For the fourth straight season, the Hampshire League featured a western Mass. champion.
After three consecutive years of Hopkins Academy taking home the western Mass. Division 4 boys basketball crown, Pioneer Valley Regional School unseated the Golden Hawks last winter following an improbable run through the tournament. Pioneer’s season came to an end in the state semifinals with a 70-38 loss to Maynard.
While it was the fourth straight year of a Hampshire League team winning a sectional title, the Panthers were the first WMass boys champion from Franklin County since Mahar won the WMass Division 2 title in 2012 and went on to win a state crown.
This marks the second year since the Hampshire League added Belchertown and split into two divisions; the North and the South. For the past few seasons, the teams that make up the current HL South have been stronger from top to bottom, as Hopkins, Pioneer and Mahar have been consistently strong, with Turners Falls and Belchertown also among the stronger teams in the area. The HL North, meanwhile, has been the weaker of the divisions, as evidenced by Greenfield High School finishing second in the division last season and earning a postseason berth despite finishing with an overall record under .500.
That could change this winter. Defending North champion Frontier returns nearly its entire roster from a year ago including Recorder-area leading scorer Carsten Carey, who is primed for a big year as a senior forward/center. Smith Academy also returns four starters from a year ago and will try to get into the tournament for the first time since the 2014-15 season. Greenfield should also remain in contention for the postseason as former Hopkins coach Angelo Thomas returns to his alma mater and has an experienced lineup. Athol and Mohawk round out the North and the two teams both continue to work their ways out of the dole drums they have been mired in for nearly a decade, although both teams appear headed in a positive direction.
The South could get turned on its head this season. Last year, four of the five teams in the South qualified for the postseason with only Turners Falls missing out, but this season the Thunder return several key pieces that should make them a key team in the division. Turners is dealing with some early-season injuries, but when healthy, the Thunder has pieces in place to qualify for the tournament. Pioneer, which finished second in the South before making its run to the WMass title, is a much younger team this season after several players graduated, but the team returns leader Garrett Cote, who will be one of the top individuals in the league. Belchertown lost leading scorer Mitch Medina, but returns several other starters who will look to keep the Orioles in the hunt for a league title. Hopkins Academy lost more than just Thomas as a coach, as first-year coach Adam Ginsburg takes over a team in transition. Mahar also brings back just two players with significant varsity experience, which will leave coach Chad Softic with his hands full as his squad rebuilds.
“I think the Hampshire League will look different this year,” Softic said. “Right now, we are only worried about our side of the Hampshire League. Now that it’s split, I don’t really look at the other half, and that’s a shame.”
Here’s a team-by-team look at the season:
COACH: Dan Bevis
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL North/3
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 2-18
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2006) Lost to South Hadley in Div. 3 quarterfinals
ROSTER: Seniors: Brymere Edwards (F), Davy Arias (G), Maison Stevens (F); Juniors: Bryce King (G), Mark Ferrari (F), Nick Bousquet (G), Riley Paine (G), Jaycob Lamarche (G), Maysin Tarbell (F); Sophomores: Noah Pottinger (F), Nathan Heath (F), Keegan Lutz (G).
OUTLOOK: The reclamation project continues for Athol coach Dan Bevis.
Bevis enters his third year as coach of the boys team at Athol after moving over from the girls team where he had good success prior to the 2016-17 season. When he took over, Bevis knew he had a project on his hands, as Athol hadn’t been to the postseason in 10 years. Things were not likely to turn around overnight, and they have not, as the Red Raiders went 1-19 in Bevis’ first season and 2-18 last year.
Despite the records in recent seasons, Bevis said the program is moving in the right direction and one big change is in the thinking of the players on the team.
“We focus daily on putting the past in the past, forgetting about negative plays, and just try to move on,” he said. “It’s a learning experience for everyone. The program hasn’t had much success, recently, but it’s this team’s opportunity to try and write how successful they want to be. We are focused on what we can do this year, not about what we did last year or the year before.”
