Wahconah Opens with Win over Hurricanes
DALTON, Mass. — The Wahconah football team opened the season with a win Friday night, defeating Hoosac Valley, 26-6, behind a dominant defensive effort and a standout performance from senior Micah Roberts.
You never know which team is going to show up on opening night, but Wahconah quickly shook off the rust. Roberts led the Warriors with more than 200 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns, including the game's opening score on a 12-yard run.
Wahconah's defense was stingy throughout the night, holding Hoosac Valley without an offensive touchdown. The Warriors kept the Hurricanes off the scoreboard in the first quarter and took an 8-0 lead into the second.
Hoosac Valley put together a strong drive early in the second quarter, but Wahconah's defense came up with a big stop deep in its own territory, forcing a turnover on downs.
The hosts struggled to get much going offensively early in the second quarter and were eventually pinned inside their own 5-yard line. After Wahconah was forced to punt, Hoosac Valley's Terrell Johnson scooped up the kick and returned it 13 yards for a touchdown, cutting the deficit to 8-6.
Wahconah responded quickly.
Quarterback Gio Venable moved the Warriors down the field through the air, finding his receivers on back-to-back plays to put Wahconah in the red zone. Anthony Talora finished the drive with a touchdown, extending the Warriors' lead to 14-6.
Hoosac Valley then put together its best drive of the night, moving deep into enemy territory. But once again, Wahconah’s defense came up with a big play. Roberts intercepted a pass at the 2-yard line to stop the threat.
Wahconah capitalized on the momentum. Roberts broke loose for a 47-yard touchdown run, giving the Warriors a 20-6 advantage heading into halftime.
“Micah is awesome. He was hurt in this game last year, so it was good to see him back fully healthy,” Wahconah head coach Gary Campbell Jr. said.
The second half was sloppy at times for both teams, with neither offense able to consistently move the ball.
After Wahconah came up with another big defensive stop on fourth-and-short, it added its final touchdown of the night. Roberts came through again, this time catching a 38-yard touchdown pass from Venable to push the lead to 26-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
Venable finished the night with more than 230 passing yards.
“Gio Venable is the real deal. He can throw the ball, he can take off, and when we throw to athletes, we have guys that can catch it,” Campbell said. “The good thing is we can attack the whole field, but we need to get better at the fundamental blocking and tackling.”
With the game out of reach, both teams turned to their backups in the fourth quarter, giving younger players an opportunity to get valuable varsity experience.
Despite the loss, Hoosac Valley showed plenty of promise in its opener after losing a large group of upperclassmen from last season. The Hurricanes will look to bounce back next Saturday afternoon when they host Taconic.
Wahconah, meanwhile, will look to build on its strong start when it travels to Lee next week.