Pelham rolls past Stevens to win D3 football championship

PELHAM - On the fourth play of Saturday's game, Pelham High School senior cornerback Mason Fecteau jumped a route and seamlessly intercepted a pass from Stevens quarterback Owen Taylor.

Fecteau ran it back 46 yards for a touchdown, and the rout was on from there, as the Pythons dominated Stevens from start to finish on the way to a 40-0 win and the Division III state championship.

The Pythons intercepted Taylor three times, with senior lineman Cam Santolucito’s pick late in the second quarter set up a Pelham score right before halftime. The Pelham defense only allowed Stevens to run four plays in Pythons' territory all game.

“They weren’t able to do much except a couple of passes on the side,” Santolucito said. “Other than that, we played a hell of a game offensively and defensively.”

Pelham outgained Stevens 319-166, but the difference was larger than that. Taylor connected on a pair of passes on consecutive plays late in the first quarter of 25 and 42 yards. The Cardinals were set up inside the Pelham 15, but were turned over on downs four plays later.

Outside of those two plays, the longest play from scrimmage for Stevens was 15 yards, and that was on the last play of the game.

“We came out in the second half and were able to limit the (Stevens) gains in the passing game after making some adjustments at halftime,” Pelham coach Tom Babaian said. “I can’t say enough about the collective mental toughness of the team.”

The Pelham offense found the end zone on all four possessions in the first half. Jake Herrling had touchdown runs of five and 59 yards and led the game with 128 yards on the ground.

“There’s not much I can say that’s already been said,” Babaian said of Herrling. “He’s the heart and soul of our team, and he showed it today.”

Sophomore quarterback Jake Travis was a cool customer all game for the Pythons. He had a 34-yard touchdown run with 45 seconds left in the first half.

Santolucito’s’ interception gave Travis and the offense the ball inside the red zone. Travis found Zach Jones for a 14-yard touchdown pass with two seconds left in the half to give Pelham a 34-0 lead going into the break.

“He grew so much as a player and as a guy in general,” Herrling said of Travis. “Props to him. He played great this season.”

Santolucito, Jones, Herrling, and Fecteau were part of a seven-man senior class that anchored the team, but the future looks bright for Pelham. Travis still has two more years left, and his younger brother Jake had an interception in the fourth quarter.

Derek Muise, a sophomore, had a two-yard touchdown run in the third quarter.

“We have seven seniors, and those guys have been good leaders all year,” Babaian said. “The young guys have stepped up and followed their lead. It’s a good situation for us.”