PITTSFIELD, Mass. – Marcus Jubrey ran for one touchdown and threw for three more in the first half Friday as the Pittsfield football team got off to a fast start in a 42-8 win over rival Taconic at Berkshire Community College’s Gene Dellea Field.

 

The Generals jumped out to a 30-0 lead midway through the second quarter and never looked back en route to their fourth straight win to finish the regular season 5-3.

 

Jubrey played like a man on a mission in the first possession of the game, carrying the ball six times for 26 yards and completing four of four pass attempts for 25 yards, including a 5-yard throw to Elias Robinson to cap the drive.

 

Pittsfield’s second possession stalled in the red zone thanks to an interception by Taconic’s Bryce Barnett.

 

But four plays into the ensuing Thunder possession, Pittsfield’s defensive line flushed Taconic QB Damon Pause out of the pocket and over the goalline, and his attempt to get rid of the ball was ruled intentional grounding. The penalty in the end zone produced a safety and a 10-0 Pittsfield lead with 2 minutes, 54 seconds left in the first half.

 

The Generals then scored on their next three possessions to take a commanding lead.

 

First, a 25-yard return of the free kick by Jubrey set his team up at the plus-29, and four plays later, he ran into the end zone from the 17.

 

Then, after he picked off a Taconic pass near midfield, Jubrey needed just one play to find Da’Sean Brown for a 49-yard touchdown completion.

 

Finally, Jubrey threw a 19-yard TD pass to Robinson to make it 30-0.

 

Taconic rallied on its last possession of the half, going 52 yards in less than a minute to get on the board.

 

Pause completed a pass to Ceasar Santos at the 30, and Santos ran the rest of the way for a 49-yard TD to make it 30-6 at intermission.

 

Taconic (4-2) was not able to carry the momentum into the second half, though.

 

Pittsfield went ahead, 42-6, in the third quarter to put the game out of reach.

 

The city rivalry game got off to a poignant start with pregame ceremonies honoring former Taconic student Jake Hescock, who went on to star at Salisbury Prep and the University of Central Florida but died last year after a cardiac arrest.

 

Members of Hescock’s family participated in the coin toss, and the game served as a fund-raiser for American Heart Association’s Leaders of Impact campaign.