Taconic Pounds Easthampton in Opener

PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Taconic football team Friday night scored on three of its first four plays from scrimmage.

 

And it was just getting started.

 

Dylan Burke ran for 67 yards and three touchdowns, and Nick Hall ran for 94 yards to lead Taconic in a 74-0 win over Easthampton in its first game of the season and the first high school football game ever played on Berkshire Community College’s Gene Dellea Field.

 

Seven different Taconic players found their way into the end zone, and the defense held the Eagles (0-1) to five first downs in as dominating a win as you’ll see.

 

Taconic coach Jim Ziter said that domination started in the trenches.

 

“We are extremely deep,” Ziter said. “I’m very proud of them. Everyone got touches on offense, but the line -- my line this year is deeper than any I’ve had in the past. We’ve got eight guys who can play, and they play solid.

 

“The offensive and defensive lines, I’m extremely proud of.”

 

And don’t forget the special teams, which started the highlight parade when Jalen Hill took the opening kickoff 67 yards to set up Taconic’s first score.

 

Marquis Saunders scored with a 15-yard run around the left side and ran in the 2-pointer to make it 8-0 in the first minute of the game.

 

After Taconic got the ball back on its 30 following an Easthampton punt, Hall busted a 70-yard run off left tackle.

 

A fumble on the Eagles’ next possession gave Taconic the ball on the plus-30, and this time it took two plays -- runs of 28 and 2 yards by Burke -- to get the ball in the end zone, and with about seven minutes left in the first quarter, the rout was on.

 

Jalen Hill ran for 34 yards and a pair of scores, and Haywood Eurquhart and Ian Hadsell each scored as Ziter got to use all of his bench in the second half.

 

Jayden Cross and Saunders each had first-half interceptions and Wyatt George had a sack for an 11-yard loss to help their team build a 54-0 half-time lead.

 

Afterward, Ziter told his team to enjoy the victory for a while and then start getting ready for what figures to be a much bigger challenge: next Friday’s game at Wahconah, a 46-12 winner on Friday at Agawam.

 

“That’ll be the challenge,” he said. “We’ll let them enjoy it tonight and tomorrow. Sunday, we’ll get going with next week. But I’ll let them enjoy it.

 

“We’ll start addressing that Monday.”

 

VIDEO: @phstaconicsport Taconic’s Dylan Burke walks into the end zone for one of his 3 TDs in Friday’s 74-0 win.

 

VIDEO: @phstaconicsport Taconic’s Junie Burgess hits Jayden Cross for a 19-yard pickup in Friday’s 74-0 win.

 

VIDEO: @phstaconicsport Taconic’s Marquis Saunders scores the first TD on the new turf field at BCC and starts an eventual 74-0 rout for the home team on Friday.

 

Photos from this game here.