Confidence is key in sports. Mahar football coach Chris Bailey hopes his Senators got a boost of it in Week 1.
The Sens did what they should have done against a first-year program, dominating against Springfield International Charter School (which was playing its first-ever game) and cruising to a 35-0 win in Orange.
Following a 2-8 season, the win was another building block for Mahar as Bailey rebuilds the program in his second year. After the game — and throughout the offseason — the Senators stressed how much more comfortable they were in the new system and how they’re able to play faster now.
“We did everything we needed to do,” Mahar’s Xander Roberts said on Friday. “We came back as a better team this year. Last year everything was new but we’re hammering it down. We feel confident.”
This Friday, the Senators are hoping to add another tally to the win column, taking on a McCann Tech team that Franklin Tech annihilated, 44-0, last week. Getting off to a 2-0 start before a showdown with Drury and Intercounty League North play begins would be a great start for Bailey’s squad.
“We have a lot to work on but also a lot to build on,” Bailey said on Friday. “We don’t get to take any points to the next game. We have to get back to the drawing board. We didn’t win the Super Bowl here.”
Bounce-back season was a theme for teams in Franklin County going into this fall. Mahar wasn’t the only one to get off to a good start last Friday. Frontier, which had an uncharacteristic 3-7 season in 2021, opened with a tough task on Friday against Ware, the defending IL North champs.
Behind a big day on the ground by Ian Burt — who totaled 148 yards of offense, 122 of those coming off 11 carries on the ground — and a smothering defense that had a red zone stand in the final minute, the Redhawks got into the win column via a 12-6 victory. Teams obviously change year-to-year at the high school level, but to put things in perspective, Ware thumped Frontier 36-0 just one season ago.
The path to 2-0 goes through Palmer, a squad that made the Div. 8 tournament a season ago. The Panthers kicked their season off in similar fashion, beating Pathfinder 12-6. If Week 1 is any indication, the Palmer offense will look much different than it did last year.
Quarterback Jack Letendre did everything for the Panthers, throwing the ball around the field while also proving to be a threat to take off on the ground. After losing him to graduation, Palmer wasn’t as eager to put the ball in the air, completing just one-of-five passes against the Pioneers. The Panthers opted to give the ball to Keith LaVallie 25 times, where he ran for 91 yards and a score.
As mentioned earlier, Franklin Tech had its way with the Hornets in Turners Falls on Friday. It’ll face a tougher test in Week 2, taking on a Chicopee team that earned a 14-12 overtime win over Greenfield in its season opener.
Jeremy Beach was the bell cow for the Pacers against the Green Wave, rushing for 113 yards of offense. The Chicopee defense was able to corral the Green Wave offense, holding them to just six points in regulation. The Pacers’ biggest stand came in OT, stopping Deven Buchanan just inches short on a two-point conversion to earn the victory.
That run defense will have to show up big against Tech on Friday. Greenfield Recorder Athlete of the Week Ryan Demers ran all over the McCann defense, finding the end zone three times. Josiah Little brings a speed element to the Eagle backfield while Gabe Tomasi looked comfortable throwing the ball.
As for Greenfield, it looks to turn the page to Belchertown, a team that’s coming off a 36-14 win over Smith Voc in its season-opener. The Green Wave defense stood tall against Chicopee and will need to do so again against an Orioles team that showed it can be balanced in its opener. Belchertown quarterback Landon Andre did it with his arm and legs while Chris Daskam ran for 99 yards and a pair of scores on 17 carries. Daskam also hauled in a touchdown pass.
Offensively the Greenfield charge was led by Buchanan, Pulizari and quarterback Levin Prondecki on Friday.
Athol is another team looking to get in the win column, coming off a 50-20 loss to Drury on Saturday. They’ll have to earn a win against Pathfinder, which as mentioned above, gave Palmer a tough test in its opener.
Logan Cormier and Aidan Melanson rotated at quarterback for the Bears against the Blue Devils and Athol will need big games from both to put points on the board against the Pioneers.