CHICOPEE - Midway through the second quarter Friday night it appeared Chicopee Comp was going to hand the Amherst Regional football team another easy defeat.

But the Hurricanes had other ideas.

Amherst stood toe-to-toe with the likelyy playoff-bound Colts, led late in the third quarter and gave Comp a scare, only to succumb 35-24.

"We played a hell of a ballgame," Amherst coach Glenn Jackson said. "I'm very proud of these guys. We came in with five healthy lineman. It's hard for my kids to get off the field, but overall we played a very good ball game against a pretty good team."

Chicopee Comp (7-1) improved to 5-1 in the Suburban League. Amherst (1-8) fell to 1-6.

"These kids aren't going to quit," Jackson said. "They've had fight in them for days and they aren't going quit. ... These guys out here want to play ball and they want to do the best they can. None of them are quitters. I'll take these guys out here and play anybody."

The Hurricanes trailed 13-0 and then 19-7 when Tristan Kovacs recovered a fumble by the Colts at their 29-yard line. Five plays later Keegan Josias kicked a 28-yard field goal to pull Amherst within 19-10 with 1:52 left in the first half.

Chicopee Comp drove to the Amherst goal line on its next series but with seconds left Amherst made a defensive stand to keep Comp off the scoreboad before halftime.

"We got so much momentum," Amherst quarterback Leo Wright said. "We just rode that into the second half and we were ahead at one point."

Comp opened the third quarter with a three-and-out and Amherst quickly responded. Behind the running of Walker Nambu (11 carries, 34 yards) and Willie Jackson (14 for 73, one touchdown) Amherst drove to the 3-yard line. Jack McCutcheon then plowed up the middle for the touchdown, but the conversion run failed and Amherst trailed 19-16 with 7:34 left. in the third.

Amherst's defense held on Chicopee Comp's next series. A bad snap on first down led to a loss of 20 yards as Kovacs nearly recovered a second fumble at the Pacers' 22. Andrew Coblyn then stuffed a reverse on second down. Following an incomplete pass, Comp was forced to punt.

Basil Stewart made the ensuing catch at Amherst's 49, took a few steps to the right and took off up the sideline. Stewart leaped a defender at the 5-yard line and fell into the end zone for the touchdown.

"He was supposed to be injured. He was thinking about not playing," Wright said. "But we got him iced up and rehabbed him all week. He's a great player."

Wright found Devin Conley for a conversion pass and Amherst led 24-19 with 3:39 left in the third.

"The defense was playing great the whole," Wright said. "A couple key mistakes kept us from stopping them on that last try. We were almost there."

Comp answered with a three-play, 61-yard drive. Quarterback Matt Toczek found Connor Cloutier for 35 yards, then rushed for a 25-yard TD as the Colts took a 27-24 lead with 2:12 left in the third.

Amherst's next series stalled and Chicopee Comp followed with a time-consuming drive. The Colts took nearly eight minutes off the clock but the drive stalled late in the fourth.

Amherst had one last chance but the Hurricanes had to go 97 yards in three minutes. Wright, howeve,r threw his fourth interception and Comp scored one play later to seal the win.

"We came out and play well. The whole team played hard especially the offensive line," Wright said. "We all played really good games - just wish we could have pulled out the win."