LEE — Action came right down to it on Friday night.

Host Lee once again found itself in a one-possession game in the fourth quarter, needing a big play. With a little over 30 seconds left to play and visiting Athol trailing just 9-6, Bears senior quarterback Dom Curtis dropped back to pass and looked for his tight end over the middle.

Lee linebacker Devin Schwab read the eyes of Curtis and jumped in front of the route to intercept the pass, clinching the game as the Wildcats held on for a 9-6 victory to improve to 2-1 on the season.

“When you make mistakes against a program like Lee, usually you come out a little short, and that’s what we did today,” Athol head coach Josh Talbot said.

The opening quarter was a defensive battle that saw both teams playing to their strengths. Athol had not given up more than seven points in either of its first two games. The Wildcats learned why on their first offensive drive as they moved the ball down the field well until they got in the red zone.

“They definitely stepped it up,” Lee coach Tom Salinetti said of Athol’s physicality. “We know they are a good program and they are going to pride themselves on physicality, and so are we.”

On the sixth play of the drive, Lee junior quarterback Omari Smith forced a throw and Athol cornerback Aaron Ouellet picked it off.  

“I think they came with a lot of aggression,” Smith said of Athol’s defense. “[Athol’s] secondary held strong, and I think they were a good defense overall.”

Following the interception, Athol responded with a 14-play drive that featured junior running back Sawyer Lefsyk. The Athol bell-cow had 16 rushing yards on the drive, and he finished with a whopping 25 carries for 106 yards. Penalties ultimately stalled the Bears drive, and they were forced to punt.

“We made them earn it, nothing cheap and nothing free,” Salinetti said. “When it came down to it, someone stepped up and made a play.”

Lee got on the board early in the second quarter after a field goal from senior kicker Michael Lillie capped off a 13-play drive that featured a heavy dose of senior running back Tyler Bartini and Smith. Bartini rushed for 54 yards, and Smith added 22 yards and a touchdown on the ground for the Wildcats.

The Lee defense held strong at the end of the first half to preserve a 3-0 lead heading into halftime. The Wildcats’ defense put together an excellent game plan that featured a heavy amount of blitzing.

Athol responded with an impressive and methodical 15-play drive to start the third quarter that took eight minutes, 20 seconds. Lefsyk rushed for 36 yards on the drive and junior running back Hayden Barrieau added a big 22-yard catch, with another few yards added afterward due to a flag on Bartini. Curtis capped off the drive with a run from 5 yards out, although Athol failed the conversion to lead 6-3. 

Lee quickly responded as Zavien Siok returned the ensuing kickoff 66 yards to give the hosts excellent field position. The ‘Cats wasted no time as Smith ran a perfect bootleg from 7 yards out to regain the lead, although a missed PAT made it 9-6. 

On the first play following the touchdown from Smith, Athol gave the ball right back after Lefsyk fumbled and Zack Nicotra recovered it. However, on the Wildcats’ second play of the drive, sophomore running back Dawson Reber coughed up the ball and this time Athol recovered it.

Lee was forced to dig deep as Athol held the ball for the remainder of the fourth quarter. Athol methodically worked its way down the field on 23-play drive down to the 9-yard line. The Bears ran a tight-end pop, but Schwab had other ideas as he secured the victory for Lee.

“I’m heartbroken for my kids,” Talbot said. “We put together a good drive, and I let them down with a bad play call in the end. I feel like I let my guys down, and that hurts.”

Lee improved to 2-1 this season, and picked up its first win over Athol since 2008. Its also bounced back from a season-opening loss to Monument Mountain to win twice in a row. 

Athol dropped to 2-1 on the season. The Bears will return home to play Franklin Tech in their Intercounty League North opener.