GREENFIELD — Three first-half touchdowns proved more than enough cushion for the Frontier Regional football team on Friday.
The Redhawks wrapped up their streak of three straight road games to begin the season with a pair of scores from Ty Skroski and withstood a rally by Greenfield to post a 28-14 victory at Veterans Memorial Field.
Greenfield’s Kymel Ramsey sheds Frontier’s Ty Skroski at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Frontier’s Noah Poreda pulls in a pass vs Greenfield at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield’s Coach Jeff Bengtson during a time pout vs Frontier at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield’s Kymel Ramsey pulls in a touch down pass over Frontier’s Ty Skroski at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield’s Gavin Arsenault is swarmed by Frontier defenders at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Frontier’s Ty Skroski tries to evade a tackle by Greenfield’s Bryce Zraunig at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield’s Gavin Arsenault passes vs Frontier at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Frontier’s Konnor James stiff arms Greenfield’s Kymel Ramsey at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Frontier’s Collin Healy intercepts a pass in front of Alvin Richardson at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield’s Connor Bengston is tackled by Frontier’s Noah Poreda at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield’s Kymel Ramsey runs around the end vs Frontier at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo 
Greenfield’s Kymel Ramsey scores on this play that got called back on a penalty vs Frontier at Veterans Field on Friday. PAUL FRANZ / Staff Photo
Frontier (2-1) built a 20-0 lead late in the second quarter before Greenfield hit back with a score of its own just 27 seconds before halftime. Each team put up a touchdown and successful 2-point conversion in the third quarter to create the 28-14 score that prevailed until the end.
“You could see we were getting a little tired, with only 18 kids in pads right now,” said Redhawks coach Scott Dredge. “We’ve just got to work on pushing through that stuff. I think a lot of the penalties and mistakes we were seeing in the second half were because of us being tired. They had to dig deep and find a way to hold on to this game.”
Skroski led the Redhawks with a game-high 76 yards on eight carries. Noah Poreda had the most work with 17 tries for 56 yards and Konnor James added 44 yards on the ground. James completed 3-of-6 passes for 91 yards, two of them going to Poreda for 71 yards, including a 62-yard completion that set up Frontier’s third score.
After Skroski ran the opening kickoff back to the Frontier 45-yard line, James had a 20-yard completion to Landon Lavallee and back-to-back runs of 11 and 12 yards to get the visitors close. On 4th-and-goal from the Greenfield 9, the Redhawks used some hook-and-lateral trickery for the first score, as James threw to Skroski in the right flat and Skroski pitched to the trailing Poreda who took it in for six. James then ran in the two-pointer to make it 8-0 with 6:10 left in the quarter.
The Redhawks then benefited from a muffed kickoff recovery to start at the Greenfield 47. This time Poreda had the big runs of 10, 12 and 20 yards. Freshman Chase Green went straight up the middle for the 3-yard TD and a 14-0 Frontier lead at the 2:38 mark.
Greenfield (1-2) lost the ball on turnovers on each of its first two possessions, first an interception by Collin Healy and then a fumble recovery by Connor Sheldon as Greenfield tried to convert a 4th-and-2 at the Frontier 15. Earlier on that drive, the Green Wave lost an apparent 47-yard touchdown run by Kymel Ramsey due to a holding penalty.
The Redhawks got out of that hole with Poreda’s 62-yard catch-and-run that put the ball at the Greenfield 8, and Skroski went in from the 5 three plays later to make it 20-0 with only 1:50 left in the half.
That still gave the Green Wave time to go long-field, thanks to a 43-yard burst by Gavin Arsenault that moved the ball to the Frontier 20. On 2nd-and-4 from the 14, Arsenault hit Ramsey for the first of his two touchdown passes, pulling Greenfield to within 20-6 at intermission.
Early in the third quarter, Skroski ran a punt back 38 yards to set up Frontier at the Greenfield 30. Two plays later, he took a wingback counter 25 yards for the score with 8:54 to go in the third, followed by Poreda’s two-point run, to put the Redhawks up 28-6.
Frontier couldn’t add to it after jumping on the ensuing kickoff at the Greenfield 30, turning the ball over on downs at the 26. Greenfield drove down the field in nine plays, helped by a roughing-the-passer call and a 22-yard hookup between Arsenault and Owen Pfisterer-Hill. Arsenault then converted on 4th-and-2 at the 18-yard line to set up his second TD pass, a 12-yarder to Pfisterer-Hill, with Arsenault adding the two-point run with 2:54 to play.
Greenfield missed out on points on its next series, following a wild snap on a Frontier punt that created a 28-yard loss and gave the Wave the ball at the Redhawks’ 25. They drove to the 6 before an incomplete pass in the end zone and a 10-yard loss, then a turnover on downs.
Arsenault ran for 75 yards on 12 carries and completed 7-of-12 passes for 83 yards, with two scores and an interception. Pfisterer-Hill ran for 29 yards and also caught two passes for 34 yards, and Ramsey had three catches for 27 yards. In all, Frontier outgained Greenfield, 289-184.
“I’m happy with how we came out in the second half. We’ve had issues in the past with being down and then staying down,” said Greenfield coach Jeff Bengtson. “Hopefully we’ve turned that page and we’ve learned from this experience a little bit, on what can happen if you stay together as a team and keep working.”
Both teams are back in action on Oct. 2, with Frontier playing its home opener against Commerce and Greenfield hosting Easthampton.
