PALMER – A season of close calls and near-misses thwarted the Belchertown football team.

Thursday’s Thanksgiving game against Pathfinder was essentially a microcosm of the Orioles’ 2024 campaign.

The host Pioneers completed just two passes all day, but both were back-breakers for Belchertown. Quarterback Anthony Arventos hit Jarett Skowyra for the eventual game-winning 21-yard touchdown on fourth down with 9 minutes, 43 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to lift Pathfinder to a 20-14 victory at rainy, muddy Legion Field.

Belchertown finished its season 0-10, while Pathfinder (3-8) rebounded after a 61-14 loss on Turkey Day last year.

“It’s kind of the story of our year,” Belchertown coach Keith LeBeau said. “We make a couple of minor mistakes and our mistakes cost us touchdowns and cost us big plays. At the end of the day, we just couldn’t make stops on defense when we needed to. There were some third down conversions and a fourth down, just couldn’t do it.”

Locked in a 14-14 game into the fourth quarter, Skowyra’s TD capped a 12-play, 55-yard drive that chewed up 7:19 on the clock for the Pioneers. The touchdown came on a fourth-and-9, and Arventos dropped a perfect pass over a Belchertown defender just inside the end zone. The two-point conversion failed, keeping the Orioles within striking distance at 20-14.

Belchertown tried to answer on its ensuing. Facing a fourth down near midfield, quarterback Jack Beals’ pass intended for Avery Cote fell incomplete.

Pathfinder took over with 7:04 remaining, and managed to burn the rest of the clock to seal the win. The hosts converted three third downs on the drive, running all plays – all on the ground, before the game ended with them at the Belchertown 10. All told, the Orioles had the ball for just 6 minutes, 35 seconds in the second half compared to Pathfinder’s 17:25.

Pathfinder took an 8-0 lead with 7:20 left in the first quarter, marching down the field on its first drive before Nicholas Pfister bulled in for a 2-yard TD.

Belchertown answered on its next possession, using a pair of completions from Beals to Brian Fuller to cap a 10-play drive. Fuller hauled in an 11-yard touchdown reception from Beals to cut the deficit to 8-6 after a missed extra point.

The Orioles forced a quick three-and-out, and went right back down the field to take their first lead of the game. Beals hit Adam O’Rourke on a nice 15-yard completion to move the chains, and then found O’Rourke again for a 24-yard gainer to get the ball down the red zone. Beals did the rest, rumbling in on a QB keeper for a 5-yard score with 4:29 to play before halftime. Beals added the two-point conversion, and Belchertown led 14-8.

It looked like the Orioles would take that lead into halftime, but Pathfinder converted a halfback pass from Dustyn Cook to Skowyra (who had three defenders surrounding him) that went for 23 yards on third down with under a minute remaining. Two plays later, Tyler Rondeau found paydirt from 3 yards out, tying the game 14-14 with just eight seconds left in the half.

“That [halfback pass] play, we had the lead, our defense was playing well, and we had an opportunity to make a play. If we make a play there, it could be a different outcome,” LeBeau said. “Those little details, if we can fix those little details, things would look a lot different for us this year.”

Beals led the Belchertown offense, completing 5-of-6 passes for 59 yards and a touchdown. He also added 52 yards rushing on 13 carries and a score, but it was some timely completions in the first half that impressed LeBeau.

“The irony is we’ve kind of struggled throwing the ball this year. And today was not a throwing day with the weather, and we actually had some completions and made some plays with the passing game,” he said.

Cote (five carries, 29 yards) and Fuller (five carries, 20 yards) also keyed the Belchertown offense, which was held to just 168 yards by the Pathfinder defense.

One year removed from an MIAA Division 5 state playoff appearance, the Orioles struggled to replicate that success after graduating a considerable senior class.

“We’re playing five freshmen. For them, it’s a huge learning curve,” LeBeau said. “We talked about, ‘hey, it’s going to be won in the offseason.’ Next year, those little plays are going to make the difference. If we make those plays, it’s a different season. They have to do that. They have to get after it in the offseason. If we can be committed to it, we’ll be in a good place next year.”

It was the final game for a senior class that numbered right around double digits, and LeBeau said the contingent did everything they could this season.

“I feel bad for the seniors, because they’ve had a lot of highs,” he said. “Obviously you go from last year playing in the state tournament to this year not winning a game. That’s a tough thing. But it’s not for lack of effort, it’s not for lack of caring. They did everything that they needed to do. It’s unfortunate, I feel bad for them. I really wanted to get this win for them. They wanted it too.”