SOUTH DEERFIELD — A goal-line stand by Pittsfield’s defense just before halftime kept the Frontier Regional football team from increasing its lead.
It’s what Red Hawks coach Don Gordon said changed the momentum and allowed Pittsfield to rally in the second half and win, 30-8, Friday night.
Two incomplete passes by Frontier quarterback Matt Hildreth and two runs that were held for no gain kept the score at 6-0 at halftime.
“We didn’t score on the one-foot line,” Gordon said. “That changed it right there, that (would have) put us up two scores. Then we kind of got tired and we don’t have a lot of depth and it showed.”
Pittsfield exploded for 30 points in the second half, led by sophomore running back Emmanuel Nda, who had 262 yards rushing on 19 carries and four touchdowns. With good starting position at their own 42-yard line to start the second half, the Generals marched down the field and Nda ran a 4-yard touchdown for their first score of the game. After the 2-point conversion, the score was 8-6.
Then with 44 seconds left in the third quarter, Nda extended Pittsfield’s lead by escaping from several tackles on his way to a 20-yard touchdown. On the ensuing 2-point conversion, Frontier defensive back Garrett DeForest recovered a fumble and returned it 99 yards for the 2 points for Frontier, cutting the Pittsfield lead to 14-8.
“They did that on the first (2-point conversion) when they scored so I saw it coming,” DeForest said. “I just picked it up and ran it back, whatever it took to put some points on the board.”
Nda continued to rack up yards, and points, in the fourth. With 7:30 left in the game, a 20-yard run by Nda was brought back by a holding penalty, then on the very next play he broke away again to seal the game with a 66-yard touchdown run. Pittsfield quarterback D’Andre Johnson ran in the 2-point conversion to make it 22-8 Pittsfield.
Then with 2:36 left in the game, Nda added to the lead with his fourth touchdown on a 35-yard touchdown run.
Frontier’s only touchdown came on the first drive of the game. After Hildreth returned the opening kickoff to Frontier’s 35-yard line, the Red Hawks moved the ball exclusively with running plays to the 4, where DeForest (64 yards on 13 carries) ran it in.
Pittsfield was plagued by penalties and turnovers in the first half. Two of Frontier’s drives were kept alive by 15-yard personal foul penalties on fourth down. Pittsfield fumbled twice in the first half, both times recovered by Frontier.
Frontier will face Greenfield on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m. at home.