BUCKLAND — Fourteen players suited up Friday night for Mohawk Trail Regional High School, and made up their minds to never stop running.
The Warriors powered their way to an early 24-0 lead in their Tri-County League football opener and coasted from there, piling up 318 rushing yards as a team and coasting to a 38-20 victory over Pathfinder Regional Vocational-Technical High School at Pollard Field.
Evan Shippee led Mohawk (1-1, 1-0 TCL) with 189 yards on 12 carries and scored a touchdown, while Shawn Davenport threw to Cam Lococo for two scores and ran for a third.
The hosts also recovered three first-half fumbles by Pathfinder and got a leaping interception by Ryan Walker at the Mohawk 1-yard line, which kick-started a 99-yard scoring drive.
“They’re a good group of kids, and they don’t quit,” said Mohawk coach Doug McCloud, whose team bounced back nicely from its season-opening 44-6 loss to Franklin Tech. “I told them if you block, we will run the ball, and we did. Our best back (Jordan Grenier, ankle injury) is up in the press box, and we ran the ball. I’m very proud of this group.”
Lococo got Mohawk started with a 41-yard game-opening kickoff return to the Pathfinder 45, and gains of 18 yards by Walker and 12 yards by Shippee put the Warriors in position for a 7-yard TD pass from Davenport to Lococo, who made the catch just inside the left front pylon. Shippee ran in the two-point conversion for an immediate 8-0 Mohawk lead just 2:38 into the action.
Davenport then recovered a fumble at midfield and Mohawk got down to the Pioneers’ 13 before losing the ball on downs, but once again Pathfinder fumbled at midfield and Lococo covered the loose ball. From there, Lococo hit Shippee for 15 yards on an option pass and Davenport threw a 22-yard scoring strike to Lococo on a post-corner route, then Davenport flipped to Matt Pollen for the two-pointer and a 16-0 advantage.
Next, it was Michael Harrison’s turn to recover a Pathfinder fumble at the 50, and Mohawk used the short field to get into the end zone quickly thanks to Shippee’s 25-yard touchdown run. Davenport’s pass to Lococo made it a 24-0 game with 3:32 left in the first half.
Pathfinder (0-2, 0-1 TCL) rallied back on the arm of sophomore Jordan Talbot, who completed 10-of-16 passes for 150 yards on the evening. His 34-yard connection with Hunter Farrar put the Pioneers at the Mohawk 10 and Jesse Griswold finished the drive two plays later on a 6-yard TD run, pulling Pathfinder to within 24-6 at the half.
The visitors then controlled the football for the first nine minutes of the third quarter, driving from their own 15 to the Mohawk 25 over 15 plays before Talbot was picked off by Walker at the Mohawk 1. Shippee got the Warriors out of the hole with runs of 20 and 31 yards, then broke a counter play for 29 yards and a touchdown. He then added the two-point conversion run to make it 32-6.
Talbot threw fourth-quarter touchdown passes of 22 yards to Isaiha Perez and 51 yards to Farrar (five catches, 100 yards), sandwiched around a 25-yard scoring run by Davenport on a naked bootleg around the left edge.
Davenport added 63 yards on the ground for Mohawk and completed 2-of-6 passes for 29 yards. Walker finished with 50 rushing yards. Griswold topped Pathfinder with 107 yards on 18 carries. For the night, the Warriors held a 362-292 edge in total yardage.
“Every timeout, I told them, ‘Just keep blocking, and we’re gonna be good,’” said McCloud. “It’s easy when you’re winning – the mental part is easier. We’re not a Super Bowl team, but we don’t quit.”
Mohawk travels to Northampton Saturday for a 4 p.m. game against Smith Vocational High School.