H.S. Football: Larson’s late goal line stand helps Easthampton take down Holyoke 24-22

HOLYOKE — Jesus Morales plunged up the middle and snuck across the goal line through a pile of bodies on a 4th-and-goal from the 1-yard line. The Holyoke High running back’s score brought his team to within two against Easthampton and it needed a two-point conversion to tie up Thursday night’s contest with just over one minute to go in the fourth quarter.

On the try, Holyoke quarterback Devin Velez faked a handoff to Morales and rolled to his left. He quickly scanned the field and couldn’t find an open receiver, so he took off toward the pylon with one thing in mind: overtime.

As Velez approached the end zone, Easthampton cornerback Pat Larson instinctively broke off of his man-to-man assignment and darted toward Velez.

Larson knocked Velez out of bounds at the 1-yard line, preserving the Eagles’ 24-22 lead. Easthampton recovered the ensuing onside kick, kneeled the ball twice and celebrated its fourth consecutive victory — perhaps none bigger than this one.

“It’s exciting,” Eagles head coach Kyle Dragon said after the win. “They’re happy. Four in a row, and I was just telling them, I don’t think we’ve ever beat a school this size before. Ever. They’re really happy, and I told them they can walk around school tomorrow with their heads held high and feel proud about this one.”

It was Larson’s big stop at the goal line that sealed the deal. So far this season, the Eagles’ red zone defense has stepped up to every challenge thrown their way.

Thursday was no different.

“We’ve been thriving this year down in the red zone and two-point conversion areas,” Dragon said. “There’s just a lot of grit and a lot resiliency with those kids down there, putting their head down and just digging in… It was a heads up play (by Larson). It’s not something we coach necessarily, but he’s an athlete and he has good reactionary skills. He knows how to make a play at the right time.”

The two teams traded touchdowns late in the first quarter and early in the second, starting with Eagles quarterback Colin Hogan — who rumbled in from two yards out on a QB keeper. A two-point conversion made it 8-0 with one minute to go in the opening frame.

Only four plays later, the Purple Knights responded. Morales bounced an inside handoff out to the right and used his speed to do the rest. Forty-six yards later, Morales was in the end zone celebrating with his teammates. He punched in the conversion to knot the score at 8 apiece.

That theme would continue all night long, as Easthampton would go up by one touchdown two more times, and each instance the Purple Knights would claw back and answer with one of their own.

“My kids will fight and play until that clock says zero,” Holyoke head coach David Guzman said. “They give me everything they’ve got. We just came up short today and didn’t play well enough to win, but I’m proud of them.”

Jake Kostek put Easthampton back in front in the second quarter after hauling in a highlight-reel 55-yard touchdown score from Hogan, who sold a play-action fake to free up Kostek behind the Holyoke defense.

Kostek, a do-it-all senior, jumped and snatched the ball over a Purple Knights defender before breaking a tackle and sprinting the rest of the way for the TD. Whether it was Kostek, Hogan, Larson or Luis Salgado, the Eagles’ play makers were ready to go on Thursday.

“That’s the way our offensive style works,” Dragon said. “We have a fullback, downhill runner and a couple of east/west runners who can also catch the ball. Teams will scout our games and plan around whoever did the best the week before, and it opens up someone else. Jake Kostek was the one who stepped up this week.”

Easthampton forced a safety on the next Holyoke drive to make it 16-8, but the Purple Knights once again wasted no time tying it back up. Velez hit Jose Feliciano on a curl route, and Feliciano broke a tackle on his way to pay dirt. The 26-yard score and ensuing two-point conversion brought the score to 16-16 at the half.

It would remain that way until early in the fourth, when Larson took a counter handoff from Hogan and found space on the outside. Larson used his blazing speed to outrun the Holyoke defense and score from 41 yards out. A Kostek two-point attempt would succeed and catapult Easthampton back in front, 24-16.

That set the stage for Morales’ touchdown run and Larson’s defensive heroics, stamping the Eagles’ 4-1 start to the year.

Easthampton returns to action next Friday night against Lee looking for a fifth straight triumph. Kickoff is slated for 7 p.m. out in the Berkshires. The Eagles plan on tightening up aspects of their game until then.

“We definitely have to block better, and not just the line but our downfield blocking with our skill players as well,” Dragon said. “They’re not holding their blocks correctly. And wrapping up better on our tackles as well. We got in the backfield so many times tonight but we let them get away.”

Holyoke (1-4) travels to South Hadley next Friday night at 7 p.m. in hopes of snapping a three-game skid.

“This game hurts, but we have to lick our wounds and move on,” Guzman said. “We have a really tough matchup next week. So we don’t have time to pout. It’s time to look ourselves in the mirror and get better.”