BUCKLAND — It was fitting that Liam Driscoll found himself in the middle of the fray with the game hanging in the balance on Friday.
The Turners Falls senior did a little bit of everything in his first game wearing a Mohawk Trail uniform. So when Franklin Tech quarterback Owen Bashaw tried to extend the game on fourth down with just 18 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, it was not a surprise to see Driscoll break up the pass intended for Colby Mailloux. The defensive stand secured the first-ever victory for the new Mohawk Trail co-op, as the host Warriors held on for a 15-12 victory in an independent contest at Pollard Field.
“We travel an hour round-trip every day for practice so we put a lot into it and we want to win games,” Driscoll said of the nine-player Turners Falls contingent that joined Mohawk Trail for this season. “I don’t want a losing season. So whatever we have to do, we’re going to do. We stuck it out today. We never gave up and got it done.”
The visiting Eagles (0-1) led 12-9 and were marching to make it a two-score game midway through the fourth quarter. Franklin Tech orchestrated a 16-play drive that moved the ball to the Mohawk Trail 25-yard line with 5:41 remaining. On fourth down however, Bashaw’s pass fluttered in the air and Warriors’ freshman Deven Buchanan picked it off, returning it all the way to the Franklin Tech 35.
A steady diet of Evan Shippee (17 carries, 36 yards) on the ground moved the ball inside the 10, and the junior tailback finished it off with a 5-yard touchdown scamper — thanks in large part to a block from Ryan Duclos that sprung him to paydirt. Shippee’s touchdown gave the hosts a 15-12 advantage with just 2:16 remaining.
“That whole last drive we just said, ‘We can’t let our foot off the gas,’” Shippee said. “Deven came up with the clutch interception and we were able to finish it off. It felt great. That’s probably a touchdown I’ll remember for a long time.”
The Eagles weren’t done, however, as they began the ensuing drive with good field position after a short kickoff and tailback Ryan Bergmann immediately ripped off a 21-yard run on first down to move the offense to the Mohawk Trail 32. Bashaw hit Donte Rosewarne (three receptions, 72 yards) for a 27-yard gainer later in the drive to put his team inside the red zone with under a minute to play. The Warriors stepped up defensively, breaking up Bashaw’s last three pass attempts of the game. That included the clincher on fourth down, when Driscoll stopped Mailloux short of the first down marker and knocked the ball away for an incompletion with 18 seconds to play. Mohawk Trail QB Shawn Davenport took a knee to seal the deal.
“That was a lot of fun,” Mohawk Trail coach Doug McCloud said. “What more can you ask for than having your guys make plays when it counts?”
The Eagles outgained the Warriors by a 242-173 and held a 12-7 edge in first downs, but both of their turnovers came in enemy territory and Mohawk Trail converted them into 13 points.
“There were times we needed to execute and we just didn’t do it,” Franklin Tech head coach Joe Gamache said. “We had a couple opportunities to score and we didn’t finish those drive. Definitely had some drive-killers. It’s a learning process. But the hope is we’re going to get better quickly.”
Bashaw completed 7 of his 18 passes for 104 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He connected with Rosewarne on a 37-yard touchdown in the second quarter, when the speedy wideout hauled in a pass on a slant route and took it to the house. Mailloux caught Bashaw’s other TD just before halftime, when he snagged a 3-yard score and just barely broke the plane with 12 seconds to go. That gave Franklin Tech a 12-7 lead at the break.
Bergmann was the game’s leading rusher, as he went for 118 yards on 26 carries — 16 of those totes coming in the second half.
Mohawk Trail (1-0) got the game’s first score with 11:24 left in the second quarter, as Davenport bulled in for a 2-yard touchdown run. Cullen Brown’s extra point made it a 7-0 game.
The Warriors defense contributed two points in the third quarter. It was Driscoll, again, who came through with a big defensive play. He tackled Rosewarne in the end zone on a botched reverse run for a safety that cut the deficit to 12-9.
Davenport finished 6-of-10 for 108 yards, none bigger than his 21-yard completion to Driscoll on the game-winning drive. The big signal caller evaded tacklers, rolled to his left and floated a short-range offering to Driscoll, who broke up the sideline and took the ball to the Franklin Tech 9. Two plays later, Shippee finished it off with the go-ahead score.
“I was really skeptical and nervous going into this game,” Driscoll admitted. “Our first game out, you never know what’s going to happen. But we’ve really come together as a team, guys from both schools. That fourth quarter, we showed what we can do this year. No one hung their heads when we were down. No one doubted themselves.”
Matt Pollen led the Warriors with three receptions for 63 yards. Cam Lococo carried the ball eight times for 22 yards, and Driscoll caught two passes for 34 yards.
Franklin Tech will open its home schedule Thursday night against Chicopee, while Mohawk Trail stays home to play Smith Voke in its Tri-County League opener on Friday.