NORTHFIELD — The move to running back has worked out nicely for Wyatt Keith.
The Pioneer Valley Regional School football team has savored the fruits of the junior’s labors.
Keith rushed for all four of his team’s touchdowns, broke the 100-yard mark on the ground, caught five passes and even completed one in a all-purpose individual performance that powered the host Panthers to a convincing 30-12 victory over Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School in a Tri-County League contest Saturday afternoon in Northfield.
Not bad for someone who wasn’t even a running back until three weeks ago.
“What a difference he’s made,” said Pioneer head coach Paul Worth. “He catches the ball, runs the ball, came through with some big third down conversions for us. He’s nursing a thigh injury but he’s a battler and a gamer.”
After Pioneer (4-1, 3-1 TCL) lost its lone game of the season to TCL leader Ware High School in Week 2, Worth decided to insert Keith, a tight end, into the backfield.
“He’s athletic, so we figured we’d give him a shot and see what he could do back there,” explained the second-year head coach of Keith. “It’s been a blessing so far, that’s for sure.”
Keith has scored at least two touchdowns on the ground in his three games as a running back, and Saturday’s 21 carries for 119 yards was his second consecutive 100-yard affair.
Keith scored his first touchdown of the day with 4:09 left in the first quarter, capping a Pioneer drive with a 20-yard scamper. Tristan Dresser (92 yards of total offense) hauled in a two-point pass from Karl Wheeler, and the Panthers took a quick 8-0 lead.
The opening stanza was downright dominant for Pioneer. Smith Voke (2-3, 1-2), which fell to 0-5 all-time against the Panthers, ran eight offensive plays in the first quarter — five of them going for negative yards. The Pioneer defense held the Vikings to minus-12 yards and no first downs in the frame.
After recovering a fumble on defense, Keith doubled the score with 1:03 left in the first. He finished off a short drive with a 2-yard touchdown, and his two-point run put the hosts up, 16-0.
“We executed very well early in the game,” admitted Worth. “It shows that the guys are capable of that. But we have so much young talent that we have a tendency to make some mistakes.”
Those mistakes showed up in the second quarter, when Pioneer, looking to put the game away before halftime, committed a pair of turnovers. Quarterback Scott Perlberg (9-for-17, 127 yards) threw an interception, and Keith lost a fumble, both coming right as the Panthers were entering the red zone.
Pioneer still had a third offensive possession go deep into Smith Voke territory right before halftime, but a fourth-down pass from the 8 fell incomplete, and the Vikings were able to get to intermission trailing just 16-0.
A good drive to open the third quarter saw Pioneer march 74 yards on 12 plays, and Keith punched it in from 6 yards away to extend the advantage to 24-0. Perlberg completed four passes on the drive, three to Keith, as the Panthers showcased their full arsenal of weapons to make it a three score game.
Smith Voke hung around from there, as all-everything quarterback Jacob Erali ran for a 14-yard TD late in the third to cut the deficit to 24-6. Erali threw a 41-yard touchdown to Parker Affhauser on the first play of the fourth quarter to pull within 24-12, but the Pioneer defense held tough from there.
Keith barrelled in from 5 yards out with 39 seconds remaining to seal the deal and secure the 30-12 victory that keeps the Panthers in the hunt for a potential postseason berth.
“We feel really good about where we’re at right now,” Worth said. “We’ve sweated out some nail-biters this season. I told the guys going into this game that the difference between 3-1 and 0-4 is your heart. We’re trying to get into that playoff and hopefully some things fall right and we can continue to take care of business the next few weeks.”
Keith finished his big day with the 119 yards on the ground as well as five catches for 74 yards. He also completed a 15-yard pass to Wheeler for a first down in the opening quarter.
Erali was 8-for-18 for 74 yards through the air, and he also led the Smith Voke rushing attack with 19 carries for 89 yards.
Pioneer takes to the road this week, as it will travel to Thorndike to play Pathfinder Regional Vocational Technical High School (0-5, 0-4) in a TCL clash Friday night at St. Joseph’s Park. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.