THORNDIKE — The Mohawk Trail Regional High School football team proved to be road Warriors Friday night, as it took the long trek to St. Joseph’s Field and dominated Pathfinder Regional Vocational-Technical High School, 34-14, to even its record at 1-1 on the year, and move to 1-0 in the Tri-County League. 

The Warriors were led by junior Jordan Grenier, who was absolutely beastly in all three phases of the game. It didn’t take long for Grenier to show his prowess on special teams, as he took the opening kickoff 71 yards, setting up the Warriors with a first and goal at the Pioneers 9. Give an assist on the play to Warriors head coach Doug McCloud, who after the initial kickoff rolled out out of bounds, chose to make Pathfinder re-kick instead of taking the five-yard penalty, allowing for the big play.

Two plays later, junior quarterback Ryan Walker plunged into the end zone from a yard out, and it was 6-0 after Mohawk could not convert the two-point conversion.

Pathfinder got a little something going on its first possession, moving the ball from its own 41 yard-line to the Mohawk 24 on six rushes. But then the Pioneers took to the air, and paid the price. Pathfinder’s Joe Roman, in at quarterback on the play, threw toward the end zone, and Grenier struck again, snagging the ball out of the air for the pick, and returning it to the Pathfinder 45.

The Warriors would sputter on the next offensive series, turning the ball over on downs on four plays. Mohawk would not need to worry, however, as on the ensuing Pioneers drive, Grenier yet again came up with a huge play, returning a Pathfinder fumble 51 yards for a touchdown. After Walker hit tight end Brian Allen on the two-point play, the Warriors were up 14-0, and the score remained the same at the end of the first quarter. In the frame, Mohawk ran only six plays on offense, thanks to Grenier’s 147 return yards.

The Pioneers (0-2, 0-1 TCL) would strike back with a 15-play drive of their own, all runs, that took up more than seven minutes between the first and second quarters. The drive culminated with a nine-yard blast up the middle by A.J. Oliveira, who was lined up under center on the play. Pathfinder failed on the conversion, and the score was 14-6 with just over five minutes left in the half.

Mohawk got its offense rolling on the next series, with senior running back David Hobbs doing the heavy lifting. On the nine-play, 76-yard drive, Hobbs sliced his way through the Pioneers defense, gaining 64 yards on six carries, including gains of 10, 13, and 22 yards. Cam Lococo would finish the series with a five-yard scamper, and the Warriors took a 20-6 lead into the half.

After the teams traded punts to begin the third, Pathfinder was again able to sustain a drive that had it knocking at the door at the end of the quarter. Facing a fourth-and-goal at the 4 to start the fourth, junior running back Jesse Griswold powered his way through the defense for the score, and then followed up with a two-point run, cutting the Warriors lead to 20-14.

There was no panic for Mohawk, however, and a nice return by Lococo set up the Warriors at their own 40. McCloud decided that it was time for Grenier to get involved in the offense, and he did just that. After a gain of eight yards on first down, Grenier got the ball again, scampering to his left and hugging the sideline on the way to 52-yard score, putting Mohawk up 26-14 with 10 minutes to play.

After the defense forced a three-and-out, Mohawk would put the game out of reach on a 55-yard drive, capped by a 24-yard scoring run by Hobbs. On defense, Grenier would make sure there was absolutely no doubt, collecting his second interception of the night to seal the deal.

“What a great game by Jordan, he can do it all,” said McCloud. “I thought we played a very good game all around. Hobbs had great night. And it was a great job by the line as well, on both sides of the ball.”

The Warriors will look to make it two in a row when they host Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School Friday night at 7 p.m.