Game of the Week: Mount Greylock, St. Joe Battle for First Place
WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The biggest high school football game in the county this week features the league's two top offenses and three most prolific scorers.But points will be hard to come by.
That is because when Mount Greylock and St. Joseph tangle on John T. Allen Field on Friday, the game also will feature Berkshire County's two best defenses, which have allowed just more than a touchdown per game apiece through six weeks and which have a combined four shutouts between them.
"We've both been playing good defense, and we both know each other very, very well," St. Joe coach Gary Bianchi said this week. "We've been playing against each other for a long time. We run the same offenses, the same plays.
"I'm hoping it will be a nice, low-scoring, under-control game."
Mount Greylock coach Shawn Flaherty echoed that sentiment.
"Every team has a pattern," he said. "I think everyone and their brother knows what I'm going to do. It's no secret. ... We have to look at what coach Bianchi's done and how he's gotten to this point.
"I guess I wouldn't be surprised if it's a low-scoring game."
Flaherty's Mounties come into the game with a 6-0 record and a 32-game winning streak. St. Joe, which went 5-6 last year, is 5-1 this fall (4-1 in the county).
Bianchi's squad has 17 seniors and entered the year with high hopes. But Week 1 brought a narrow, 14-6, loss to Wahconah (4-1, 4-2), which is currently tied with the Crusaders for second place in the league and gets its own crack at Mount Greylock next week.
Bianchi said the season-opener was a character-building experience for his squad.
"It was a tough week of practice," he said. "On Monday, it was definitely a tough practice and a long day, but the kids got themselves together and really from that point on have worked hard and played together.
"Not that you ever want to lose, but to see them respond to that was pretty good."
St. Joe is led by the one-two punch of senior running backs Lavante Wiggins and Taverick "Tank" Roberson, who have combined for nearly 800 yards of rushing and 117 points — more points than four Berkshire County League teams have scored this fall.
"Tank is more of a slasher, Barry Sanders-type runner, and Lavante is more of a Jim Brown-type runner," Bianchi said. "They strike from different angles."
Flaherty is well aware of the threat posed by Wiggins and Roberson, but he was quick to mention a third weapon for St. Joe.
"[Jonny] Bianchi throws a pretty decent ball, so he can keep a team honest with some of the pass plays they run," Flaherty said. "He's a decent passer that you have to respect."
Mount Greylock features the county's top rushing attack and top rusher in Ethan Ryan, who has gained more than 900 yards and scored 122 points through six games — eye-popping averages of 154 yards and 20 points per game.
"Ethan's a great football player," Gary Bianchi said. "He's as good a back as there is in the county. And they sort of have a one-two combination of their own with [Daivon] Clement. He's playing very well at fullback."
Clement, a junior, offers a nice change of pace for Greylock with 327 yards on 57 carries, an average of 5.7 yards per touch.
Don't look for Clement — or the Crusaders' duo — to match their averages against this night against these defenses.
And if a war of attrition does break out, Flaherty is confident that his punting unit is up to the task — even though Greylock has not had to punt the ball much in a season where it has averaged 32 points per game.
"Obviously, you always wish you don't have to punt, but I feel I have one of the best punters in the league in Brett McCormack and a lot of good athletes out there in coverage guys," he said. "Jake Benzinger is a good snapper. He had one miscue last week, and Brett did a good job getting [the kick] off.
"We feel that's a very important part of our philosophy in game-planning. Fortunately, we have Brett. He's got a very strong leg. He's gotten us out of jams before, and I feel he will again if the situation presents itself."