Junior forward Mark Ferrari led Athol in scoring last season with 11 points per game and will be a focal point on offense again this winter. He will be joined up front by classmate Maysin Tarbell (4.1 ppg) and Noah Pottinger, a sophomore who came into his own at the end of his freshman campaign. Pottinger averaged 4.1 points per game last year, but picked up his scoring late in the season and scored more than 10 points in two of his final four games.
Juniors Bryce King and Nick Bousquet join sophomore Keegan Lutz as the top guards on the team. Bousquet returns this year after missing last year with an injury.
“We have some pretty good athletes, some kids who excel in other sports, and now we are trying to get them to excel in basketball where we haven’t had success in the past,” Bevis said. “We are just trying to get better every day and compete at all times on the court.”
COACH: Ben Barshefsky, 9th season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL North/3
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 14-8
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2018) Lost to Monument Mt. in Div. 3 quarterfinals
ROSTER:Seniors — Alex Sharp (G), Kalen Evans (F), Carsten Carey (F/C), Tim Barrington (G), Zach Nuerminger (F); Juniors — Gabe Jones-Thomson (F), Collin Boudreau (C), Sam Felton-Emrick (G), Gabe Gochinski (G), Brett Robinson (G), Owen Walkowicz (F); Sophomores — Peter Carey (F), Owen Morse (G).
OUTLOOK: There’s certainly a lot to like in South Deerfield this winter.
After winning 14 games, including a postseason victory over Mahar in the WMass Div. 3 first round, the Red Hawks return four of their top five scorers from last year. That includes senior center Carsten Carey, who led the Recorder-area with 16.1 points per game. The big man is a matchup nightmare for opposing defenses, as in addition to his size he has the ability to hit jump shots and can also handle the ball.
Senior Alex Sharp will help man the back court, and he averaged 4.9 ppg a year ago. Classmate Kalen Evans is another top returning player after going for 8.1 ppg last year. The duo team with Carey to make a very formidable top three.
“This year is no different than any other year,” began Frontier coach Ben Barshefsky. “It’s always the same approach for us — one thing at a time and go from there. We don’t change that no matter who we have back on our team or any of that.”
There’s some good experience back in addition to the senior trio. Sophomore guard Owen Morse averaged in double figures over the final five games of the season, and he wound up fourth on the team with a 7.3 ppg average as a freshman. Seniors Tim Barrington and Zach Nuerminger, junior Brett Robinson and sophomore Peter Carey were all in the Frontier rotation at points throughout the 2017-18 season.
Frontier’s independent schedule should provide challenging spots. The Hawks bring Division 1 West Springfield and Division 3 contender Hoosac Valley to South Deerfield.
COACH: Angelo Thomas, 1st season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL North/3
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 7-14
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2018) Lost to Wahconah in Div. 3 first round
ROSTER: Seniors: Danny Vega (G), Hunter Campbell (F), Owen Phelps (G/F), Cam Baird (F), Nate Haselton (F); Juniors: Colby Avery (C), Julius Brewington (F), Jared Hart (F), Kenny Adams (F); Sophomores: Carlos Cardenales (G), Jake Sak (F), Mason Meadows (F); Freshman: Ryan Cote (G).
OUTLOOK: Angelo Thomas takes over the reigns at his alma mater this winter.
Thomas takes over for Tim Caplice, who helped lead the Green Wave to the tournament last winter, although the team finished 7-13 in the regular season, marking the second straight season the team finished with that record, and the fourth year in a row the program finished under .500.
Greenfield lost leading scorer Colin Cloutier from a season ago but does return several leading scorers including seniors Hunter Campbell (8.5 ppg) and Owen Phelps (8.2), who will each start for Thomas at forward.
The starting backcourt includes senior Danny Vega and freshman Ryan Cote, and 6-foot-5 sophomore Mason Meadows will start at center.
Thomas said that his starting lineup is not set in stone.
