LOWELL – Scott Thayer turned to the swarm of Pioneer fans in the stands and raised both fists in the air. Just a few feet away, his son, Brayden Thayer, dribbled out the final seconds of the Panthers’ dominant 49-28 state championship game victory over Hopedale at the Tsongas Center.

“It’s a hard thing to describe without me getting emotional,” said Scott Thayer in the hallway outside the Pioneer locker room afterward.

Top-seeded Pioneer reached the top of the basketball mountain Saturday. One of the most dominant seasons in Franklin County history, the Panthers capped the 2024-25 campaign a perfect 26-0 with an MIAA Division 5 state title.

It was the third state title in program history, joining the famed Adam Harrington-led teams from 1996 and ’97 that won back-to-back Division 3 championships while racking up 50 consecutive victories across two seasons.

It’s a basketball school, in a town that showed its support all season long. The Northfield and Bernardston faithful came out in droves Saturday. The stands behind the Pioneer bench were packed with black-and-gold supporters who were loud early and only got louder as the afternoon went on.

“We had a lot of people here,” senior Alex McClelland said with a smile.

The large Pioneer contingent that made the 70-plus mile trek across Route 2 and up 495 was treated to yet another dominant performance. The Panthers trailed 13-10 early in the second quarter but dug in, got to work and took control. A 15-0 run followed, and the No. 1 seeds never saw their lead dip below double-digits the rest of the way.

“It’s unreal to be honest with you,” Scott Thayer said. “We’re a school right now grades 9-12 with about 120 kids. How is that possible? And yet here we are.”

Thayer was an assistant coach under Perry Messer during the state-title runs of the ’90s. He knew what type of support North County was capable of, and nearly 30 years later, that appreciation returned full circle.

“It’s kind of the culture, it started way back when I was an assistant,” he offered. “It was fun to see Perry [in the crowd] because he’s part of it. And all the people who have been part of it, [the title is] for everybody. You can see our community, when [the PA announcer] first said ‘Pioneer,’ the roar that came out, that just gives you goosebumps.”

A packed Messer Gymnasium throughout the season and state tournament run propelled the Panthers forward, and neutral site games in West Springfield and Lowell didn’t deter the Pioneer cheering section.

“The support’s been unreal the whole season,” senior Kurt Redeker said. “For such a small school, it’s great.”

Brayden Thayer, who closed his standout career with a game-high 26 points (just two shy of the Hopedale team total), said the boisterous crowd made a difference.

“It really brings the community together which I love seeing,” he said of the state tourney run. “I feel like we had way more people here than [Hopedale] did and that just shows the dedication they have for us. Especially them being here and making all the noise they did, that gets us going.”

Joining the undefeated club

The third state title in program history was also the third undefeated season in program history for Pioneer. Though under the new statewide tournament format, this year’s Panthers wound up playing an extra game – and finished 26-0. The 1996 and 1997 champs each went 25-0.

Players on this year’s team weren’t alive for those past championship runs, but they’ve grown up hearing about them their entire lives.

“It’s a great feeling. To be in that type of company, especially going undefeated, it’s great,” Brayden Thayer said. “I don’t think any of us expected this at the beginning of the year but hey, we’ll take it.”

County’s 6th state crown

Pioneer’s win is the sixth state basketball championship in Franklin County history. The Panthers have now won three, tops in the area, while Frontier has two and Mahar has one. The Senators were the last team to win a state championship, capturing the 2012 Division 2 crown.