Published: 9/15/2023 11:38:29 PM
Make it two wins in a row to open the season for the Athol football team.
After knocking off Murdock in their opener, the Bears followed it up with a 20-7 win over Pathfinder on Friday at O’Brien Field. The win was another strong defensive performance by the Bears, who were able to contain Pioneer quarterback Ty Griswold, who is a threat with both his legs and arm.
¨This was a very good team win for us as we were really able to control the game on both sides of the ball,” Athol coach Josh Talbot said. “We were particularly proud of our defensive effort as their quarterback [Ty Griswold] is a playmaker and we were really able to limit him. Our secondary [Aaron Ouellet, Anthony Lopez and Dominic Pope] locked down their receivers and our linebackers [Riley Reed and Marc Gould] were also good in coverage.¨
“Shout out to Logan McGrath, Riley Young, Ray Castine, Dom Curtis and Hayden Barrieau who all took turns containing Griswold,” Talbot added.
Dom Curtis got the Athol scoring going, connecting with Aaron Ouellet for a touchdown pass to give the Bears a 6-0 lead. Pathfinder responded with a touchdown of its own on a Griswold rushing score to take the lead but Sawyer Lefsyk ran in a touchdown and converted the two-point try just before the half to give the Bears a 14-7 edge at the intermission.
With five minutes to go in the fourth, Athol put the game away with an insurance score when Aidan Melanson found Riley Reed for a touchdown that gave the Bears their 20-7 lead.
Melanson finished the game with 166 yards through the air, with Oullet (four catches, 99 yards) and Raydin Sousa (four catches, 56 yards) his top weapons.
“Aidan Melanson threw the ball very well tonight and looked really confident working through his reads back there,” Talbot said. “I am excited to see how his connections with his receivers continue to blossom.”
Lefsyk ran for 81 yards while Hayden Barrieau gained 79 yards on the ground and Curtis finished with 72 yards rushing.
Athol now turns its attention to Lee, who it faces on the road on Friday at 7 p.m.
¨Pathfinder was successful last year and had a nice week one so this helped us get a better idea of where we are as a football team,” Tablot said. “We visit a well-coached Lee team in week three that will give us another test and opportunity to improve.¨