BUCKLAND — The big play put Mohawk Trail Regional High School behind almost immediately Friday night, and the Warriors hauled themselves back into control of the football game with big plays of their own.
Seth Hoynoski ran for a game-high 175 yards, including a 75-yard touchdown burst that tied the game, and Cam Lococo threw a 31-yard halfback-option pass to Kaleb Fitzgerald for the lead score as Mohawk rallied for a 24-8 victory over McCann Technical School in Tri-County League action at Pollard Field.
“I told them at halftime, clean up all that stuff and you will beat this team,” said Mohawk coach Doug McCloud, whose team improved to 3-1 in TCL play and 3-3 overall. “We kept hammering it with (Hoynoski). He was a cross country runner and he’s only been with me for two games. He’s getting his chance, and he can run, he’s a tough kid.”
McCann (0-5, 0-5 TCL), still in search of its first win and shut out in its previous two games, began brightly enough when Connor Berard ran the opening kickoff back 78 yards for a touchdown. Max Mitchell added the two-point conversion run to give the Hornets an instant 8-0 lead just 18 seconds into the action.
Mohawk’s first three possessions ended in a punt and a pair of lost fumbles in McCann territory. In between, the Warriors came up with a forced turnover when Jordon Grenier intercepted McCann’s Travis Dozier at the Mohawk 25.
The Hornets punted on their first series of the second quarter, and Hoynoski took a pitch from quarterback Ryan Walker and swept the left side for a monster 75-yard scoring run. Grenier tacked on the two-point conversion to boost the hosts into an 8-8 tie with 7:49 left in the half. An exchange of punts allowed the game to remain deadlocked at intermission.
After Hoynoski’s 12-yard kickoff return gave Mohawk great starting position at its own 48 to begin the second half, the Warriors moved 52 yards in eight plays. Facing first-and-10 at the McCann 31, Mohawk went to the well for a play it had tried on its first offensive snap that led to an incompletion. Lococo took a handoff, rolled to his right, and threw down the seam to a wide-open Fitzgerald for the go-ahead touchdown. Once again, Grenier ran in the two-pointer for a 16-8 Mohawk lead with 6:31 to play in the third.
The Hornets took the kickoff and drove to near midfield, but Dozier lost the handle on a snap from center and Matt Pollen scooped up the loose ball for Mohawk, returning it 46 yards to the end zone with 2:33 remaining. Grenier’s third two-pointer of the night made it 24-8.
McCann took over at the Mohawk 46 after a botched kickoff and drove to the 31 before the Warriors came up with their second interception. Brian Allen picked off Dozier at the 7-yard line and returned it to the 22, allowing Mohawk to launch an eight-minute drive that ate up most of the fourth quarter. The Warriors drove all the way to the Hornets’ 9-yard line before giving up the ball on downs with only 1:55 to go.
Mohawk held a 257-82 advantage in total offense. Mitchell paced McCann with a hard-earned 49 rushing yards on 21 carries, while Tadan Bolte and Evan Knapp came up with fumble recoveries for the Hornets.
“Their offense just keeps grinding and grinding, and all of a sudden they throw those things at you,” said McCann coach Bob LeClair. “A fumble recovery, a scoop-and-score, those things all add up. We had flashes offensively that were okay, we just couldn’t sustain anything. Our defense was on the field a lot.”
The Warriors welcome in unbeaten league leader Ware High School (6-0, 5-0 TCL) Friday night at 7 p.m. in Buckland.