strengths.”
Amherst turned to its ground game in the second half. The Hurricanes ran the ball inside well, and Tafari Proctor put them on the board with a four-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
“What was great for this team was even with a bad 21-0 half they were excited the whole game,” Ehorn said. “We felt we could make that comeback, and it just didn’t happen.”
Amherst will next face Agawam at 4:30 p.m. on the road March 26.