TURNERS FALLS – Protecting a narrow one-point lead, and backed up to its own 6-yard line, Franklin Tech chose a most opportune time Friday night to put together the game-sealing drive.

That march started less than promisingly with a 4-yard loss back to the 2, but gained momentum when Pathfinder was flagged 15 yards for a horse-collar tackle on what would have been fourth-and-7. Behind key gains from Maxon Brunette, Gabe Tomasi, and Josiah Little, the Eagles went 15 plays and 8:44 of game time down the field before Tomasi cashed in his second rushing touchdown of the night, a 1-yard dive, coming with 4:36 left to put Tech ahead 14-7.

The Eagles' defense got the necessary stop from there, after Pathfinder's Hunter Griswold completed a deflected 16-yard pass to Ethan Nompleggi-Hawk. Tech forced a fumble at the end of the completion and Cam Laster pounced on the loose ball at the Eagles' 46 with 2:59 to play. The hosts then picked up a couple of first downs and worked around all three Pathfinder timeouts to secure their 14-7 victory.

“Our defense played phenomenal tonight. They really stepped up and did a lot of good things for us,” said Eagles coach Joe Gamache. “We had some offensive miscues. Yardage-wise, we did OK, but a couple of costly turnovers. We challenged everybody to step up. We stayed on our blocks, chewed up the yardage, and we finished the game tonight.”

Little led the Eagles (2-1) with 142 yards on 31 carries, with Brunette adding 39 yards on the ground and Tomasi 36. With Tomasi's 6-for-8 passing night for 106 yards -- five of those connections went to Ethan Smarr for 78 yards -- Tech ended the night with 337 yards of total offense, effectively doubling Pathfinder's total output of 166. The Pioneers managed only three series and 45 yards after halftime.

Franklin Tech also went long-field to get on the board in its first series, moving 68 yards in 14 plays. Little carried eight times for 62 yards during the drive and Tomasi finished it with a 2-yard plunge, followed by Little's two-point conversion run, to give the Eagles an 8-0 with 3:34 left in the first quarter.

Griswold, a certified dual threat for Pathfinder, got the Pioneers back in the game quickly with a 33-yard scoring strike down the left sideline to Jarett Skowyra. Matt Grossi tacked on the extra point to pull the visitors within 8-7 at the 1:28 mark of the first.

Tech failed on three chances to extend the lead later in the first half, losing the ball twice on downs and then fumbling away, all in Pioneers territory. Pathfinder missed an opportunity to take a lead of its own late in the second quarter when Grossi's 46-yard field-goal try fell well short. 

On its first series of the second half, Tech got a big 28-yard completion from Tomasi to Tucker Hicks to put the ball at the Pathfinder 42. Three plays later, though, Little lost the ball on his second fumble of the evening, allowing the Pioneers to take over at their 32.

Pathfinder's three possessions of the second half ended in a pair of punts and the lost fumble that gave Tech the chance to kill the game. The Pioneers (1-2) never made it inside the Eagles' 40-yard line over the final two quarters. Griswold finished 8-of-19 through the air for 112 yards and ran 10 times for 52 yards.

Franklin Tech travels to Athol Friday. The 2022 matchup between the teams lasted into double overtime before the Bears pulled out a 34-28 road win.