ORANGE — The momentum was always in the hands of an Easthampton team that looked like it was running down hill and through wide gaps all game long.
It just took them a drive to get it going.
Once they did, it would be all Eagles, who would claim king to the castle, rocking the Senators to the tune of, 52-0, in an Intercounty League North football game Friday night.
The slow start, if you can call it that, came at a game that opened with heavy clouds and humidity hanging in the air at the James S. Woodward Athletic Complex. Following a brief Mahar Regional School first drive, the Eagles started all the way back.
A devastating kick from the Senators pinned them to the 5-yard line — but the Eagles plowed their way through the defense. In five plays, they were a yard away from the red zone and looked poised to begin a night of scoring. That would have to hold off for a drive.
A costly fumble by junior quarterback Nick Pellegrini halted the momentum on an opening drive that looked like a sure touchdown.
Mahar took a three-and-out forcing their second punt in two drives.
By the time Easthampton, which also grabs students to fill out the roster from Hampshire Regional High School, walked into the locker room for halftime it held a 26-0 lead.
Time and again the Eagles used big drive after big drive to throttle a Senators team that looked like they should try out for the next filming of “Bad News Bears.”
Mahar fumbled the ball six times in the game, recovering one of its own, and gave away one interception.
Perhaps the greatest chance for the Senators to keep the game tight came opening up the second quarter, where they were down 8-0 and in Eagles’ territory.
The first play out, Mahar fumbled the ball to Easthampton’s David Helems, a senior, who would have a big day on both sides of the ball, plus a few extra points.
After a 10-yard holding penalty on the Eagles, pushing them back to their 27-yard line, junior Quintin Baker-Cicero ripped through the defense for 73 yards, all the way to the house.
The visiting Eagles soon recovered a fumble on an attempted punt, and punched it in on one play with a 13-yard run by senior Sopie Beck for another score.
An interception three plays later by senior Senators quarterback Sam Paul, who had a decent game but was just off rhythm all game with his receivers, unable to connect on a handful of potential big plays.
Once again, in a couple plays, Easthampton would break through the seam and score another touchdown – this time using a 55-yard sprint by junior fullback Justin Malek to score before the half, going up 26-0.
If there was any chance Mahar was to come back in the second half it was quickly erased on a 90-yard kick return to open up by Helems.
The pounding continued by the faster and cleaner Eagles when they brought in their bench, scoring one last touchdown in the fourth quarter on an eight-play drive, capped off by a run out of the backfield by freshman Jacob Neumann.
As the clock wound down in the final minute with Easthampton taking a knee, about a dozen yards away from another score, the skies finally opened up and it started to rain — except at that point the Eagles had already poured down on the Senators this Friday night.