BUCKLAND — Fans surrounding Pollard Field sported layer upon layer, fighting a losing battle to combat a bitter cold that has overtaken Franklin County just in time for Thanksgiving.
But on the field, Matt Hildreth might as well have been dressed for a warm September evening.
The senior quarterback was part of a small minority of Frontier Regional players sporting their bare arms Wednesday night. Every tackle certainly hurt a bit more, but there was no chance Hildreth was going to change his usual attire for the last game of his high school career.
“Always,” he said of his choice to go sleeveless.
Hildreth ran for 189 yards and two touchdowns, Garrett DeForest scampered for 192 yards and four scores, and the visiting Red Hawks made it four straight on Thanksgiving eve thanks to a 53-12 victory over Mohawk Trail Regional.
“If this was a regular season game, I’d probably prefer it to be sunny and 70 degrees,” said a smiling Hildreth of the arctic conditions that featured a recently plowed playing surface with a solid slushy coating of snow still covering the grass. “But for my last game, I loved it. I’ve never played in the snow before. Fun way to go out.”
Frontier improved to 47-32-6 all-time against Mohawk, dating back to when Deerfield High School and Arms Academy began play in 1933.
The Red Hawks (6-5), which secured their fifth straight season at .500 or better, gashed the Mohawk defense for 482 yards on the ground. They needed just one play to get on the board, when DeForest broke free for a 70-yard touchdown run.
Hildreth took a QB sneak around the outside on the team’s next possession, scampering 45 yards to the house as Frontier took a 16-0 lead after one quarter.
DeForest added touchdown runs of 5 and 32 yards in the second quarter, extending the advantage to 31-0 with 3:29 left.
Mohawk (1-9) got on the board just 20 seconds before intermission. Cam Lococo’s 34-yard kick return set the Warriors up in Frontier territory, and sophomore quarterback Shawn Davenport finished an eight-play drive with a 3-yard touchdown plunge on fourth-and-goal. Davenport rolled left on a play-action pass, ultimately tucking the ball and running for the goal line. He was stopped several yards short, but a second effort propelled him into the end zone to cut the deficit to 31-6 at the break.
Showcasing some different formations in the third quarter, the Red Hawks pulled away with two more touchdowns. DeForest took most of the third-quarter snaps at quarterback, some of them out of the wildcat, with Hildreth at tailback. It could potentially be a glimpse into the future, as Hildreth’s graduation leaves a void at quarterback.
Freshman Josh Semaski notched an 11-yard touchdown run, while Hildreth added his second score, this one from 77 yards away when he weaved through Mohawk defenders and used his speed to blow past the secondary and give Frontier a 46-6 lead.
Davenport answered with his second touchdown on the last play of the third quarter. After hitting Lococo for 28 yards and Ryan Walker on an 11-yard reception, he capped the quick-hitting drive with a 19-yard scoring run that got the hosts within 46-12.
DeForest, who was named the Frontier Mike Gaffigan Memorial MVP winner, closed the scoring midway through the fourth, hitting a 22-yard touchdown run to account for the 53-12 final.
The 41-point victory tied for the second-largest margin in series history. Frontier won 42-0 in 2002, while there were 41-point margins in 1985 (41-0 Frontier) and 1980 (41-0 Mohawk).
Semaski finished with 59 yards on nine carries, while Alec Kirkendall added 42 yards on eight totes for the Hawks.
Davenport, who took home the Tim Dash Memorial MVP Award for Mohawk, completed 6 of 15 passes for 84 yards, while adding 11 carries for 10 yards and the two rushing TDs. Matt Pollen caught two passes for 40 yards and Lococo hauled in a pair of passes for 32 yards.
Hildreth was one of three seniors for Frontier who played their final game Wednesday. Kiernan Freeman and Nate Austin also closed out stellar careers with the program.
“There’s a lot of sports at Frontier that are successful, but the football team is a true brotherhood,” said Hildreth. “It’s been great to be a part of it for four years. I’m definitely going to miss it.”
Walker, Brian Gagnon and Jordan Grenier (who did not play due to an injury) were Mohawk’s lone seniors.