As we approach the midway point of the eight-game high school football regular season, many eyes are settling on the first look at the WMass Football Power Rankings.
The WMass Football Committee released the Week 3 ratings and two teams from Franklin County find themselves inside the top four with five games still to play. Last year’s WMass Division 7 runner up, Frontier Regional School (2-1) sits third in the Division 7 field, while Turners Falls (2-1) is tied for third in the Division 8 rankings.
Both of those teams are in action tonight as four games dot the local slate. Turners Falls puts its two-game winning streak on the line when it welcomes unbeaten McCann Tech to the Bourdeau Fields Complex in Turners Falls at 7, while Frontier also puts its two-game winning streak to the test when it heads to the Woodward Complex in Orange to face winless Mahar (0-3) at 7.
Greenfield will try to bounce back from a two-game losing streak when it heads to Franklin Tech at 7 to face a reeling Eagles team that is dealing with injuries as it also looks to end a two-game losing streak. Athol picked up its first win of the season last week and will try to make it two in a row when it travels to Easthampton at 7.
The Powertown enters tonight’s matchup riding high following its lopsided win over rival Greenfield at home last week and it has another important matchup with McCann. The Hornets defeated Mahar and Palmer in the first two weeks of the season before getting a bye last week, giving them two weeks to prepare for the Thunder. The unbeaten record has McCann as the No. 2 team in the Division 8 field, and Turners Falls coach Chris Lapointe said while it may still be early, beating a team ahead of his at any point will only help in the pursuit of qualifying for the postseason.
“We know that they stand in our way,” he began of McCann. “If we are not successful against them, it hurts our chances of the postseason. Every game is going to count and we are aware of that. We are not worried about five weeks down the road, but we are worried about this game.”
After its 35-8 victory over the Green Wave last Friday, Turners Falls can’t afford to look past the Hornets.
“It’s about maintaining our focus,” Lapointe said. “At the end of the day, last week was only a Week 3 win. McCann is 2-0 and ahead of us in the playoff picture so this game is just as important.”
After falling to Lee in the opener, Turners has appeared to turn the corner. The offense has now scored 35 points in back-to-back games as running back Wyatt Keith and quarterback Kyle Dodge have both excelled. Keith followed up a 216-yard performance against Athol in Week 2 with a 235-yard performance against the Green Wave. The Pioneer senior, who only began as a running back mid-way through the year last season, leads all Recorder-area running backs with 558 yards as the offensive line has done a nice job blocking up front.
“Wyatt is working hard. He is starting to gel into our offense a little more,” Lapointe explained. “Remember, it’s only his eighth or ninth week at running back. He is certainly working on things he needs to work on, such as seeing when to cut it outside or maintain the hole.”
The team is also expecting to get John Torres back from injury, which would give them another back for defenses to focus on. As if that is not enough, Dodge has quickly set himself apart as the top passer in the area, completing 22-of-44 passes this season for an area-high 329 yards.
“Kyle has worked hard and when he does make a mistake, he studies it and learns from it,” Lapointe said. “He is taking what the defense gives him. He doesn’t force the ball.”
After giving up 215 yards to Athol running back Mason Barrieau two weeks ago, the Turners defense also turned a corner this past week as it limited Greenfield running back RJ Byrd to 20 yards. The Thunder will have to deal with McCann running backs Darius Tovani and Connor Berard, who pace the run-heavy Hornets’ offense.
McCann’s defense has been the major reason for the team’s success. After shutting out Mahar in the opener, 6-0, the Hornets held Palmer to one touchdown in a 21-7 Week 2 win.
“They have some big kids on defense,” Lapointe said. “They have a good end and decent-size line. But their linebackers are their strength. They play a five-man front and they can give you fits.”
The postseason may still be over a month away, but tonight figures to have a playoff atmosphere in Turners.
