EASTHAMPTON — The Cheshire Academy football rumbled into Sawyer Field ready to prove something against Williston Northampton School in the annual NEPSAC Danny Smith Bowl. The two teams had clashed earlier in the season and the Wildcats had snagged a win from the Cheshire Cats, 49-41, to extend its winning streak to five games.

When the Cats ran onto the sideline on Saturday afternoon, Cheshire Academy’s Matt Frazier led the team waving a school flag, which he planted at the 50 yard line while looking over at the Wildcats’ sideline – a warning that the visitors were in town for revenge. 

But the Cats slunk home with their tails between their legs as Williston put an exclamation point on its historic season with a 42-26 win in front of a raucous home crowd. The win gave the Wildcats the bowl win and a final season record of 8-1, one of the best seasons that Williston’s football program has ever had. 

“It feels good. I'm just so proud of our guys,” Williston head coach Tom Beaton said. “It's as high character of a group as I've been around, and (I’m) so lucky to coach every single one of them.” 

It wasn’t easy for the Wildcats, which were without star running back Nate Ellis. Ellis broke his leg early on in last week’s game against Brunswick – the team’s first and only loss. Replacing him was no easy task, but luckily Williston had more than enough players who stepped in to fill Ellis’ shoes. 

“Losing Nate was big time, but a lot of guys stepped up and we kind of (won) this one for him,” Amherst’s Jameson Dion said. “A lot of guys stepped up into his place and played for him.”

There were plenty of players who stepped up - quarterback Davian McDonald from Holyoke, Brooks Connors, Troy Worrell and of course Dion, who shined under the bright lights. Dion notched two touchdowns for the Wildcats, the first a 27-yard score to give the home team a 14-6 lead, and then a 1-yard sprint up the middle with just over a minute left in the second quarter to give his team a 21-6 advantage going into halftime. 

“He brings so much toughness, energy on both sides of the ball. He does everything for us,” Beaton said on Dion’s performance. 

Williston capitalized on multiple miscues by the Cats in the first half. When Cheshire punted on a fourth down, the kick was short and fell into the hands of Lucas Guay, who ran it to the 16 yard line. From there, the Wildcats were able to snag a touchdown with McDonald corralling a bobbled snap and calmly running for a 1-yard TD. Williston’s second touchdown of the game came after the team managed to convert a fourth-and-6 when McDonald connected with Worrell.

Cheshire (5-4) tried to claw back into the game in the second half. After Connors caught a 19-yard TD pass to make it 28-6 early in the third, Cats quarterback Keean Croucher pulled off a miracle play, throwing a short pass as he got knocked over to Tariq Mallory that caught everyone off guard for a 27-yard touchdown. A two-point conversion made it 28-12 and breathed new life back into the visitors.

Two plays later, the Wildcats fumbled the ball, and Mallory caught another touchdown pass to make it 28-20 less than a minute into the fourth quarter. 

With Cheshire looming over them, Brooks went to work, covering ground and marching the Wildcats back down the field before running in a 2-yard touchdown to make it 35-20 with 2:43 left.

The Cats pulled within eight points with another touchdown with just over a minute to go by Jacob Macarz, but their two-point conversion attempt was no good thanks to impressive defensive coverage from Brian Lloyd, and their onside kick attempt was snagged by Connors. He capped the scoring with a TD with 26 seconds to go to account for the 42-26 final.

It was a meaningful win for everyone, including Dion, who had an impressive career with Amherst High School but never got to be part of a historic team like this Wildcats group. 

“It’s very exciting. You know, I've never really been a part of the championship team, and it's great,” Dion said. “I'm enjoying it.”