TURNERS FALLS – The Franklin Tech football team rode the emotional rollercoaster in its state vocational quarterfinal game against Assabet Valley on Saturday.

The top-seeded Eagles trailed into the fourth quarter before a dynamic pick-6 score from Cam Laster tied the game late in regulation. But the eighth-seeded Aztecs had a response, answering the TD with the eventual game-winning score with just 1 minute, 37 seconds remaining to capture a 20-14 victory.

Assabet Valley (4-6) advanced to the semifinal round and a matchup with either Old Colony or Tri-County.

“The kids played great,” offered Franklin Tech coach Joe Gamache. “We asked them to bring some physicality today and challenged them to step up and they certainly did all that. They battled right until the very end, which is obviously something you preach as a coach and it’s nice to see when it happens. Obviously we’d like a slightly different outcome but we played a good football team. That’s arguably the best football team we’ve played against this year. And it was probably our most complete effort of the season.”

Franklin Tech (8-2) trailed 14-6 with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter, and the Aztecs had the ball looking to run out the clock. Assabet Valley quarterback Alex St. Hilaire tried to pick up a first down that would keep time rolling through the air, but Laster jumped the route and snagged an interception. The senior defensive back turned and headed up field, tip-toeing the sideline for a 39-yard touchdown that sent the Tech sideline into euphoria with 2:49 remaining.

Maxon Brunette converted the all-important two-point conversion, stretching across the goal line on a run to the left side to tie the game at 14-14.

“A play like that gives you a ton of life,” said Gamache. “You start thinking things are going to end up a little differently than they did when you look at the final score. And then Max did a great job getting in on the two-point conversion to tie the game for us.”

Despite the momentum and new life, the Eagles were unable to stop the Aztecs on their ensuing drive. The visitors needed just five plays to score the go-ahead touchdown, ripping off big runs of 15 and 29 yards in the process before Francesco Lopriore (12 carries, 66 yards) bulled up the middle on a fullback dive from 14 yards out to give Assabet Valley a 20-14 lead with 1:37 to go.

“Hats off to them, they executed when they needed to and they answered very quickly after we tied the game,” Gamache said. “It’s a see-saw of emotions there for us.”

Franklin Tech stopped the two-point conversion, but couldn’t respond on its ensuing possession. On fourth down, Eagles QB Tyler Yetter’s pass deep down the field was out of the reach of Nolyn Stafford for a turnover on downs. Assabet Valley ran out the clock from there, with Lopriore’s fourth-down run sealing the deal on the game’s final play.

The Eagles trailed 6-0 late in the first quarter, but Yetter (6-for-20 passing, 92 yards) hit Hunter Donahue on a screen pass and the sophomore followed some good blocking for a 60-yard touchdown pass that tied the game with 18 seconds to go in the opening quarter. 

It stayed that way until the Aztecs blocked a Tech punt late in the second quarter and took advantage. Setting up shop at the Eagles 17 following the punt block, Assabet Valley needed just three plays to find paydirt when Lopriore again went up the middle for an 8-yard score. He added the conversion on the ground and the Aztecs led 14-6.

Tech senior running back Josiah Little paced the team’s ground attack with 83 yards on 17 carries, though he exited the game for a good chunk of the second half due to an injury. Brunette (8 carries, 45 yards) handled the bulk of the carries in his absence.

Franklin Tech still has an important game remaining in its 2024 season. The Eagles will look to make some program history on Thanksgiving when they go for win No. 9 of the season. Tech will travel to play at Smith Vocational (6-3) for their annual meeting, though the game will be played at Mountain View School in Easthampton as the Vikings’ home field in Northampton is currently under repair.

Franklin Tech won last year’s meeting, 42-6, in Turners Falls.

“Last year was kind of a similar thing. We were both coming off solid seasons and our kids rose to the occasion,” Gamache said. “We have to treat it as our Super Bowl, and they’ll be doing the same. A win on Thanksgiving keeps the trophy here, and it also gives us a nine-win season which would be the most this school has ever had in a season. So we’ve got some things to play for, which will be nice.”