McCann Tech Football Pitches Shutout in Opener

GREENFIELD, Mass. -- After scoring on its second possession of the season, the McCann Tech football team needed to rely on its defense to make those seven points hold up on Friday at Greenfield.

 

Fortunately for the Hornets, their defensive unit was up to the challenge.

 

"We dodged many bullets," McCann Tech coach Bob LeClair said after his team survived with a 7-0 win. "There were many of them going by us - about as many as there were mosquitoes flying around me that I was swatting away."

 

The two most dangerous opportunities for the Green Wave (0-1) came in the fourth quarter, but both times McCann came up with a turnover in the shadow of its own end zone.

 

First, Mason Field picked off a third-down pass on the McCann 15-yard line with about five minutes left (the clock at Veterans Memorial Field was inoperable on Friday).

 

McCann's offense had a chance to string together a couple of first downs and run out the clock, but after moving the chains once, the Hornets were forced to punt from their own 34. Greenfield's offense took over at midfield and drove back into the 'red zone, helped along by a facemask penalty against McCann.

 

But on third-and-4 at the 9, Greenfield fumbled the ball in the backfield. Junior Jake Therrien made the recovery, and this time McCann's offense was able to run out the clock -- helped along by a 12-yard carry by Corbin Richardson.

 

Richardson finished the night with 48 yards and scored the game's only touchdown, a 2-yard carry late in the first quarter.

 

But this night belonged to the defense.

 

"They really stepped up," LeClair said. "We were backed up pretty good. I think they were on our side of the field most of the second half. They just held the ball, time of possession, and our defense really did come up big -- not just that fumble, but a couple of other situations, too."

 

Offensively, Richardson's 48 was matched by Dakota Bolte to lead the McCann attack. It was an attack that featured a completely retooled offensive line from the one that took the team to the Western Massachusetts title game a year ago.

 

"There wasn't one offensive lineman who has started a game for us," LeClair said. "Every one of them was starting their first varsity game. Same for the ones coming in for them, no one had any experience at all. Our two returning linemen are injured and aren't playing right now, that's a big factor -- two guards, two most important players for us in our offense and neither one is playing right now. One is out for the year."

 

The winning drive went 70 yards and took just six plays.

 

The big gains came on a 25-yard run to the right by Richardson to get the ball into Greenfield territory and a 30-yard carry by quarterback Mike Ferrara to set up first-and-goal at the 5.