ATHOL — Athol High School scored early and often as it dismantled rival Mahar Regional School en route to a 48-9 victory in the 81st annual Thanksgiving Day game Thursday at O’Brien Field.
The Red Raiders (8-3) scored four touchdowns in less than four minutes and racked up nearly 300 yards of offense in the first half, while their defense limited the Senators to just one first down while building a 41-2 lead at the break.
“It was a great job by our kids,” said Athol head coach Bill LaRose. “It was a great effort all the way around. We were definitely the better team today.”
A fumble ended Athol’s first drive prematurely and Nick Casella had a 12-yard touchdown run called back on his team’s second drive. The Raiders proved resilient, however, as quarterback Trever Mousseau found Isaac Raulston in the corner of the end zone for a 5-yard touchdown and a 6-0 lead with 3:32 left in the first quarter.
After a fake punt backfired on the Senators, senior Tyler Lutz took a handoff and went 21 yards for a touchdown and a 12-0 lead with 2:23 left in the first.
Casella would intercept Mahar quarterback Sam Paul on the first play of the ensuing drive to give Athol the ball at the Mahar 25. On the first play from scrimmage, Casella was off to the races for a 25-yard touchdown and an 18-0 lead. Athol botched the handoff on the conversion attempt and Miller Richardson scooped it up and raced 95 yards the other way to make it 18-2 with 1:28 left in the first quarter.
The Raiders weren’t done yet and senior linebacker Ryan Hulbert pounced on a fumble to give Athol the ball back at the Mahar 35. Five plays later, junior fullback Robbie Nelson pushed his way in from a yard out and the rout was on. Mousseau hit Nelson on the conversion and the lead was 26-2 just seven seconds into the second quarter.
After a Mahar punt, Mousseau got back into the act as he completed three straight passes and capped the drive with a 24-yard pitch and catch with Lutz. Mousseau ran in the conversion and the Athol lead was 34-2 with 5:53 left in the first half.
Casella rounded out the first half scoring with a 3-yard touchdown run with 1:20 left in the half. Kris Selanis drilled the extra point as the Raiders led 41-2 at intermission.
Athol would score again on the opening drive of the second half as Nelson plunged in from a yard out. Selanis’ kick was good and the Raiders scored their 48th point in an 18-minute stretch.
The Mahar offense finally got on the board when Paul connected with Jake Lacasse for a 35-yard touchdown with 1:23 left in the contest.
The Raiders amassed 288 yards rushing on the day. Lutz led the way with 92 yards on 10 carries. Nelson ripped off 81 yards on 12 rushes. Casella added 58 yards on 6 attempts.
Mousseau completed all five of his passes for 95 yards.
Paul completed 7 of 21 passes for 147 yards in the loss. He and Casella were named Most Valuable Players on the day. The Mahar ground game managed just 24 yards on 28 attempts. Fullback Lucas Seney led the effort with 9 yards on 10 rushes.