Great Job Panthers

You played rough and hard and even though you didn't win, we are all very proud of you and the game you played ..
Keep humble and stay proud boys , we all have your backs, Great Job.

PALMER — It was a heartbreaking end to a hard-fought contest for the Pioneer Valley Regional School football team Friday night, as the Panthers fell, 14-7, to Palmer High School in a Tri-County League contest at Legion Field.
Pioneer, coming off a 14-0 home loss to Ware High School last week, came out of the gate strong, and rode into halftime with a 7-0 lead, largely on the legs of junior running back Bryce Dobosz. Dobosz rushed for 134 yards on 20 carries in the first half, leading an offensive attack that controlled the pace of play and the time of possession throughout the first 22 minutes.
After the Pioneer defense came up big on the game’s first possession, forcing a three-and-out, Pioneer would establish its running game early. While no points were scored on Pioneer’s first offensive possession, the Panthers went 56 yards on 13 plays — all rushes — and had Palmer on its heels.
Another defensive stand would set up Pioneer’s scoring drive, as it took the ball back at its own 36 with 1:59 remaining in the first quarter. Pioneer marched 64 yards for the score on eight plays, again all runs, capped off by a 7-yard push through the middle by Dobosz with 8:23 remaining in the second period. Dobosz carried the ball six times on the drive for 53 yards. Wyatt Keith would split the uprights for the extra point, and Pioneer had a 7-0 lead.
Palmer would make some noise on its next possession, starting at its own 42 and traveling all the way down to the Pioneer three before the defense once again made a huge play when it needed it the most, stopping Palmer on a fourth-and-goal, as Quarterback Ryan McCarthy threw the ball toward receiver Kyle Mastalerz for what looked like a game-tying score, but Pioneer’s Alex Tyson stepped in front and batted the ball down, ending the Palmer drive. Pioneer took over on downs at its own three, and the first half ended with the 7-0 advantage.

Pioneer, which had deferred the opening kickoff, began the third quarter with the ball and again went on a sustained drive that covered 51 yards on 13 plays, but were forced to punt after Tyson, who is also the quarterback for Pioneer, was dropped for a 7-yard sack on the Palmer 29. Pioneer opted to punt, and backed up Palmer to its own 4 to begin the ensuing possession.
The Pioneer defense appeared to tire just a little during the drive, and Palmer (5-0, 2-0 TCL) finally got its offense going. McCarthy led his troops on a 12-play, 96-yard march capped off with a 7-yard touchdown pass to Mastalerz. McCarthy would ass the extra point, and the score was knotted at 7 with 9:32 remaining in the game.

Pioneer (2-2, 0-2 TCL) seemed poised to take the lead right back, moving the ball seemingly at will against a Palmer defense that seemed to have no answer for Dobosz and company. Disaster would strike, however, as Tyson dropped back to throw just his second pass of the night on a third-and 7 from the Palmer 46, and threw the ball into the arms of Palmer’s Trevor Blackburn, who returned the ball to the to the Pioneer 48.
From there, McCarthy would not allow Palmer to be denied, as on first down he ran through the line and rambled for a gain of 35 yards, setting up a first-and-ten from the 13. After two runs by Mastalerz made it third-and-2 from the five yard-line, McCarthy took matters into his own hands, bulling his way up the middle for the score. He would then kick the point after for the 14-7 Palmer lead with 2;31 remaining in regulation.
Pioneer again moved the ball well on its next and final possession, marching from its own 26-yard line to the Palmer 29 before coming up short on fourth-and-four, handing the ball back to Palmer with 30 seconds to go. McCarthy would take a knee, and Palmer walked off with the 14-7 victory.
“We knew we needed to contain McCarthy, and we did for the first three quarters,” said Pioneer head coach Paul Worth. “He got going late, but we also shot ourselves in the foot more than once.”
Still, Worth was pleased with his team’s effort, and left them with one message: keep getting better.
Pioneer next hits the field Saturday when it hosts another TCL foe, Pathfinder ReVocational School at 1 p.m.