Here’s a look at the other three games:
Greenfield at Franklin Tech, 7 — One season ago, Greenfield entered Week 4 with a 3-0 record and was in the thick of the WMass tournament hunt. A 32-14 setback at the hands of the Eagles sent the Green Wave spiraling into a three-game losing streak and ended the hopes of qualification for the tournament. This season, Greenfield (1-2) enters on a two-game losing streak and sits ninth in the WMass Division 8 rankings. Franklin Tech (1-2) is two spots ahead of Greenfield in the Division 8 rankings in seventh place, which makes this game vitally important for both teams. … Last year’s victory by Franklin Tech moved the Eagles to 3-0 all-time against the Green Wave. Franklin Tech has beaten Greenfield in each of the past two seasons, and also in the team’s first-ever meeting in 2013. … Greenfield running back RJ Byrd rushed for just 20 yards on 15 carries last week, marking the first time he failed to rush for over 100 yards since Week 2 last season when he gained 95 yards against Frontier. The 20 yards is his lowest output since his sophomore season in 2016 when he ran for just 14 yards on seven carries against? You guessed it … Franklin Tech. Byrd rushed for 174 yards against the Eagles last season. … Franklin Tech’s defense has played well this season, allowing 47 points in three games, including just 22 points to Division 8 leading Lee in Week 2. … The Eagles’ offense has not scored in each of the past two games, getting shut out against Lee, and then earning only a safety last week in a 19-2 loss to Easthampton. Things will not get any easier for the Eagles this week as starting quarterback Jared Bergmann is out with a shoulder injury. Sophomore Owen Bashaw will make his first career varsity start at quarterback in his place. The Eagles will also be without tackle Deven Goshea and tight end Colby Mailloux due to injury, and lineman Kyle Snyder is questionable. The team does get senior lineman Sam Trudeau back this week, and possibly fellow linemate Brody Wood. … Greenfield quarterback Owen Phelps is second in area passing with 313 yards, including back-to-back games over 100 yards passing. He has four touchdowns and one interception on the season. … Franklin Tech running back Bailey Young rushed for 260 yards in Week 1, but has rushed for just 46 yards on 34 carries since then.
Athol at Easthampton, 7 — After starting the season 0-2 with losses to Narragansett and Turners Falls, Athol got into the win column last week with a 16-0 victory over Mahar. The Red Raiders, who come into the game 11th in the Division 8 rankings, have another must-win against the Eagles if they hope to remain in the playoff hunt.
“I think they’re all must-wins right about now,” Athol coach Bill LaRose said. “We don’t want this to be a trap game after a win over a rival last week (in Mahar). It’s got trap game written all over it. We have to play some good football.”
After getting blown out, 74-0, by Taconic in Week 1, Easthampton comes into this game on a two-game winning streak after beating Mahar and Franklin Tech over the past two weeks. … Easthampton is currently ranked fifth in the Division 5 playoff rankings. … Easthampton’s offense likes to throw the ball and receiver Quintin Baker-Cisero leads the receiving corps. … Easthampton quarterback Nick Pellegrini completed 14-of-26 passes for 137 yards against Franklin Tech last week. … Athol running back Mason Barrieau has rushed for 337 yards over the past two games and with 89 yards in Week 1, he has amassed 426 yards in three games to go along with four touchdowns. … While Easthampton likes to throw, the Red Raiders are a run-first team. Athol quarterback Caleb Cox is 9-for-16 on the season for 116 yards. … Athol lost to the Eagles, 20-17 last season and is on a three-game losing streak coming into the game. The teams were previously in different divisions and did not play every year. The last time Athol beat the Eagles was in 2009.
Frontier at Mahar — Frontier is third in the Division 7 rankings, while Mahar (0-3) is 13th in the Division 8 rankings. … Frontier has found the replacement for its two 1,000-yard running backs from a season ago as Garrett DeForest and Ito McMillan both have been successful this season. DeForest has 388 yards this season, while McMillan has 185 yards in two games after he missed last week’s game due to a minor injury. McMillan is expected back tonight. … Frontier senior quarterback Matt Hildreth completed 7-of-15 passes in his first two games but was 0-for-4 last week, the first time since he became a starter at the beginning of his junior season that Hildreth has not completed at least one pass in a game. Frontier beat Mahar in a shootout last season, 56-34, and enters the game on a two-year winning streak against the Senators. … Mahar has been shutout in two games this season. … Jon Gariepy leads Mahar in rushing with 144 yards on the season. The team has not had one player rush for 100 yards in a game this season.