AGAWAM – Once the final whistle was blown between No. 5 Agawam football and No. 10 Amherst on Friday, Brownies coach John Benjamin let out a sigh of relief.
Despite recording 13 fourth-quarter points pull away for an impressive 34-14 win, Benjamin didn’t believe the scoreboard told the whole story.
“Whenever you’re playing the (Hurricanes), the main goal is to keep points off the board,” Benjamin said. “And we never felt like we were in control, especially since they had the football most of the first half. But it’s like death by 1,000 paper cuts because they keep pushing the ball downfield and never go down. In the end, you know you can’t let them get on the board.”
Behind Jaedyn Perez’s seven rushes for a game-high 115 yards and two touchdowns, the Brownies remain undefeated at 4-0. Nicholas Ugolini was next with 54 yards rushing and one score. Meanwhile, Noah Jodoin ran for 51 yards and one score while also making a critical defensive play in the opposing red zone.
Jameson Dion accumulated 46 yards rushing and one touchdown on 13 attempts as Amherst moved to 2-2 on the season. Dion left the game early with an injury.
Teammate Matthew Hockman recorded 30 yards rushing on six attempts, while quarterback Thatcher Rudnik was 2-of-6 for 25 yards and one interception.
Despite the result, Hurricanes coach Vinny Guiel remained proud of his team’s effort.
“Agawam is a good team,” Guiel said. “Even after we went down 14-0 early on, I thought we did a good job fighting back. At some point, though, it became too much for us. So we’ll have to work on that, but I think we’ll be alright.”
As Amherst won the opening toss and elected to receive, the Hurricanes quickly relied on their running backs, Dion and Hockman. The duo soon moved them to the opposing 19-yard line following six combined plays. With the road team now facing 3rd-and-9 just outside the red zone, Rudnik elected to pass.
But Christopher Cameron broke up the corner-route attempt along the left, forcing one of Amherst’s five turnovers with 5:31 remaining in a scoreless first quarter.
Moments later, Perez made the opposition pay with a 66-yard run along the right sideline, moving the Brownies to the 26-yard line. Two plays later, the sophomore completed the drive with a four-yard gain up the middle, helping Agawam get on the board first.
Drew Sherban extended the Brownies’ early lead to 7-0 with the extra point.
Agawam’s offense wasn’t done yet.
Moments after the Hurricanes went three-and-out on their ensuing drive, the Brownies set up near midfield. It didn’t take the home team long to counter as Jodoin rushed around the edge and out-hustled the defense for a 47-yard touchdown on the drive’s opening play. Once Sherban drilled the extra point, Agawam extended its cushion to 14-0 with 46 seconds remaining in the first quarter.
The Brownies are averaging 37.8 points through four games, while their defense is only allowing 6.5 points per match. It’s a statistic that Benjamin couldn’t help but smile at.
“These guys just work hard,” Benjamin said. “They work hard all week, watch films, are unselfish, and pay attention to details that show up on the field.”
With Agawam again threatening in the opposing red zone, Amherst knocked the ball loose and reclaimed possession near the nine-yard line. The Brownies returned the favor moments later by forcing another loose ball, helping them reclaim control.
In the end, it was all for nothing as Agawam quarterback Niko Nuzzolilli stepped back into the pocket and let it sail into the hands of Dion on the six-yard line for the game’s third consecutive turnover with 1:43 remaining until halftime.
Moments later, Rudnik located Dion for a 19-yard reception to set up first-and-goal for the Hurricanes. Then, following a productive run by Hockman, Dion capped off the 12-play, 79-yard drive by fully extending his arm across the goal line. But Ari Vogel’s extra-point attempt was blocked, keeping Amherst’s deficit at 14-6 heading into halftime.
Despite a late 95-yard kickoff return from Ryan Mbugua to cut Amherst’s deficit to 27-14 to begin the fourth, Ugolini sealed the victory by maneuvering through the defense for a five-yard score with 3:29 remaining in regulation.
The Hurricanes’ schedule doesn’t get much easier as they travel to face No. 4 Northampton on Friday, Oct. 7, at 7 p.m., while Agawam heads north to take on No. 3 Wahconah on the same scheduled date and time.
“They’re the reigning champions,” said Benjamin of the Warriors. “We’re going up there next, and I don’t know if it’s snowing up there or not. Gary Campbell is one of the best coaches, and he’s always up for a fight. So we’re excited to go up there and hopefully get one.”
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