SOUTH DEERFIELD — On several occasions this season, the Frontier Regional School football team used a high-powered running attack to grind up the opposition. On this night, they got a taste of their own medicine.
The Hoosac Valley High School Hurricanes generated 437 yards of offense, 352 yards on the ground, on the way to a 42-6 dismantling of the Red Hawks on a frigid Friday night in South Deerfield.
Things didn’t start out great for the Hurricanes, who fumbled the ball back to the Red Hawks on their second play from scrimmage. But that would be one of the few mistakes Hoosac would make all night. After stopping Frontier from scoring from inside the five-yard line, the Hurricanes got on the board early in the second quarter, when junior running back Dave Critelli (12 carries, 94 yards) ran it in from four yards out. Classmate Matt Hall hit the two-point conversion run to make the score 8-0.
It looked like that’s how the half would end, until Hurricane sophomore quarterback Vance Eugene (4-for-9 passing for 85 yards, 11 carries, 109 yards) uncorked a long bomb down the sidelines to classmate John Krol for a 42-yard touchdown pass with 2.4 seconds left on the clock. Hall hit the conversion run to make it 16-0 at halftime.
Hoosac scored on the opening drive of the third quarter, when senior back Brandon Ellsworth (12 carries, 120 yards) scored the first of his three rushing touchdowns form 1 yard out. Critelli took in the PAT run to make it 24-0. Ellsworth scored on the next series, with a 67-yard touchdown run straight up the middle to make it 30-0.
Ellsworth added 2-yard TD run on the next offensive series to extend the lead to 36-0. Frontier broke the shutout on its best drive of the night, a six-play, 69-yard exchange which would end with a sweep around left end by Aaron Landry (13 carries, 79 yards) for a 6-yard touchdown run. Myles Freeman’s PAT pass fell incomplete, keeping the score 36-6.
Hoosac would round out the scoring on the next series with a Eugene 2-yard touchdown run which came four plays after the Red Hawks lost Freeman for the rest of the game to a right leg sprain. Frontier actually lost both Freeman brothers to injury. Kiernan Freeman left the game in the first quarter when he was drilled after catching a 17-yard pass. It’s not known if the injuries will be serious enough to prevent the brothers from playing in the Red Hawks season finale, which takes place on Thanksgiving Eve in Buckland against the Mohawk Warriors. Kickoff is at 7pm.