NORTAMPTON — The Northampton football team pulled off one of the biggest upsets of the season Friday night, beating previously undefeated Minnechaug, 35-34, in a shootout that came down to the final play of the game.
Tied at 28 with four minutes left, Northampton responded just two plays into its drive as Tom Jacques (247 yards passing yards, two touchdowns) threw a 63-yard touchdown pass to Braeden Tudryn (190 total yards, two touchdowns) to take a 35-28 lead.
With three minutes left, Minnechaug, led by running back Joseph Maurer (five touchdowns), drove down field and scored with under 40 seconds left to pull within 35-34.
After a long decision, head coach Steve Alloso decided to send the offense out to go for the win. With the packed stands going wild, the offense lined up in shotgun formation. After gashing Northampton’s defense all night, the Falcons decided to run the ball, however, the runner was stuffed inches short of the goal line.
Minnechaug attempted an onside kick but the Blue Devils recovered. Northampton (5-2) knelt the ball once and the crowd rushed the field on senior night.
“I just told my guys to play loose. We have nothing to lose,” Northampton coach Joe Kocot said. “Just go out there and have fun because we played tight in that West Springfield game, and you can see what happens when we play loose.”
Northampton jumped out to a 21-0 lead in the second quarter, shutting down Minnechaug’s high-powered offense by forcing two Falcon turnovers.
The lead didn’t last against the top-ranked team in Division 3. Minnechaug (6-1) scored two touchdowns in the final two minutes, one of which came on a 35-yard screen pass to Maurer on the final play of the half to tie the game.
“In a game like this, I mean we were up 21-0 but I knew it wasn’t going to be 21-0. I just didn’t want it to be 21-21 at halftime,” Kocot said.