Au revoir, high school football season 2018.
Another fall is officially in the books in Franklin County. The last sign of high school football in the Bay State comes this weekend, when eight state champions will be crowned with Super Bowls played Friday and Saturday at Gillette Stadium. Local interest is focused on Saturday’s Division 3 title game between Springfield Central High School and Tewksbury, which is set for a 6 p.m. kickoff and is slated to be televised on NBC Sports Boston. Central is aiming to become the first state champion from western Mass. since football moved to a statewide playoff in 2013.
In Franklin County, fans were treated to an emphatic exclamation on the season when Greenfield outlasted Turners Falls, 40-38, in one of the most memorable Thanksgiving Day games in the history of the rivalry. The statistics from that game were ridiculous, with both running backs topping the 300-yard mark on the ground. It was a fantasy feast, pardon the pun, and quite a way for players to close out what was a memorable fantasy season on the gridiron.
Your overall 2018 fantasy champion was Turners Falls running back Wyatt Keith. The senior from Pioneer put up 58.6 points on Thanksgiving to give him a season-total of 398.2 points and the No. 1 overall spot. Keith held off Greenfield’s RJ Byrd, who also went over 50 points on Thanksgiving and took second overall with 386.1 points.
There was certainly a Turners-Greenfield flare atop the fantasy rankings this fall. The two schools had the top two scorers at each of the three offensive positions (QB, RB, WR), and it was all on display on turkey day with big performances from the biggest players.
Here’s a look at the final numbers at each position:
1. Wyatt Keith, Turners — 398.2 points; 2. RJ Byrd, Greenfield — 386.1; 3. Garrett DeForest, Frontier — 334.7; 4. Mason Barrieau, Athol — 222.7; 5. Bailey Young, FC Tech — 188.3; 6. Jon Gariepy, Mahar — 174; 7. Lucas Seney, Mahar — 119.9; 8. Evan Shippee, Mohawk — 117.7; 9. Dylan Castine, Athol — 113.9; 10. Keegan Lutz, Athol — 101.1.
It was a two-person race, but there were some big numbers right behind from DeForest, the No. 3 overall scorer, and Barrieau, the No. 4 overall scorer. Mahar’s Jon Gariepy came on down the stretch with 99.5 points in his final four games to get into the No. 6 running back spot. Athol had three runners in the top 10 with Castine and Lutz joining Barrieau.
1. Kyle Dodge, Turners — 213.3 points; 2. Matt Hildreth, Frontier — 159.6 ; 3. Owen Phelps, Greenfield — 152; 4. Shawn Davenport, Mohawk — 137.7; 5. Caleb Cox, Athol — 114.
Dodge led from the start, finishing comfortably as the No. 1 fantasy QB this fall. His 213.3 points were good enough for fifth overall, as he was the top non-running back points-wise. Hildreth jumped into the No. 2 spot in the final standings thanks to a 33.9-point performance against Mohawk on Thanksgiving Eve. Phelps was solid throughout, averaging a healthy 11.8 fantasy points per game. Davenport ran for a pair of TDs against Frontier in the finale and with the top three QBs ahead of him in the rankings graduating, he’ll certainly be one to watch on fantasy lists in 2019 as a junior.
1. Danny Vega, Greenfield — 143.3 points; 2. Andy Craver, Turners — 108.4; 3. Jaden Whiting, Turners — 96.4; 4. Charlie Barnes, Mahar — 86.4; 5. Cam Lococo, Mohawk — 61.9.
Despite missing Week 1, Vega, who was the No. 10 overall scorer this season, cruised to the top spot in the wide receiver rankings with 143.3 points. He caught nine of quarterback Owen Phelps’ 11 touchdown passes this fall, catching TDs in seven of the 10 games he played. He ran for a touchdown on Thanksgiving on a fake punt, showcasing his versatility after he also threw for a touchdown on turkey day a year ago. Craver and Whiting finished Nos. 2 and 3 thanks to fine seasons where they were the primary receivers for Dodge. Barnes shined when the Senators struggled early in the season, while Lococo had four touchdown receptions and also returns with his quarterback Davenport next year.
Kuchieski climbing the ladder
After helping Greenfield to a 7-4 record this fall, head coach Mike Kuchieski sits sixth all-time in Franklin County football coaching victories with 117.
Kuchieski won 54 games during his nine-year tenure as Athol High School head coach from 1991-1999, and now has 63 wins as head coach at Greenfield since taking over in 2004 from long-time coach Mike Duprey.
Next up for Kuchieski, who leapfrogged Mahar’s Joe Spadarora (106 wins) to move into the No. 6 spot last year, is Turners Falls’ Earl Lorden in the No. 5 spot. Lorden, who coached Turners from 1923-1946, had 119 wins.
Jim Smith has a strong hold on the No. 1 spot with 235 wins during his 54-year career, while Mahar’s Jim Woodward picked up four more this year and still holds the No. 2 spot with 184 wins. Greenfield’s Ump Nichols is third with 176 wins, while Duprey is fourth on the list with 164.
Byrd earns Galvin MVP Award
Lost in the shuffle at the end of a wild turkey day game at Vets Field was the fact that Byrd was selected as the Lt. John J. Galvin American Legion Post 81 Most Valuable Player Award after his 301-yard, three touchdown performance in helping the Wave capture a 40-38 victory and keep the award in Greenfield for the second year in a row after Owen Phelps was the honoree in 2017.
The honor dates back to 1959, when the Greenfield VFW awarded an MVP in the rivalry for the first time. Greenfield’s Lou Bresciano was the inaugural recipient, beginning a string of five Green Wave winners over the next six years. More recently, Turners had won the award six years in a row from 2011-2016 before Phelps halted the streak last year.
The winner came down to the very end, with Byrd and Keith each going over 300 yards. But Greenfield’s victory helped seal the deal, and Byrd became the first Wave running back since Zach Butynski in 2009 to earn the honor.
Byrd also won the scoring title in Franklin County this fall, scoring 172 points. His number is the sixth-most points in F.C. history, and second-most in program history behind only Peter Bergeron’s 214 points from the 1995 season.
Final fantasy showdown
Sports editor Jason Butynski capped off his “postseason” fantasy victory over yours truly with big numbers on Thanksgiving. My team compiled 174.7 points in the final week, though Butynski amassed 205.4 points from his team to wind up with a convincing 365.2-249.1 win. Congratulations to him, I guess. A minor setback for a major comeback, I say.
Jeff Lajoie is a Recorder sportswriter still thawing out from Thanksgiving football games. He can be reached at jlajoie@recorder.com