Can Greenfield High School knock Frontier Regional School from its two-year-long perch atop the WMass Division II field hockey world? Or will another team step up?
Five squads found out their fate in the WMass Division II postseason Monday afternoon, and the two-time defending champion Red Hawks will enter the Division II Tournament as the second seed.
The Green Wave of Greenfield (15-0-3) parlayed its unbeaten regular season into the top seed in Division II and Greenfield will be looking to earn its first WMass title since 2006.
“The girls are pretty excited,” Greenfield coach Erin Thayer said. “They’ve worked hard to get where they are and they are looking forward to keep moving forward and see what’s next. We definitely have some work ahead of us, still, and they are working hard every day.”
Greenfield has played Frontier twice during the regular season and earned a 4-2 win the first time the teams met back in early September before settling for a hard-fought scoreless tie about 10 days ago.
But before any of that, both Greenfield and Frontier would have to earn a semifinal win. Frontier already knows its opponent, as it will face third-seeded South Hadley High School (8-8-2), while Greenfield will take on the winner of the only semifinal game being played.
That game features the third local team to qualify for the postseason as Turners Falls High School (9-8-1) picked up the fourth seed in the Division and will host fifth-seeded Southwick Tolland Regional High School (8-8-2), a team the Indians beat Friday afternoon to qualify for the postseason. The Indians will host Southwick Thursday night at 5 at the Bourdeau Fields Complex in Turners Falls.
The Indians beat Southwick both times the teams met in the regular season.