“We go 11 deep, and whoever is playing well in practice is who is going to start,” he explained. “I think one of 10 guys could lead us in scoring any given night. There is no go-to person, no superstar, but it’s going to be a total team effort in everything we do.”
Thomas said that while he might not have a scoring machine on offense, what he does have is a team full of good athletes, which will help it play strong defense. It’s something Thomas will look to do if his team is going to be successful.
“We are going to have to hang our hats on defense, because athletically we can compete with anybody,” he said. “We still have to understand how to play the game of basketball.”
COACH: Chad Softic, 12th season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL South/3
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 13-8
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2018) Lost to Frontier in Div. 3 first round
ROSTER: Seniors — Peter Currie (F), Jordan Desrosiers (G). Juniors — Aiden Lupien (G), Johnny Wilson (F), Daesean Watson (C), Deven Patch (C), Charlie Barnes (G), Zack Notre (F). Sophomores — Jaden Softic (G), Matt Lyesiuk (F), Jakob Carron (F), Noaha Chabot (F), Jake Tenney (G), Eli Gonzalez (F).
OUTLOOK: Mahar has been a perennial contender in the Hampshire League over the past decade but this season will be a real test if the team is in fact going to compete for a league title.
Coach Chad Softic enters the season with just two players with significant varsity experience in juniors Charlie Barnes and Deven Patch. The Senators lost much of their scoring as Sam Paul (12.8), Quinn Gervais (10.1), Brennan Mailloux (9.7) and Matt Jenks (7.1) were the top four scorers on the squad a year ago and are all gone to graduation.
Patch averaged 6.1 points per game last year after cracking the starting lineup around the mid-point mark of the season. Barnes was the next leading scorer on the team with 3.9 points per game. Barnes and sophomore Jake Tenney will start in the backcourt, while Patch, who stands at 6-foot-5, will start at center. Joining Patch up front will be sophomore Eli Gonzalez, who scored 18 points in the season-opener against Pioneer on Saturday and grabbed 18 boards. Sophomore Jaden Softic, the nephew of head coach Chad Softic, started at small forward.
“We have young kids trying to get through varsity basketball for the first time,” Softic said. “We have to grow in a lot of ways, not just on the basketball court. There is definitely some talent here, and we are going to try to get to 10 wins and lengthen our season.”
Softic, who is well-known for having his teams ready to go defensively, said that the team still has a ways to go in order to get where he wants.
“Offensively, we are coming along OK, but we are not a very tough-minded, fundamental, defensive team,” he explained.
COACH: Darren Schmidt, 1st season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL North/3
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 1-19
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2009) Lost to Drury in Div. 2 semifinals
ROSTER: Seniors: Carl Bohonowicz (F), Jackson Hicks (F), Will Guyette (F), Jaydon Hoff (G), Josh Matthews (F), Raven Sauceda (G); Juniors: Owen Cross (F), Anthony Moffatt (G); Sophomores: Reuben Bassett (F), Shawn Davenport (G), Cam Lococo (F), Austin Sumner (G); Freshman: Tyler Dubreuil (G).
OUTLOOK: Mohawk gets its third coach in three years this winter as 2006 Mohawk graduate Darren Schmidt returns to his alma mater.
Schmidt followed his career at Mohawk by playing four years at Worcester State before returning to Mohawk to coach junior varsity under former Mohawk coach Fred Redeker. That helped push him into his current teaching career.
He takes over a program that has been a bottom-feeder in the HL for nearly a decade but looks to climb the ranks.
“The way we are looking at it is that it’s a fresh start for the team and a fresh start for the program,” Schmidt said.
His first order of business is to get his team playing better defensively. He is introducing the team to a new system on defense designed to keep games close.
“If you are going to have any success on the court, you have to start with defense,” he explained. “If teams are allowed to put 60 or 70 points up and we can’t score more than 40 or 50, we won’t win. We have to try and dictate how many points the other team will score and our offense will come along.”
