ATHOL — In a season filled with ups and downs, this was definitely an “up” moment for the Athol High School football team.
The Red Raiders rode a 203-yard, four-touchdown rushing performance by senior tailback Robbie Nelson to a convincing 41-12 Intercounty League North Division win over Greenfield High School Friday night at O’Brien Field.
“Oh man, it feels great,” Nelson said. “We’ve had a couple of close ones, some games haven’t gone our way but this one did.”
This one was going to be anything but close, which became apparent from an opening drive that saw Athol chew up 63 yards on six plays, ending with a 35-yard Nelson touchdown run through a massive hole off right tackle.
“I just knew with a couple of the fronts we had that if we got one good block Robbie was going to be gone,” Athol Coach Bill LaRose said. “It certainly worked tonight.”
Atbol place-kicker Kris Selanis booted the extra point to make it 7-0. Greenfield answered in the second quarter when RJ Byrd (21 carries, 112 yards) took in a four-yard touchdown run. The two-point conversion pass fell incomplete keeping the score 7-6.
Byrd crossed the 1,000-yard mark for the season late in the second quarter, the high-point of what was a bruising game for the junior back, who left early in the third quarter with a left leg injury.
“It’s looks like it might be a contusion of some sort, but we’ll have to get it looked at to be sure,” Greenfield Coach Mike Kuchieski said, adding that Byrd is day-to-day at this point.
The Red Raiders extended the lead on the very next play from scrimmage, when Nelson once again took it up the middle for a 61-yard touchdown run. Another Selanis kick made it 14-6. Athol would get another break on Greenfield’s next series, when Nick Casella intercepted an Owen Phelps pass to set the Raiders up at the Green Wave 25. Five plays later, Athol quarterback Keegan Lutz completed his only pass of the night, a 13-yard touchdown strike to senior Joe Ricchiazzi in the right corner of the end zone. A Lutz point-after pass fell incomplete, making the score 20-6 at halftime.
Greenfield came out looking determined in the third quarter, unleashing their best drive of the night, marching 74 yards in just under six minutes before Phelps hit Dionn Casanova with a 13-yard touchdown pass. Byrd’s extra point run was stopped in the backfield, keeping the score 20-12. Phelps had another strong passing performance for Greenfield, going 8 for 14 for 113 yards and one interception.
Any hopes for a Greenfield comeback were pretty much dashed two plays later, when Nelson went off again for a 75-yard touchdown run, followed by a Selanis boot to make it 27-12. A Greenfield fumble on the next series would give Athol the ball on the Wave 23, a drive that ended with another Nelson touchdown run, this time from 13 yards out, and another Selanis extra-point to make it 34-12.
Athol rounded out the scoring on its next offensive series when junior back Mason Barrineau (three carries, 78 yards) converted on a 64-yard touchdown run which was made possible by a series of key blocks by junior Dylan Castine. Another massive Selanis boot split the uprights, creating the 41-12 final.
“We didn’t come ready to play tonight,” Kuchieski said. “We had some big time breakdowns and they outplayed us. Athol is a good football team, that’s for sure.”
The Red Raiders travel to South Deerfield Friday night to face the Frontier Red Hawks, while Greenfield hosts Belchertown High School.