DALTON, Mass. — The top-seeded Wahconah Regional High School started its Division 7 state tournament run on a high note with a dominant 38-0 win over No. 16 Lunenburg on Friday night. 

 

Wahconah wasted no time building a lead, scoring 12 in the first quarter. Coach Gary Campbell Jr. said that getting momentum early in the game is precisely what he wants his team to do. 

 

"If you can get after a team right away and put some points right on the board, it really does put pressure on them," Campbell said. 

 

There was one play in particular that he thought allowed the team to get its rhythm quickly.

 

"I thought that fake punt early, and you know just hitting our guys and doing that really, really helped. And that gave us that momentum," he said. So that might have been to play the game, Ryan Scott to [Owen] Alfonso, that might have been the play of the game to help us." 

 

Wahconah entered the second half with a 26-0 lead, with only one Lunenburg drive coming within 20 yards of a touchdown. Jonah Smith scored two running touchdowns in the first half, with tight end Ben Noyes catching another despite defensive pressure. 

 

Wachonah's lead ballooned to 32-0 by the end of the third. Campbell said that getting a convincing win helps the team carry momentum over into the next game. 

 

"I think it gives you confidence," he said. "Every game is going to be tough, and every game is going to be going through, and a game like this, to play well and play well on your home field does give you fuel, does give you hope for the next game. You still got to build on things, and you still got to get better. We did good tonight, but we still got a lot to improve." 

 

Campbell said it was interesting to be playing against a team that was not from Berkshire County. He said this made the team change its game plan and focus more. 

 

"We saw in film some big kid who could throw the ball, we saw a lot of formations, we saw a lot of things," he said. "So I thought defensively, we had to communicate. So it was more film study. I think that's the answer. If that's what you're looking for, what do you do? It's more film. It's more and more and more, because we are not familiar [with the other team]. We don't know. So you have to try to pick up tendencies and try to pick up thing and do the very best that you can." 

 

Wahconah next week hosts the winner of No. 8 Clinton, a 27-20 winner over Boston Latin Academy on Friday night.