SOUTH HADLEY – A 20-point second quarter powered the South Hadley football team to a 27-9 win past Pathfinder in a non-playoff game Friday night.

Senior Julius Hebenth scored two of the Tigers’ three second-quarter touchdowns, including a lengthy run late, as South Hadley cruised to its sixth victory of the season.

“The boys worked hard,” Tigers head coach Brian Couture said. “[The win] puts them in the winning column for the season. Pathfinder came out and they were ready to play and gave us a tough game today. Walking out with a win is always a good thing.”

The Pioneers got on the board first with a 15-yard touchdown run from quarterback Anthony Arventos halfway into the opening quarter. Pathfinder executed a perfect play action pass, leaving Arventos with an easy lane into the end zone to put the visitors ahead, 7-0, after the extra point.

South Hadley (6-4) proceeded to score the game’s next four touchdowns, however the Pioneers put the hosts on their heels right from the start.

“They came out flat, which seems to be a problem this year that we've had, coming out in the first quarter flat,” Couture said of his team. “We got to get on them. Pathfinder went down and punched them in the face. Sadly, I just said to them, you guys got to get punched in the face before you finally start deciding to play football.”

The Tigers didn’t respond until sophomore Lincoln Belsky rushed right up the middle of the field for a score with 1:20 remaining in the first. Belsky’s 31-yard scurry knotted up the score, 7-7, following a successful extra point attempt.

“Belsky I can't say enough,” Couture said. “Seeing him break through the middle, the [offensive coordinator] called that one and goes 'I'm giving it to Belsky up the middle, he's going to score a touchdown.' Finally getting him to break that hurdle for him and get down the field and actually score something is huge for us in the future.”

Hebenth doubled South Hadley’s lead to 14-7, as the speedster punched in a 1-yard score following a deliberate drive down field from the Tigers. 

On its next possession, Hebenth took a hand-off from sophomore quarterback Noah Hambley and ran right up the right side to score his second touchdown of the night in as many drives with 1:04 showing on the clock. Hebenth’s run stretched more than half the field as South Hadley took control after a good extra-point attempt, 21-7.

“Julius is Julius. He works hard, he busts his butt and is always trying to get as many yards as he can and he always wants the ball,” Couture said. “If it was up to him, he'd get it every single play. He's a hard worker. It's been great having him for four years.”

The Tigers got the ball right back after the Pioneers misplayed the ensuing kick off. Hambley wasted no time bulking up the score as the slinger connected with Chase Pecia for a beautiful pass-catch touchdown with less than a minute to go in the half.

South Hadley missed the extra point, but were still in control at the break, 27-7.

"He's an all-around athlete and it's definitely a bonus for us going into the future for the next two years,” Couture said on Hambley. “Actually he's not even a quarterback. We lost our quarterback, [Griffin] Soderbaum, against Taconic, so we're running a two running back system right now."

The second half didn’t feature much scoring as a Tigers safety on a bad snap on their own 11-yard line gave Pathfinder two more points in the last minute of the third quarter.

South Hadley’s defense pressured Arventos all night, not allowing the opposing quarterback much time in the pocket to see the field.

"I'd like to see our blitzes get through a little bit better,” Couture said. “Our eyes got to get better in the backfield, we break through that line, we don't see it as well as we'd like them to see it. We got time. That's a young group on the defense so we're not losing much there.”

The Tigers won’t play again until Thanksgiving when they host Holyoke at 10 a.m. Pathfinder will host Belchertown on Turkey Day (9 a.m.).