BELCHERTOWN – Aiden Dredge turned away from the play and raised his arms before Sean Kirkendall even crossed the goal line.
Frontier Regional’s junior quarterback trusted his fullback as much as the Redhawks coaching staff did on a two-point conversion attempt in overtime on Friday. Dredge scored the overtime touchdown himself on an option run using Kirkendall as a decoy.
That matched Belchertown running back Chris Daskam’s 10 yard rumble on the overtime period’s opening drive. But Frontier stopped the Orioles on their two-point try, giving the Redhawks an opportunity to escape with a victory they should have sealed long before.
Kirkendall took a deep breath in his stance awaiting the snap. He believed in Frontier’s offensive line as much as everyone else believed in him, tumbling into the end zone amidst an escort of linemen to deliver a 38-36 Intercounty League South victory in OT.
“The best feeling in the world,” Kirkendall said. “It truly is.”
That feeling was relief for Frontier coach Scott Dredge. The Redhawks surrendered an 18-point lead in the second half, as Belchertown rallied to tie the game in the final minute.
“We were lucky to hold it together, and we’re relieved to get out of here with a win,” Scott Dredge said.
Frontier (5-2, 3-1 IL South) looked like it would leave Belchertown with a blowout after 27 minutes of football. Aiden Dredge broke clear down the left sideline for a 45-yard touchdown that put the Redhawks ahead 30-12 with 8 minutes, 50 seconds left in the third quarter. That capped a 23-0 run for the Redhawks.
Ian Burt put Frontier ahead initially with an eight-yard touchdown run with 3:51 left in the first half. The Redhawks received the opening kickoff after Belchertown won the toss and deferred and bled more than eight minutes off the clock with 13 consecutive runs.
“We were managing the clock like we typically do. That first quarter was surgical,” Scott Dredge said. “That’s how our offense works.”
Belchertown scored the next two touchdowns: a 23-yard Daskam run that left the Orioles behind 7-6 after a failed two-point conversion, and a 3-yard Landon Andre quarterback keeper that made it 12-7 with 10:24 to halftime.
Aidan Dredge reclaimed the Frontier lead with an 18-yard pass to Ian Burt that he dropped perfectly over a Belchertown defender from 18 yards out four minutes later.
After both offenses sputtered a few times, Kirkendall dropped a textbook punt to Belchertown’s 6 yard line with 1:12 to halftime. Frontier’s defense pounced and forced a safety that put the Redhawks ahead 16-12.
Both Dredges sensed an opportunity and swung for a knockout. Scott Dredge called for a deep shot, and Aiden Dredge delivered, finding the wide open Burt for a 45-yard touchdown to make it 23-12 with 54.7 seconds to halftime.
“It’s a momentum play. We had it, and we wanted to go for it," Scott Dredge.
That carried into the second half, when Frontier halted Belchertown’s opening drive after four plays. Then Aiden Dredge ripped off his 45-yard touchdown to give the Redhawks their largest lead.
“They adjusted to us well. They saw what we were doing,” Belchertown coach Dan McCarty said.
But Frontier had no adjustment for Daskam in the second half. He ran for 90 of his 183 yards after halftime and scored three of his four touchdowns form the third quarter onward.
Daskam barreled in from 11 yards out with 5:23 to cut Frontier’s lead to two scores. He made it 30-24 with a 10-yard run 1:14 into the fourth.
“I have nothing but positive words to say about Mr. Daskam. I know if I’m giving him the ball I’m getting three yards,” McCarthy said. “He showed out like he’s been doing all year.”
Frontier figured it might be able to kill the rest of the quarter and ice the game with another sustained drive. The Redhawks ran it nine times in a row before an incomplete pass gave Belchertown the ball on its own 33 with 4:18 left.
The Orioles ran Daskam four times and picked up a fourth down before shifting into their no-huddle. Andre took charge. He hit five passes in a row, ran for a first down and connected with Michael Muscaro for the game-tying 15-yard touchdown with 42 second remaining.
Belchertown’s go-ahead two-point conversion was no good. The Orioles went 0-for-6 on two-point tries.
“I’ll have to watch film, but I think that’s on me,” McCarthy said.
Belchertown initially converted its overtime two-point conversion with a jet sweep after running Daskam into the line the previous five times, but it was called back for holding. The penalty gave Frontier’s defense breathing room with a renewed edge.
“We knew he went in a little too easily, so we went into the next play with a grudge on our shoulder,” Aiden Dredge said.
The victory was Frontier’s third in a row. The Redhawks were on the outside looking in of Friday’s MIAA Division 8 playoffs, but a win over a larger school like Div. 5 Belchertown will give them a boost.
“We can only control what we can control. I’m happy that we’re 5-2. We’re in a much better place than we were last year,” Scott Dredge said. “A win’s a win. I’d rather be 5-2 right now looking at a winning season.”
Kyle Grabowski can be reached at kgrabowski@gazettenet.com. Follow him on Twitter @kylegrbwsk.