We’re on to fall.
After what seemed like a quick summer break, the high school sports scene officially gets underway today with regular-season games kicking off this afternoon. Here’s a look at some of today’s key matchp-ups:
Frontier at Hampshire, 3 p.m.
Freshman Mikey Corduff and the defending Bi-County North champion Red Hawks open their season in a new league with a road trip to Hampshire Regional High School in a Suburban West match at Beaver Brook Golf Course in Williamsburg.
Both teams finished in the top 10 at last year’s WMass Div. II Championship, and they key a Suburban West that also has opening matches today when Hopkins Academy travels to Mahar Regional School and Palmer High School visits Pioneer Valley Regional School.
Gateway at Athol, 6 p.m.
The new-look Pioneer North begins play with league games today and tonight. Host Athol has a big test this evening, when Gateway Regional High School comes to town.
The Gators present a difficult challenge, entering the season off a strong 2016 campaign that saw them march all the way to the WMass Div. IV championship game before falling to Monson High School in penalty kicks.
Athol returns almost its entire lineup, and the Red Raiders have their sights set on returning to the postseason after a 6-10-1 season that saw them finish last in the Pioneer North.
Pope Francis at Frontier, 4 p.m.
Another team looking to make a move into the postseason, Frontier welcomes Pope Francis High School — like Gateway, another newcomer to the Pioneer North — to Herlihy Field in Whately.
The Red Hawks graduated 10 seniors from last year’s 6-9-2 team that took fourth in the North, so this afternoon’s opener should be a big measuring stick to see what kind of season Frontier could put together.
Mohawk at Pioneer, 6 p.m.
Moving to the Pioneer South, old Franklin County League foes Mohawk Trail Regional High School and Pioneer Valley Regional School tangle this evening in Northfield.
The two sides know each other well, having opened the 2016 season against one another. Mohawk won both regular-season meetings a year ago by identical 2-0 margins. With both squads focused on capturing the South, getting off to a 1-0 start could be crucial.
Chicopee at Mahar, 5 p.m.
Six of the local eight volleyball teams are in action, with independent matches tonight. Perhaps the most interesting will be at Grzesik-Bixby Gymnasium in Orange, where Mahar Regional School looks to get off to a fast start by welcoming Chicopee High School.
The Pacers were a tournament team at 11-8 a year ago, and they swept the 2016 opener at home against the Senators, 3-0.
Mahar, fresh off back-to-back three win seasons, has a lot of returning talent under head coach Sarah Woodward. Several Northern Division coaches pointed to the Senators as a team to watch, and while a win against Chicopee will be a difficult proposition tonight, showing signs of improvement and competitiveness is what the hosts will look to do.