After finishing 6-2 in 2017, and a long, hard-working off-season, the Holyoke High School Football team is headed to Springfield tonight to play against Putnam Vocational High School at Berte Field.

With their eye on improving their winning record even more, the Knights hope to start off their 2017 campaign with a solid and dominant win. Last year’s game against Putnam ended with a score of 22-19. This time, the Knights hope to win by a larger amount.

Senior Defensive End, Corey Thomas, wants to go to Springfield and “demolish” Putnam.

“I believe that the team looks strong, The coaches are doing a really good job setting up our game plan and we need to carry it out,” he said. “Our offensive line keeps getting stronger and so do our specialists. We work hard in practice everyday. The grind doesn’t stop!”  

Both Putnam and Holyoke teams have been working very hard in the off-season throughout the year.

Head coach, Joe Dutsar, said he is looking for this team to establish “their own identity” this Friday night.

“We have to develop a unit that works together. Putnam is a sleeper team and an explosive group, we cannot take them lightly.”

Coach Dutsar also praised Holyoke’s special teams.

“We need to execute in all 3 phases of the game. The funny thing is most teams don’t really pay attention to special teams. That group of specialists can turn an even game into a win if we execute,” he said. “We are ready for Putnam! We just have to sharpen the tools in the last day of prep”

If you can’t make it to the game at Berte Field, make sure to follow The Herald’s sports Twitter page @hhsheraldsports for game updates. Kickoff is @ 7:45 PM.