ATHOL — With a hint of desperation in the air and early-season bragging rights on the line, Jon Gariepy took a late fourth-quarter kickoff return 100 yards down the left sideline for the winning touchdown as the Mahar Regional School football team stunned Athol High School, 18-16, in an Intercounty League North tilt Friday night at O’Brien field.
“I just broke right and then back to the left, and when I saw the open field in front of me I thought, ‘Oh my God, we’re going to win this game.’” said Gariepy,
Things looked bleak for the Senators before Gariepy’s heroics, as the Raiders had gone ahead 16-12 with just 1:38 left in the contest after Robbie Nelson finished off a 12-play, 65 yard drive with a 2-yard plunge into the end zone, placing the Senators’ backs directly against the wall.
“I saw the kickoff go to the goal line, and I thought we were looking at a touchback,” said Mahar head coach Chris Bailey. “Jon had other ideas. Our special teams were tremendous tonight.”
Gariepy, for his part, would not allow himself to be the only one in the spotlight.
“No football game is won by one person, and all the credit in the world has to go to the line that opened things up to make that play happen,” he said.
It was a fantastic finish to what started as a pretty basic ground-and-pound affair, with the Red Raiders (0-3, 0-2 IL) taking an 8-6 lead into the final stanza. Mahar, which had started a possession at its own 13 at the tail end of the third, erased that lead with 5:53 remaining in the game, marching 87 yards on 13 plays. Quarterback Sam Paul, who gained 61 of those yards with his legs, took it in on an 11-yard option play straight up the middle.
“Sam played a great game, and really led the march on that drive,” reflected Bailey. “It was a great all around team effort, and it feels great.”
The Senators (1-2, 1-2 IL) took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter when Paul scored his first rushing touchdown of the night on a play that was very similar to his fourth quarter score. The option play was effective all night, as Athol defenders were keying on Gariepy in the backfield, and Paul took full advantage with his sleight of hand.
Athol took the lead back early in the second frame, as Raiders’ back-up quarterback Keegan Lutz hit Nelson with a 10-yard strike, followed by a two-point plunge by running back Mason Barrieau.
The teams traded a lot of yards but no points through the end of the first half and the third quarter before the night’s real fireworks began.
It was the second year in a row that the traditional Turkey Day rivals have played an early-season game in addition to the Thanksgiving battle, and it still seems a little strange to watch the two squads go at it under the lights. Athol won last year’s early meeting 28-0 on the field turf at the Woodward Complex.
The win Friday was Bailey’s first over Athol as a head coach, a position he rose to last season. To say it meant a lot to him would be an understatement.
“After it was over, I said get me a ball. There aren’t too many like this. That’s a good football team over there.”
The win was the first time Mahar has beaten the Red Raiders since 2013 when the Senators earned a 24-16 Turkey Day win.
Next up, both teams have tough league contests Friday at 7 p.m., with Athol hosting Easthampton High School and Mahar traveling to Frontier Regional High School.