THORNDIKE — Don’t sleep on the Panthers.
With a convincing 39-0 Tri-County League road victory over struggling Pathfinder Regional Vocational-Technical School Friday Night, the Pioneer Valley Regional School football team has stealthily crept its way into contention for a Division VIII postseason berth.
Pioneer (5-1, 4-1) is one of only two local entries (Mohawk Trail Regional School being the other) in the TCL and, as such, often finds itself in the shadows of the goings on in the Intercounty North, which features the remaining six area squads. Right now, it appears that the Panthers are ready to lay claim to some of that spotlight.
“We played well tonight,” said Pioneer head coach Paul Worth. “I was very happy with the way we executed.”
The Panthers were focused and on their game from the start, beginning with the defense, which on the third play from scrimmage came up with its first huge play. On a third-and-eight from its own 42 yard-line, Pathfinder quarterback A.J. Oliveira dropped back to pass, and was hurried by the Panther rush. Oliveira let the ball go, and when it came down, it was in the hands of Pioneer defensive back Scott Perlberg, setting up the Panthers with a first-and-10 at midfield.
Seven plays later, Perlberg, who is also the Pioneer quarterback, hit senior wide receiver Karl Wheeler with a 30-yard strike in the end zone. The PAT failed after a bad snap, and the lead was 6-0.
After a shaky start beginning with the next defensive series for Pioneer which featured two offsides penalties, the Panthers settled down and again came up with a big play. A huge hit popped the ball free on a Pathfinder rush up the middle, and Pioneer’s Richie Kane pounced on the ball, setting up the offense with a first-and-10 at the Pathfinder 47.
Perlberg and the Panthers struck quickly again, and passes of 20 yards to Tristan Dresser and 25 yards to Jake Wallace set up Pioneer with a first-and-goal at the 2. Running back Wyatt Keith finished the job, blasting the final 2 yards straight up the gut for the score and a 12-0 cushion with 3:44 remaining in the first.
The Panthers added another before the quarter ended. After a three-and-out by the defense forced Pathfinder to punt, Perlberg again connected with Wheeler for a 30-yard touchdown, this one an acrobatic grab in the right corner of the end zone, and the Panthers were off to the races, 18-0.
Pathfinder then sustained a drive that kept the ball in its hands for more than half of the second frame. The problem was that the ball moved only a total of 28 yards on the drive, and on a fourth-and-four turned it back over on downs at the Pioneer 42. Of the 11 plays on the series, all runs, Pathfinder’s largest gain was five yards.
Pioneer again capitalized, covering 61 yards on five plays, capped by a 7-yard sweep to the right by Keith, who put the extra point through the uprights, giving the Panthers a 25-0 halftime lead.
With the ball to begin the third quarter, the Panthers picked right up where they left off, chewing up half the frame with a 12-play, 49-yard drive ending with a 9-yard touchdown from Perlberg to Wallace, followed by the extra point by Keith for a 32-0 lead.
A four-and-out put the ball right back into Pioneer’s hands, and with 30 seconds remaining in the quarter, Kane crashed right up the middle for a 4-yard score. Keith’s PAT again was true, and put a cap on the night’s scoring with the Panthers up 39-0.
Pathfinder 0-6, 0-5) got as far as to the Pioneer 10 on the ensuing drive, but the Panthers defense would have none of it, keeping Pathfinder out of the end zone and preserving the hard-earned shutout.
Perlberg went 8-for-16 for 152 yards and three touchdowns. Keith gained 64 yards on 12 carries with two scores. Dresser bulled his way for 64 yards on seven rushes. Kane added 29 yards on seven carries, including a touchdown.
Pioneer will next host Palmer High School in a Panthers vs. Panthers showdown next Saturday, and will need to come up big again to keep its playoff aspirations alive. Kickoff will be at 1 p.m.