TURNERS FALLS — After a turnover on downs with a just over a minute left, it seemed as if the Franklin Tech football team had wrapped up a hard-fought Intercounty League North-opening victory over Mahar.
A fumble on the ensuing play nearly changed that.
With 1 minute, 22 seconds left to play and clinging to a seven-point lead, the host Eagles (2-2, 1-0) survived a nine-play Mahar drive inside their own 30-yard line to stave off the Senators (2-2, 0-1) and open up league play with a 20-13 victory.
“I wouldn’t say our talent truly showed on the field, but we did show some grit and some heart,” said Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache. “It’s nice to come away with a W … but we’ve got plenty to clean up.”
After a punt two minutes into the fourth quarter, the Mahar offense took the field with sophomore quarterback Morgan Softic under center because of an injury to senior Kaleb Lemcke in the third quarter. From their own 14-yard line, the Senators marched down the field with Softic completing several passes before the offense stalled out at the Eagles’ 31-yard line. On fourth and 17, Softic dropped back and lofted one down the right sideline to senior tight end Connor Sluder, who was pulled by a Franklin Tech defender, drawing a defensive pass interference flag. After the officials applied a 15-yard penalty, an incomplete pass on fourth-and-2 seemed to sink the Senators.
A fumble, however, brought them right back to the Eagles’ doorstep with a chance to tie or take the lead. Several short runs brought up fourth-and-1, and the Senators opted for a pop-pass to Sluder, which was incomplete. A holding penalty again kept Mahar alive, but with the clock ticking down, Softic dropped back to pass on fourth-and-16 and was intercepted by Franklin Tech junior linebacker Landen Hardy to seal the game with no time left on the clock.
With his starting quarterback hurt, on top of an already thin roster, Mahar head coach Chris Bailey said he was proud of how his guys battled.
“We made a lot of mistakes and we still had an opportunity to win the game,” Bailey said. “I told the kids, ‘I’m damn proud of the way you guys battled’ … if we fight like that, we’re going to come out on top more often than not.”
In game where time of possession was dominated by the Senators, it took two flashes of lightning for the Eagles to score two of their touchdowns. After Mahar senior Domanic Cacciolfi scored a TD in the first quarter, Franklin Tech senior Josiah Little fielded a bouncing kick at his own 15-yard line and immediately took it to the house for the Eagles’ first touchdown.
Then after a second-quarter punt, Franklin Tech quarterback Gabe Tomasi dropped back and found senior tight end Nate Fuess wide open for a 60-yard touchdown pass to put the hosts up, 14-13.
An interception a few minutes later set the Eagles up at the Mahar 25, and Little punched one in from 7 yards out to send Franklin Tech into halftime with a 20-13 lead. That score ultimately remained as both teams pitched a shutout in the second half.
With the win, Franklin Tech now hits the road to play Ware as league play continues, while Mahar heads to O’Brien Field in Athol to take on the Bears next Friday night in yet another edition of the North Quabbin rivalry game.
Heading into that game with the Bears, Bailey said the way his team battled showed they can bounce back from a tough loss.
“The main thing I’m proud of is the way they fought tonight,” Bailey said. “I said, ‘That shows me how much you care, you guys didn’t just roll over when you could have rolled over five or six times.’”
Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com or 413-930-4081.