CHICOPEE — Momentum was the name of the game for the South Hadley football team as it defeated Chicopee Comp, 28-19, on Friday night.

After trailing by seven points and going scoreless in the first quarter, it took the Tigers six minutes into the second quarter to finally arrive on the scoreboard. 

“We got punched in the mouth right away, but we responded,” said Tigers senior Owen Dawson.

It was first-and-10 on the Comp 24 when Dawson rushed into the endzone for South Hadley’s first touchdown of the night. 

From there, the Tigers had a firm grip on the lead and didn’t look back.

Dawson was a key factor throughout the night, rushing for three touchdowns and passing for another, all while tallying up 193 rushing yards.

“They key on Owen because they know he’s getting the ball, he’s a premiere running back,” said South Hadley coach Brian Couture. “The beauty for us right now is that we got Julius [Hebenth] who steps up when they’re all over Owen.” 

Without hesitation, Hebenth was immediately immersed in the offensive drives, quietly racking up 102 rushing yards and a touchdown of his own. 

The combination of Dawson and Hebenth on the offensive drives was a recipe for success that left the Colts without an answer.

“It brings them to a point where they need to make a decision, are they going to watch both of them or just one of them,” Couture said. “It’s even better when they watch both because I can pound Marty Loughrey up the middle.”

Not allowing any hopes of a comeback, Dawson was in a perfect position as he intercepted a pass as it grazed the fingertips of a Comp wide receiver. 

Keeping the energy high, South Hadley fooled the Colts defensive line as quarterback Burke Belsky delivered a lateral pass to Dawson, who then passed the ball to Hebenth down the field for a touchdown. That gave the Tigers their first lead of the night – 14-7 late in the second.

Although it took almost 18 minutes to get going, the Tigers started firing on all cylinders. 

Despite playing on the road, it didn’t seem to bother South Hadley as they closed out Friday’s game on a high note to improve to 2-1 on the season. The Tigers look to keep the carry momentum into their next game against Pittsfield in Week 4.

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