There is a bit of a different feel going into the Mahar Regional School-Athol High School Turkey Day showdown this year.
For the first time in this storied rivalry’s history — it’s the oldest in the area, dating back to the 19th century — the annual Thanksgiving Day battle kicking off today at 10 a.m. at O’Brien Field in Athol will be the second match up of the year between the two squads.
Due to league realignment put in place by the MIAA for the 2016 campaign, both schools were placed in the newly formed Intercounty League North. This change included requiring a regular-season meeting, which took place on September 30th, with visiting Athol winning big, 28-0, at the Woodward Complex. With that win, Athol moved to 50-30-1 in head-to-head meetings.
“It’s always great to beat your rival, but it feels a little weird tonight,” said Athol head coach Bill LaRose after that game. “I feel like I should be going home to have some turkey, but there won’t be any tonight.”
LaRose was not alone in his assessment of the “weird feeling” surrounding that contest. The resounding sense on both sidelines and in the stands before the early-season game that night was that it just didn’t seem right. The fact that it was played at night, under the lights, for the first time ever, only added to the oddity. The overwhelming sentiment on both sides was and continues to be that tradition ought to win out and that this should be a one year experiment. However, that sentiment comes with the acknowledgement that it is completely out of their hands.
That said, any fear that the first contest would put any sort of damper on the enthusiasm for today’s game would appear to be unfounded. Both LaRose and first-year Mahar head coach Chris Bailey have pronounced their teams focused, prepared, and eager for battle.
Athol (7-3) looks to win its third Turkey Day contest in a row and continues to put forth its case that it was deserving of a Division IV playoff berth.
After starting the season 0-2 versus Central Mass. opponents, Narragansett and Gardner high schools, the Red Raiders have gone 7-1, with the only blemish a 24-14 loss to WMass Division IVA champion Turners Falls, which was closer than the score indicated and played in a torrential downpour. A second win of the season over its biggest rival, which would obviously be historical, would also be a huge exclamation point on which to end Athol’s season. With all that understood, the Red Raiders are not taking anything for granted.
“We have to not think too much about the first game and focus on Thursday,” said LaRose. “While the results of that game look good on the scoreboard, it was 8-0 heading into the fourth quarter, so things could have easily gone in a different direction. The Thanksgiving game is always a special morning. It brings out the best in both teams. You can throw out the records. Everyone is coming to play. There’s no reason that should change this year.”
The path to victory for the Raiders, at least offensively, is their bruising, clock-killing ground game, which features as much depth as any team in the area. Junior Robbie Nelson (735 yards on 125 carries) and senior Tyler Lutz (702 yards on 90 carries) lead the way for Athol. Nelson has proven to be a force as a power runner, blasting his way through holes and dragging defenders downfild with him. Lutz is a speedier complement who has the ability to break free to the outside.
Not to be forgotten are junior Nick Casella and sophomore Mason Barrieau, who contributed 525 yards on 58 carries and 318 yards on 49 carries, respectively. Casella also led Athol with 10 rushing touchdowns.
Also key is the stellar play of the offensive line. Seniors Greg Moore (center) and Jared Cormier and Jordan Chapalonis (guards) along with junior tackles Kris Selanis and Noah Giuffre have created holes for the backfield all year long.
“Our running game has been the strength of our offense all season,” said LaRose. “We have four backs who can break loose at any time. The linemen up front have also done a great job clearing the way.”
Also not to be forgotten is senior quarterback Trever Mousseau, who has led the team with quiet efficiency since taking over the reigns in Week 4 last year. While the passing game is not prominently featured in the Athol offense, Mousseau (227 yards passing and three touchdowns) has proven he can answer the bell when called upon.
In the end, though, today’s contest may come down to how well the Raiders play defense, particularly in the secondary, which features Lutz and senior Isaac Raulston at the cornerbacks and Barrieau at safety.
“Defense has led the team the entire season, “said LaRose. “It’s really what makes us the club we are.”
Of particular concern to LaRose is defending Mahar’s junior quarterback Sam Paul. This will be Paul’s fourth start against the Raiders, and he has more than earned Athol’s respect.
“I tip my hat to Sam Paul, the kid is very talented and has played some very good quarterback. We’re going to have to play excellent pass coverage if we’re going to win the game.”
Mahar (1-8) comes into the game with the goal of ending a tough season on a high note. The Senators came into the season well aware it would be an uphill battle, and that’s certainly the way it played out. Bailey inherited a young and fairly inexperienced team that lost most of its featured weapons from last year’s 7-4 squad, including star running backs Malik Adams and Clay Richardson, each of whom posted over 1000 yards rushing in their swan-song season.
While Bailey made clear he would not use it as an excuse, injuries were also a big factor in the Senators’ struggles this season, particularly in the running game.
Senior Ben Gilmore missed significant time with a knee sprain, as did sophomore Jordan Desrosiers with a hip injury. Sophomore John Gariepy went down just before halftime in the Amherst game October 14 and hasn’t played since. Sophomore Lucas Seney, who had a lot of success as an up-the-middle power runner, sustained a concussion against Monument Mountain on November 4.
All four will be back healthy and available today, though Gilmore may be limited and see more time on defense. Seney, Gariepy and senior Miller Richardson will start.
Though losing is never easy, and Bailey acknowledges his first season has had its share of frustration, the coach remains positive and is looking forward to the opportunity today’s game presents for his team, even though he was not a fan of this year’s scheduling anomaly.
“From our end, getting another shot at our rival is nice,” said Bailey. “It’s a chance to end on a positive note, a chance to take down an Athol team that has had a very good season. It’s hard for any team to beat the same team multiple times in a season.”
For the Senators to pull off the upset, it will take a big day from their quarterback Paul.
“We’re going to lean heavily on Sam,” said Bailey. “He has done everything that we’ve asked of him and become a true leader. He is throwing more, making more decisions. I expect him to have a big day.”
Paul has completed 48 of 123 passes for 927 yards with 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. His main targets will be senior wideout Jake Lacasse (16 receptions for 392 yards and six touchdowns) and junior tight end Hugo Frost (eight receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns). The backfield, and particularly Richardson (11 receptions, 152 yards, three touchdowns), is always in the mix.
Overall on offense, Bailey said the key for his team is finishing off drives and putting points on the board, which has been a struggle for the Senators all season.
Defensively, Mahar faces a tall order but Bailey is confident that his troops will be ready to go.
“I thought we did a pretty good job in the first game. It was very close going into the fourth quarter when the floodgates opened,” said Bailey. “We’ve shown a lot of growth as the season progressed, and if we can get guys around the ball and gang tackle, we’ll be OK. We know what they want to do and don’t expect too many surprises. We just need to be tough, and we need to execute.”
The Senators will look to senior captain Brandon Burke to lead the way and clog the middle, with Seney, Gilmore and Cole Emery also being key to slowing down the four headed monster that is the Athol backfield.
If anyone needs a reason not to count their chickens before today’s kickoff, they need look no further than last year’s contest, in which Mahar was heavily favored and Athol was looking for what seemed to be an unlikely upset in hostile territory.
The Red Raiders marched away from that one with a convincing 24-6 victory, and used it as a springboard for its success to this point of this season. The Senators would like nothing better than to turn the tables on their biggest rival today, and set up a springboard of their own.