Frontier football beats Mohawk in overtime
1
SOUTH DEERFIELD - What a way to end a season.
Forty minutes of regulation was not enough for rivals Mohawk Trail and Frontier Regional in their Thanksgiving Eve Intercounty League showdown.
The teams went into overtime and the Red Hawks managed to force a fumble and score a touchdown to recapture the trophy they lost last season for the first time in 21 years with a 26-20 victory on Wednesday.
"It was a 37-power like we always do in practice," Clement Watroba said of the winning touchdown. "This is the perfect way to go out. Last year my brother Austin lost in his senior year and I didn't want that to happen and we got it back."
The game nearly ended in regulation when Mohawk (3-6, 2-6) attempted a 28-yard field goal with 9.9 seconds left. The snap was high and it seemed to mess up the timing of kicker Jake Looman, who had previously missed an extra point in the first quarter. Looman, who is capable of hitting long field goals according to Mohawk coach Jim Smith, came up short this time.
Looman's kick dropped into the Frontier end zone. An alert Marcus Josub picked up the ball for Frontier and looked like he might have a shot at a game-ending return for a touchdown when many of the Mohawk players stopped on the play. But an alert Jeremiah Jones made a game-saving tackle.
"The kid wanted to do it, he said 'I can make it, I can make it,' so we gave it a shot," Smith said of the field-goal attempt.
That sent the game into overtime, where both teams lined up at the 10-yard line and had four downs to score. Mohawk went first and after two short gains had a third-and-goal from the 3. As the ball was snapped it fell to the ground. A pile-up ensued and Frontier defender Charlie Tirrell recovered the fumble.
With the momentum from the defensive stop behind them, it took the Red Hawks just one play to cash in the game-winning touchdown. Watroba (nine carries, 59 yards) took the carry up the middle from the 10, plowing over Mohawk defender Alex Buntin at the 2 and walking into the end zone as the team mobbed him and the Frontier sideline erupted with cheers.
The teams traded touchdowns throughout the game and it was Mohawk that got the early break when Jones fell on a Frontier fumble at the Red Hawk 6 with 3 minutes, 20 seconds left in the first quarter.
Three plays later Buntin (6-for-13, 85 yards) found Looman on a 3-yard pass in the left corner of the end zone for a 6-0 lead.
Frontier (6-4, 5-3) responded by driving down the field on the next possession and scoring on the first play of the second quarter. Watroba punched it in from 2 yards out and Brad Tremblay's extra point attempt missed wide right to keep the score tied 6-6.
Mohawk went back on top with 2:47 left before halftime. After taking over at its own 11, the Warriors faced third-and-2 from the 19 when Matt Zalenski (18 carries, 154 yards) finally got loose for the first time. Zalenski, who finished with 4,782 career rushing yards, broke through the right side of the line and scurried 81 yards down the Mohawk sideline for a touchdown. Buntin's two-point pass to Jones was good as Mohawk took a 14-6 lead into the break.
The Warriors opened the second half with possession but Frontier's defense stood tall and took over at its 20 with 7:43 left in the third quarter. The Red Hawks moved the ball down the field and faced fourth-and-15 from the Mohawk 24 with under 10 seconds left. Frontier got the play off just as the quarter expired and quarterback Rylan Baronas (4-for-11, 53 yards) pitched the ball back to Watroba.
The Frontier back pulled up and threw the ball toward the end zone where Ethan Blake and two Mohawk defenders were in the area. Blake leaped over Mohawk's Connor Maloney but the ball went off both player's hands. Fortunately for the Hawks, Josub was standing behind the group in the end zone and he found himself in perfect position as the ball went right into his chest and hands for the score. Baronas hit Blake with the conversion to tie the score 14-14.
Mohawk answered on the second play of the fourth quarter. Buntin threw a pass to his right to freshman Andrew Doty, who was making his first start of the season in place of injured Bryce MacLeod. Doty (nine carries for 53 yards, two catches for 59 yards) came back on the underthrown pass and pulled it in. Frontier defender Kevin Skribiski slipped trying to come back with Doty, and the Mohawk freshman scored from 54 yards to put Mohawk back on top.
The ensuing kickoff was returned by Dan Simanski to the Mohawk 20, and eight plays later Skribiski (eight carries, 31 yards) cashed it in on a 3-yard run.
Zalenski earned the Mike Gaffigan Memorial Award presented by the Shelburne Falls Eagles as the best player for Mohawk, while lineman Eric Rubio won the Tim Dash Memorial Award presented by the South Deerfield Polish Club as the best player for Frontier.