The Mohawk offense was easily the worst in the league last season, averaging in the low 30s in points per game. The Warriors only eclipsed 40 points in a game three times all season.
Senior forward Jackson Hicks was the top scorer on the team with 7.8 points per game a year ago and he returns to lead the offense. Point guard Anthony Moffatt is now a junior and should help the team score more often this season. Senior Will Guyette joins Hicks and sophomore Cam Lococo up front in the starting lineup, while sophomore Shawn Davenport will start with Moffatt in the backcourt.
COACH: Scott Thayer, 3rd season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL South/4
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 18-6
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2018) Beat Hopkins to win Div. 4 title; lost to Maynard in state semifinals
ROSTER: Seniors — Garrett Cote (G), Ryan Underwood (F), Zack Fox (F/C), Jacob Fuller (G), Blake Dobosz (G), Joel Emberley (F); Juniors — Richard Kane (F); Sophomores — Troy Emond (G), Liam Bradley-Curtis (G); Freshmen — Jayden Fox (F), Jared Hubbard (G), Ryan Potter (G).
OUTLOOK: It was a magical 2017-18 season for Pioneer.
The Panthers got hot down the stretch, winning eight of their final nine regular season games before putting together a postseason for the ages. Pioneer used a game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat Drury in the WMass Div. 4 semifinals before pulling off an upset of three-time defending champion Hopkins Academy in the title game to win the program’s first WMass championship since 2000. The ride came to an end in the state semifinals against Maynard.
Fast forward a year, and Pioneer has a much different looking squad on the floor this time around. Gone are four of the top five scorers in what was a balanced team that had five players averaging between 8.6 and 12.0 points per game.
The returner is senior point guard Garrett Cote, who was the team’s leading scorer at 12 ppg. He saved his best stuff for the postseason, scoring 32 points and nailing the game-winning shot at the buzzer against Drury. He had 14 in the WMass title game against Hopkins, 10 coming in the fourth quarter. Cote’s role is certainly elevated this winter, as he’ll run the show at point guard tasked with scoring and distributing in addition to the leadership intangibles needed for what is an experienced roster.
“He’s going to be asked to do a lot,” said Pioneer coach Scott Thayer of Cote. “We need him to play big.”
Cote, who had 30 points in the opener against Hoosac Valley last week, has a weapon inside in the form of senior center Zack Fox. The big man saw time in a few games last season, and he looked comfortable in the two-man game with Cote against Hoosac.
Senior forward Ryan Underwood was in the rotation last year and brings that experience into this year’s club, while classmate Jacob Fuller will see his role grow as well.
Sophomore Troy Emond scored in double figures four times last year in a freshman season that saw him immediately make an impact. He’ll be a large piece of the puzzle in the back court alongside Cote.
The freshman class has been key early in the season and that will likely be the case throughout the season. Guards Ryan Potter and Jared Hubbard as well as forward Jayden Fox have seen crunch time minutes early, with Hubbard leading the team in scoring in its 50-49 win over Mahar with 18 points.
COACH: Gary Mullins, 34th season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL South/4
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 6-14
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2017) Lost to Hopkins in Div. 4 semifinals
ROSTER: Seniors — Tyler Lavin (G), Kyle Dodge (F), Jovanni Ruggiano (F), Ryan Campbell (G), Ryan Kucenski (F), Avias Politis (F), Bryce Waldron (F), Jeremiah Russell (G); Juniors — Jaden Whiting (G), Anthony Peterson (C); Sophomores — Ryan Duclos (F), Jake Dodge (G), Chace Novak (G); Freshmen — Brendan Driscoll (G).
OUTLOOK: The early-season injury bug has found Turners Falls. The Thunder had several players out with injuries or illnesses to start the 2018-19 campaign, and the lineup will undoubtedly be fluid as people return to the mix.
