BUCKLAND, Mass. -- McCann Tech junior Nick Lincoln threw for 162 yards in the first half on Friday to spot the Hornets to a 20-8 lead.
But it took two second-half interceptions by the Hornets' secondary to seal a 20-14 win over Mohawk Trail in a Tri-County League showdown.
Brett Pecor and Eathan Heller combined for 115 yards rushing, and McCann Tech's defense came up big when it had to as the Hornets improved to 2-0 this season.
After jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the second quarter, McCann looked like it might be on its way to an easy win, but this one had the fans on the edges of their seats as the game seemingly hung in the balance on every snap throughout the second half.
"We've got a week off next week," McCann coach Bob LeClair said. "That's good. I'm going to need it to get my blood pressure down."
In the second half, LeClair watched his offense turn the ball over twice and his defense get flagged for an interference call that bailed out Mohawk (1-1) on a fourth-and-20 play.
But he also saw senior Levi Lawson pick off a pass near his own goal line and sophmore Dakota Bolte effectively put the game away with a pick at about the McCann 15 with 30 seconds left.
"Defensively, the guys really stepped up and did a great job," he said. "Rotating people to get fresh bodies in, especially on the defensive line -- they had to put pressure on, to chase these guys around. We stepped up to do that. I was really pleased with what they did."
In the first half, McCann's offense was the story.
Lincoln completed three passes on McCann's opening possession to drive the Hornets 67 yards for an opening score.
Lawson and Rahmer Vincent each made big plays after catching short passes on the drive. On a third-and-8 at the McCann 35, Lawson caught the ball a few yards downfield and broke a tackle to get the first down and 13 more. On the touchdown, Vincent caught a swing pass on third-and-6, broke a tackle at the line of scrimmage and went 30 yards to the end zone.
Midway through the second quarter, back-to-back holding calls pushed McCann back into a second-and-24 at its 37. Lincoln was nearly sacked on the second down play but broke free and launched a deep pass that Lawson hauled in for a 51-yard gain.
Two plays later, Pecor was in the end zone, and Lincoln's two-point conversion made it 14-0.
"It was our sweeps to the outside," Pecor said when asked to explain McCann's offensive success early. "In the middle, it got all jammed up. But as soon as we started hitting the outside, it worked for us."
"Nick [Lincoln] made a couple of tremendous throws out there," LeClair said. "He escaped things and threw 'em out there. He kept his cool and knew where the people were going to be and delivered."
Mohawk responded to McCann's second touchdown with a big play of its own, a 73-yard pass from Andrew Doty to Stephen Reynolds. The same two hooked up on the two-point conversion, and it was a 14-8 game.
But McCann returned serve.
After a short kickoff gave the Hornets the ball at their own 42, Lincoln hooked up with Lawson for a 58-yard TD to give McCann a 20-8 lead -- three touchdowns in three straight plays from scrimmage.
Mohawk started its next possession at its 26 and drove all the way to the McCann 12. But on fourth-and-4 with 15 seconds left, Vincent broke up a Doty pass in the end zone, and the Hornets were able to go to half-time up two scores.
That margin lasted about 16 seconds into the second half. On Mohawk's first play from scrimmage, Reynolds (101 yards) went off right tackle and scampered 67 yards for a touchdown.
McCann's offense -- so potent in the first half -- struggled to drive the ball after half-time. It was hampered by 25 yards of penalties and the two turnovers.
But instead of making big plays with the ball, the Hornets made big plays to get the ball.
First, it was Lawson ending a Mohawk drive that started at its 30 and went all the way to the McCann 3 before a fumble in the backfield and a penalty drove the home team back to its 27. Lawson's interception and 15-yard return got the Hornets to their 20.
A Mohawk interception four plays later gave the home team new life as the third quarter ran down.
On the first play of the fourth quarter, McCann lineman Gustavo Montoya knocked down a pass at the line to force a Mohawk punt.
McCann went from its 18 to the Mohawk 46 in five plays, but a fumble with 7:07 on the clock ended that threat.
The teams then traded punts before Mohawk got the ball back on its own 40 with 3:11 on the clock.
Doty drove his team 30 yards with 42 seconds left -- with a big assist from the pass interference call on a fourth down that nearly ended the game -- before Bolte made the interception that did end the game.
"Come out for the second half, I'm calm, we're up by 12, OK, maybe force a punt and get the ball, run some time," LeClair said. "No. One play. Now it's nail-biting, knots in the stomach for the whole second half."
