Minnechaug flies past Northampton, 35-14

WILBRAHAM — Minnechaug proved to be too much for Northampton Friday night, as the Falcons cruised past the Blue Devils, 35-14.

“They had too many athletes for us,” Northampton coach Joe Kocot said. “They have a great crowd. I was talking to the ref and I couldn’t even hear him so you’ve got to give their fans credit, their team credit.”

The Blue Devils defense was unable to stop the aerial attack put on display by Minnechaug quarterback Anthony Izzo, who was 10 of 23 for 208 yards and three touchdowns. The Falcons receiving core was led by Chris Patrick (four receptions, 89 yards) with three touchdowns and Alex Henry (three receptions, 80 yards) with one touchdown catch. Ethan Moretti was explosive on the ground for Minnechaug racking up 142 yards on 18 carries.

“You’ve got to pick your poison,” Kocot said. “We wanted to stop Moretti and then deal with Henry in their back end.”

The Falcons didn’t waste any time finding the end zone as Izzo connected with Alex Henry for a 40-yard touchdown just 1:18 into the contest, with Izzo completing four of his first five passes on that drive.

After Northampton (2-2, 0-1 Suburban South) went three-and-out on its first drive, Minnechaug (4-0, 1-0) took over again but was forced to punt when Izzo had three consecutive incomplete passes.

During the Blue Devils’ next drive, a 20-yard catch from Devontay Edmonds (15 carries, 66 yards) followed by a 17-yard run allowed them to get to the Falcons’ own 42-yard line, but Northampton quarterback Tom Jacques (111 yards passing) failed to convert on a fourth-and-4.

Opening the second quarter, Minnechaug found the end zone when Moretti ran for a 4-yard score. Looking to cushion its lead with 47 seconds left before halftime, Izzo racked up his second touchdown by finding Patrick for a 15-yard score.

The Blue Devils had the longest drive of the game to open the third. The drive started with runs of 5 and 10 yards from Edmonds, followed by a 9-yard gain from Braeden Tudryn. Two plays later, after Jacques limped off the sideline, Jake Brittain stepped in and completed a 43-yard pass to Sam Walker to put Northampton on the Falcons’ 3-yard line. Three plays later, Edmonds muscled his way past the goal line and put the score at 21-6.

The Blue Devils’ defense then forced a Minnechaug punt and Northampton put together another productive drive. At their own 42-yard line, the Blue Devils rushed their way into the Falcons’ territory with runs from Tudryn (4 yards) and Edmonds (14 yards), but the Minnechaug defense eventually for the stop.

Minnechaug found the end zone twice in the fourth quarter for a comfortable 35-6 advantage.

Northampton continued to fight when Jacques completed a pass to Jake Brittain for a 71-yard score with 2:28 left in the game.

“The guys responded well and I told them I wanted to win the second half,” Kocot said. “We had spurts where we stopped their momentum to stop the bleeding.”

The Blue Devils will now look to bounce back next week against No.9 West Springfield.

Minnechaug 35, Northampton 14

First quarter

M—Henry 40-yard yard pass from Izzo (Talia kick), 10:42.

Second quarter

M—Moretti 4 run (Talia kick), 10:38

M—Patrick 15 pass from Izzo (Talia kick), 0:47

Third quarter

N—Edmonds 2 run (2 pt. conv. failed), 7:33.

Fourth quarter

M—Patrick 43 pass from Izzo (Talia kick), 5:37

M—Moretti 34 run (Talia kick), 2:50

N—Brittain 71 pass from Jacques (Edmonds run), 2:28

INDIVIDUAL STATISTICS

RUSHING—Northampton–Jacques 4-13, Edmonds 15-66, Powers 4-14, Tudryn 11-12, Holden 3-8, Brittain 1—6. Minnechaug– Moretti 18-142-2, Talia 1–4, Izzo 2–19.

PASSING—Northampton–Jacques 4-15-111-1, Edmonds 0-1. Minnechaug–Izzo 10-23-208-3.

RECEIVING—Northampton – Edmonds 1-20, Walker 1-43, Brittain 3-91. Minnechaug–Patrick 4-89-2, Moretti 2-25, Henry 3-80-1. Labrasseur 1-14, Mills 0-0.