“I’ve got a lot of guys in the mix, but who is going to step up and show something,” queried veteran coach Gary Mullins. “They’re all showing something. I usually like to go seven or guy deep but we could potentially be 13 or 14 deep. How do we handle that number of kids? I’ve got some learning to do on my end as a coach as well.”
There are some consistent presences in the Turners lineup. Senior guard Tyler Lavin returns after averaging 9.6 points per game a year ago, as does junior center Anthony Peterson and his healthy 12.5 ppg average. With uncertainly throughout the rest of the lineup, the tandem will need to be steady cogs when they’re on the floor.
“Those guys are back… where are we gonna find other scoring?” Mullins said.
Sophomore guard Chace Novak went for double figures last year as a freshman (10.9 ppg) and should be in that mix again.
Senior forward Ryan Kucenski begins the season out with a broken elbow, but when he returns will be a very important presence in the rotation.
“We’re a much better team, I think, with him,” Mullins said.
Seniors Jovanni Ruggiano and Kyle Dodge both saw minutes a year ago, as did junior Jaden Whiting. Sophomore Jake Dodge has handled himself well early and could figure into the back court discussion, while senior Ryan Campbell hasn’t played since freshman year but has the potential to be a solid defender.
“We’re old in a sense. We’ve got eight seniors but not much in the way of varsity minutes,” Mullins said.
COACH: Matt Stenuis, 3rd season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL South/2
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 12-9
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2018) Lost 94-52 to Longmeadow in WMass Div. 2 quarterfinals
RETURNING STARTERS: Corey Lanoue (Sr./G), Nathan Wright (Sr./G)
RETURNING PLAYERS:Seniors — Kyle Bechthold, F; Evan Burton, G; Zachery Wrona, F; Juniors — Owen Raines, G.
NEWCOMERS:Senior — James Lawless, F; Juniors — Tyler Grisson, F; Hunter Klingensmith, G; Sophomores — Jordan Lanoue, G/F; Nathan Schiffer, G.
OUTLOOK: Last year was a breakthrough season for the Orioles after going 0-40 the previous two years. They reached the postseason behind 1,000-point scorer Mitch Medina. Four seniors graduated from that team, including three of their top four scorers. Despite that, the Orioles aren’t starting all over with six returners, five of them seniors. “We’re in a pretty good spot,” Stenuis said. Belchertown will lean on strong team chemistry and speed, running at every opportunity.
COACH: Adam Ginsburg, 1st season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL South/4
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 20-3
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2018) Lost 59-53 to Pioneer in WMass Div. 4 final
RETURNING STARTERS: Caleb Graves (Sr./F), Braeden Tudryn (So./G)
RETURNING PLAYERS:Juniors — Erik Berg, F; Nathan Walden, G.
NEWCOMERS: Junior — Ryan Antes, F; Sophomores — Josiah Beck, G; Addison Phifer, F; John Pipczynski, C; Freshman — Andrew Ciaglo, G.
OUTLOOK: The Golden Hawks’ streak of Division 4 championships ended, and former coach Angelo Thomas left to coach his alma mater Greenfield. Enter Ginsburg, who has 20 years of assistant coaching experience at the Division I college level, including 12 at UMass. Hopkins graduated five seniors and will only return four players. It’s a fresh slate, but the Golden Hawks don’t expect to slip.
COACH: Matt Zerneri, 12th season
LEAGUE/DIVISION: HL North/4
LAST YEAR’S RECORD: 9-11
LAST TOURNAMENT APPEARANCE: (2015) Lost 70-42 to Monson in WMass Div. 4 quarterfinals
RETURNING STARTERS: Jack Zigmont (Sr./G), Brett Gratz (Sr./F), Carter Woodward (Sr./G), Max Bartlett (Sr./C)
RETURNING PLAYERS: Senior — Owen Baranowski, C; Junior — Colin Ferrara, G; Sophomore — Nate Moynihan, F.
NEWCOMERS: Senior — Nick Marcinowski, F; