WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. -- In its first two games this season, the Pittsfield High School football team had to stave off late game comebacks to earn wins.
On Saturday night, there was no coming back against the Generals' defense.
Pittsfield held Mount Greylock to 54 yards of total offense in a 30-0 win on John T. Allen Field.
Chad Shade rushed for 92 yards and threw for 91, accounting for one PHS touchdown on the ground and two through the air.
But this night was all about "D," as the Generals held Mount Greylock to minus-12 yards in the first half and just three first downs all night.
"We went with a different look, something we haven't done," Pittsfield coach Brian Jezewski said of his defense. "Our guys just executed it perfectly."
Mount Greylock's offense came alive briefly at the start of the second half.
Patrick Storie, who sat out offensive series in the first half after missing part of the week with a light sprain sustained against Hoosac Valley, returned to the backfield to start the third quarter.
With him in its arsenal, Mount Greylock went 52 yards in six plays -- the last 25 on a run by quarterback Brodie Altiere. That got the Mounties a first-and-10 at the PHS 13.
But then the Generals stiffened.
First Altiere was dropped for a 3-yard loss. Then Devin Pelletiere picked up a yard. Then Josh Bonney blew up a play in the backfield and forced Altiere to scramble to his left, where Parker Blessing finally brought him down for a 10-yard loss to set up fourth-and-22.
The Mounties' fourth-down pass was incomplete, and they never again got past the Pittsfield 40-yard line.
Pittsfield (3-0) nearly put this one away really early when it scored the first two times it touched the ball.
The Generals took the opening kickoff and went 75 yards in four plays. On a first-and-15 at the PHS 47, Shade faked a handoff to Devon Tucker (54 yards rushing, 85 yards receiving), went to his left, found daylight and went 53 yards for the game's first score.
A 51-yard punt return by Tucker set up the Generals at the plus-28 for their next possession, and five plays later Shade connected with Tucker for a 10-yard TD pass. Shade tossed to Mason Papiro for the two-point conversion, and it was 15-0 midway through the first quarter.
But that is where it stayed 20 minutes, 49 seconds.
Mount Greylock got a fourth-down fumble, a turnover on downs and two punts on Pittsfield's next four possessions to close out the half.
"That's what we'll take away from this one," Mount Greylock coach Shawn Flaherty said of the way his defense settled down.
"We held them to two scores in that first half, and we came out and had a drive going to start the second half. And a couple of mistakes -- that's all that has to happen. Your drives stall out."
After Mount Greylock's third-quarter drive stalled, Pittsfield immediately cashed in. Shade hit a wide open Tucker down the right sideline, and he went 75 yards to make it 21-0. Evan Bossio's second extra point gave the Generals a 22-0 lead.
In the fourth quarter, they added on with a 24-yard TD run by sophomore backup QB Jack Cooney. Papiro added the final points with a two-point run.
Pittsfield will try to run its record to 4-0 in a special Thursday night game against Lee at Wahconah Park.
Mount Greylock is home on Friday at 5 p.m. against Drury.
Since tying Monument Mountain at 8-8 early in the second quarter three weeks ago, the Mounties have been outscored 84-0. But Flaherty said he does not expect his team to lose heart in the second half of the season.
"We're working hard during the week," he said. "We just keep working on the things we don't do well, and we just keep going at it. That's what I tell the kids: We're going to learn as we go.
"I give the kids credit. It's a tough weekend, I'm sure, for them. But then by Monday, I think they've digested some things. They regroup, and it's like, 'Hey, we've got another game.' They definitely do a great job of not dwelling in the past and bouncing back."
