SOUTH DEERFIELD — If the key to football success is having a standout running back get his toe stepped on in the lead-up to a game, maybe more teams would make that annoyingly painful decision.

Josiah Little didn't let his own banged-up toe slow him down at all Friday night, bettering his Week 1 rushing output by five yards with a grand total of 186 yards on 27 carries and a touchdown in Franklin Tech's 36-7 romp over host Frontier.

Maxon Brunette also filled up the stat sheet with 105 yards on only eight attempts and three scores. All but eight of Brunette's yards came in the fourth quarter alone.

In all, the Eagles (2-0) piled up 390 rushing yards on 48 carries, over eight yards a whack, and 412 yards of offense.

"I was feeling a little bit of pain, but it pushed me to work even harder, wanting to come out on top in this game," said Little, already a 367-yard rusher through two games. "The blocks up front were great, a great push throughout the game. We were wearing them down, and that's just what we've gotta keep doing. We've got a few little things to tune up, but other than that, we're in a great spot." 

Despite the lopsided result, the Redhawks (0-2) showed clear improvement from their season-opening shutout loss to Lunenburg two weeks ago, when they managed only 34 total yards. The hosts finally cracked the scoreboard early in the fourth quarter, cashing in a nine-play, 62-yard drive with a 2-yard scoring plunge by Kaden James. That cut Frontier's deficit to 20-7 at the moment, but Brunette added two of his three touchdowns to push the game into wipeout territory.

"Defensively, I feel like we played physical, we stayed disciplined, and didn't really make too many mistakes," said Eagles coach Joe Gamache. "Every kid on the defense stayed within their responsibilities and their assignments.

"It's only Week 2, so we still have plenty to improve on, but it's been a real fun group. They've been putting in the work, and the kids did everything we asked."  

Franklin Tech went out to a 6-0 lead just over three minutes in Friday, taking advantage of Frontier's opening squib kickoff that carried out of bounds. Little ran four times for 24 yards, Nathan Sabolevski (60 yards) had a 12-yard run to get the Eagles close, and Tyler Yetter (39 yards) finished it off with a 5-yard scoring run.

The visitors then missed a chance to extend the lead when Nolyn Stafford fumbled at the end of a 20-yard completion from Yetter and Frontier's Noah Poreda recovered at the Redhawks' 11. But Frontier's four first-half possessions resulted in two punts and two losses on downs, with only two first downs and 44 total yards.

Tech then doubled its lead with a 10-play, 70-yard drive that Little finished with a 7-yard run on a toss sweep. The Eagles led 12-0 with 4:33 left in the first half, and managed to get down to Frontier's 16 on their next series as time ran out.

After Frontier's three-and-punt to open the second half, the Eagles went 58 yards to set up Brunette's first touchdown, a 5-yard run, with 5:04 remaining in the third. Sabolevski's two-point run created a 20-0 score.

The Redhawks' lone scoring drive of the night was set up by a 39-yard gain by Brady Poreda (team-high 60 yards), giving the hosts first-and-goal at the Tech 9. Three plays later, James was in the end zone, and the extra-point boot by Noah Poreda pulled the Hawks within 20-7.

Brunette broke a 46-yard touchdown run on a delayed handoff and bounce to the right sideline, with Yetter's two-point conversion making it 28-7 at the 5:06 mark. With gains of 35 yards by Brunette and 15 yards by Sabolevski, the Eagles finished off their night with 1:02 to go, a 10-yard run by Brunette, followed by his own two-pointer.

"Max coming in late, a lot of people don't realize it, but he's a great back," said Gamache of Brunette. "He's behind Joe right now in terms of depth, but he brings us the same type of runner, he's got great field vision, and he makes some great cuts. He's a tough kid."

Frontier got 115 yards on the ground as well as a 5-of-10, 51-yard passing night from Garrett Dredge. Ty Skroski caught three balls for 27 yards and Brady Poreda had two catches for 24.

"We've got a lot figured out, and that's with putting people in new positions because of our injuries from that Lunenburg game," said Frontier coach Scott Dredge. "I had 10 kids play the entire football game; they didn't leave the field. They worked their tails off, and I'm so proud of them for that. Our offensive production is getting there."

Both teams take to the road Friday night, with Franklin Tech at Pathfinder and Frontier visiting Greenfield.