Game of the Week: McCann Guarding Against Overconfidence

NORTH ADAMS, Mass. -- The McCann Tech football team has not lost to a team from Western Massachusetts since the 2013 season.

 

The Hornets have beaten their first three opponents this season by an average margin of 20 points per game.

 

Their opponent on Saturday has a 3-0 record, but Pathfinder's three wins have been at the expense of teams with a combined record of 0-9.

 

You might say McCann has reason to be confident going into Saturday's 2 p.m. kickoff. You might even say the Hornets could be overconfident.

 

But if they're tempted in that direction, Bob LeClair and his coaching staff have the perfect answer.

 

"Last week, we stressed all week long: The one person who can hurt us, the one kid who can make a play is Hunter Millier," LeClair said on Thursday. "What is the first thing we do? We kick the ball to him, and he runs it back for a touchdown."

 

McCann responded to that wakeup call, outscoring Ware 34-8 the rest of the way to hand the home team its first loss of the season.

 

LeClair hopes this week his Hornets are awake at kickoff.

 

Although McCann has beaten Pathfinder by scores of 30-0 (2013) and 51-6 (2014) in their last two meetings, LeClair said the Pioneers are improved this fall.

 

"They're playing well right now," he said. "They're 3-0 coming in. They have improved over the last couple of years. I think the kids who were younger in years past are experienced. They've grown to be the leaders.

 

"We've looked at their schedule ... but nevertheless, they're coming in 3-0 with a chance, if they knock us off, to take sole possession of first place. They've made great strides. That's something that concerns us."

 

McCann and Pathfinder will battle it out for Tri-County League supremacy in the Hornets Nest to cap a football weekend that gets under way on Friday night.

 

One of the themes in the Berkshire County League this fall has been redemption. Taconic got it when it bounced back from a season-opening overtime loss to rival Pittsfield to win two straight in impressive fashion. Lee got it when it responded to a beatdown by Hoosac Valley by earning a hard fought independent win at Greenfield.

 

This week, it is Wahconah's turn as it looks to snap a surprising two-game losing streak and bounce back from its first loss to a county rival since 2012.

 

Wahconah (1-2) will try to even its record when it makes the long trek down to Great Barrington to take on Monument Mountain (1-1). The Spartans have had two weeks to rest up as they try to earn their own measure of redemption from a 56-0 home loss to Taconic in Week 2.

 

Taconic (2-1) visits Lee (2-1) in the weekend's only Berkshire County matchup between teams with winning records.

 

Hoosac Valley (3-0) looked like a team possessed, beating its first two county opponents by an average of 39 points per game. Mount Greylock (1-2), which earned its first win of the season a week ago, will look to slow down the Hurricanes on Friday night.

 

While McCann takes on Pathfinder on Saturday afternoon, up the road and up the hill, the Drury Blue Devils (0-3) will host Pittsfield (2-1). The Generals had an extra day to recover from last week's 42-14 loss to Hoosac Valley. Despite Drury's record, PHS would do well to focus on the task at hand.

 

Just ask McCann's LeClair.

 

"If you don't play ell and you let up a little bit,  bad things are going to happen," he said. "We don't take anything for granted and don't downplay any teams. They're all dangerous."