SOUTH DEERFIELD — The ground game reigned supreme for the Frontier football team in its 40-6 win against Athol on Friday night. All six of the Redhawks’ touchdowns were rushed into the end zone, led by senior Garrett Dredge’s three scores.
“Our team tempo,” Frontier head coach Scott Dredge on what he liked most from his team’s season-opening victory. “We’ve been running hard in camp and we have a big senior class that’s probably not going to leave the field too much, so we need to be in shape. I think we saw that tonight. We were able to keep our tempo up and keep our production and speed going through all four quarters.”
Brady Poreda provided a pair of touchdown scores for the Redhawks during the second half that totaled more than 100 yards combined and helped the hosts burst the score open following a relatively even first half.
“Their little no-huddle drive at the end of the second quarter gassed us out,” Bears head coach Josh Talbot said. “We’re thin, we’re inexperienced and Scott [Dredge] made a good call over there running a no-huddle. We hung tough on it, but in the end, that was a big decision on their part and definitely a difference-maker in the game.”
Athol had just scored its first (and only) touchdown on a slick, 44-yard reception score from wide receiver Ethan Goodwin with 4 minutes, 52 seconds to play in the first half to make it 8-6. But Frontier flew down field on its next possession and Garrett Dredge punched in a 5-yard score, with some help from the no-huddle Talbot referenced, to quickly regain the lead, 14-6, after a successful 2-point conversion.
The Redhawks used that momentum to turn a 14-6 advantage at halftime into three more touchdowns in the third quarter. First it was a 30-yard Dredge touchdown on a reverse play, then Poreda galloped up the left sideline for a 55-yard score and finally, Julian Adams powered into the end zone on a 2-yard TD as the scoreboard read 34-6 in favor of Frontier when the frame was all said and done.
“Our type of an offensive isn’t flashy or sexy, but if it’s run well and blocked well enough, those chunk yards turn into bigger yards and you can wear a team down and keep going and going,” Dredge said. “By the end of the game, hopefully with that level of ball control, you can wear down a team. That combination of being in shape and being able to keep that tempo going offensively and bend a little but not break, was a big thing for us.”
Poreda salted the game away for the Redhawks with a TD rush that stretched 85 yards in the final quarter as the senior zig-zagged down field, evading multiple Athol defenders, on the way to the scoring area and a 40-6 score for Frontier.
“Very proud of Brady [Poreda] tonight,” Dredge said. “Man did he pack that on. Jack [Phillips], we first had him at [defensive] tackle, then we moved him to linebacker. Like I’ve said in the preseason, that kid has a motor he’s everywhere.”
Garrett Dredge didn’t see much of the field during the second half after the Redhawks captain needed extra time getting off the field with about five minutes left in the third quarter. Scott Dredge revealed postgame his son had been dealing with cramps leading up to Friday’s matchup with the Bears and another flared up in game action.
Despite the 34-point defeat, the chemistry between Goodwin and Athol quarterback Oliver Johnson was a positive development, according to Talbot.
“[Goodwin] is the only skill [player] from last year that’s back and he was our 10th option last year,” Talbot said. “He can make some plays. That’s how deep we were last year. Oliver, we’re glad to have him back. He hasn’t played football since he was a sophomore, when he was a third-string quarterback, back then.
“He’s a little bit of a playmaker, him and [Goodwin] are good friends, they’re able to be on the page together,” Talbot said about Johnson. “It’s nice to see a little bit of explosiveness, in the end, there just wasn’t a lot left in the tank.”
Each squad will have next week off before returning to the gridiron on Sept. 19. Athol (0-1) will host Murdock at O’Brien Field while Frontier (1-0) will travel to Franklin Tech.
Kickoff for both games are scheduled for 7 p.m.
