While the area didn’t have a local football team qualify for the state tournament last year, two Recorder schools will be heading on the road to compete in the opening round of the MIAA Division 8 playoffs this weekend.
Athol (5-3) closed the regular season with three wins in a row to earn the No. 14 seed in the 16-team field, while Franklin Tech (6-2) went 5-1 in the Intercounty League North to come away with the No. 15 seed in the Div. 8 field.
Waiting for the Bears and Eagles? A pair of undefeated teams who will give each their toughest test of the season.
Athol will head to the Berkshires to face No. 3 Hoosac Valley (8-0) on Saturday at 1 p.m. while Franklin Tech will travel to the South Shore to take on No. 2 Carver (8-0), with kickoff scheduled for 6:30 p.m. on Friday.
While the Eagles have a complete unknown opponent from the opposite end of the Commonwealth, the Bears will face a fellow Western Mass. team, which in theory could give them an advantage in scouting and gaining knowledge of their opponent.
When Athol coach Josh Talbot was asked about that, he made sure to note that just because they’re from Western Mass. doesn’t make the preparation any easier. Hoosac’s record speaks for itself, with the Hurricanes able to get the job done on both sides of the ball by outscoring opponents 257-77 on the season. Hoosac’s offense is averaging 32.1 points per game while its defense is surrendering just 9.6 PPG.
“They’re undefeated so I don’t think taking on an undefeated team who’s dominated every single team they’ve played is something you celebrate,” Talbot said. “To have some familiarity with who we’re playing, that gives you something to start with.
“They’re winning games big for a reason,” Talbot added. “They’re no different than the top two seeds in that regard. We’re preparing for what’s been a dominant football team all season.”
Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache shared similar sentiments about the Crusaders. Carver has outscored its opponents 353-94, with its offense averaging 44.1 PPG and its defense surrendering a mere 11.7 PPG.
The Crusaders have scored over 40 points in all but one game while their defense has posted three shutouts in eight games.
“I’m hoping the kids take it for what it’s worth,” Gamache said. “I’m hoping we can embrace the role of the underdog. They’re very good. They have a high-octane offense. They throw the ball a lot and have a lot of athletes. This will be the biggest test we’ve faced.
“Hands down we’ll have to play our best football game of the year,” Gamache added. “The game plan for us is to hopefully create some turnovers on the defensive side of the ball and try to control the clock on offense.”
For Athol to spring the upset, stopping the Hurricanes running attack will be paramount.
Hoosac relies on its run game, led by Kadan Tatro and Griffin Mucci in the backfield. Tatro had a 330-yard, three-touchdown game against Easthampton, and against Frontier, Tatro and Mucci combined for 194 yards and three scores.
“Their line is really good,” Talbot said. “They have a stud running back [Tatro]. He’s quite the talent. They’re really physical up front. As good as Tatro is, his line does a heck of a job and they have a good scheme.”
Ware, the Intercounty League North winner, plays a similar style of football to Hoosac. Learning from the mistakes of that game, a 34-13 Athol loss, and seeing that type of physicality is something Talbot said he hopes his team can draw back on when preparing for the ’Canes.
“They’re powerful,” Talbot said. “That’s where it starts and where it ends. They’re big, powerful, strong and play bully football. They’re similar to Ware in that regard and Ware handled us well. We have a tall task ahead of us. We know we have to meet their physicality from the first step. Against Ware we got off to a slow start. To know what that pace and physicality will be like is helpful and hopefully we can get out to a faster start.”
While the Bears are getting ready to play an old-school, smashmouth football team, the Eagles are preparing for a new age offense that looks to put the ball in the air as often as possible.
Carver quarterback Tyler Lennox is the engine that makes the Crusaders go, using both his arm and his legs to move his offense up and down the field. Lennox has no shortage of weapons to throw to, led by Derek Lopes on the outside.
“They lean on their speed and athleticism,” Gamache said. “They’re going to put points on the board and try to score more than anybody else can. It looks like they have athletes across the board. From what we’ve seen the quarterback is shifty and gets outside the pocket. He has great rapport with [Lopes] and looks legit. If you manage to take him out, they have other guys who can catch the ball. The few running plays they get in are when you over-commit to the pass and they hit you up the middle for a big run.”
Athol reached the playoffs thanks to its balance, having an offense with multiple weapons and a defense that can keep teams from lighting up the scoreboard.
Aidan Melanson and Dom Curtis have split time at quarterback, Melanson the passer and Curtis a threat with his legs. Sawyer Lefsyk isn’t a running back you want to be tackling by the fourth quarter, Hayden Barrieau does a bit of everything on offense while Raydin Sousa and Aaron Ouellet are weapons to throw to on the outside.
Defensively the Bears are giving up just 12.5 PPG.
“Our kids were confident in the summer,” Talbot said. “They were confident last year. They started the season believing in themselves. Nothing has happened to change that. The confidence is still there. This is a group that believes in themselves. We’re in for a tough task but we’re confident going in.”
Franklin Tech has similar confidence going in. Gabe Tomasi is a veteran quarterback who’s thrown five touchdowns and rushed for eight scores this year, Josiah Little is nearing his third straight 1,000 yard season while Ethan Smarr, Cam Candelaria and Jet Bastarache are players Carver will have to account for.
The Eagles defense has been its calling card all year, holding opponents to a mere 10.3 PPG with three shutouts in eight games.
“Defensively we’ve played very well this year,” Gamache said. “We just haven’t seen a team with this many weapons. The kids are eager. They’ve improved each time they’ve been out there. We’re coming off a week where we had three interceptions which helps show that we’ve done a better job defending the pass. The hope is we focus on this week and put out our best performance.”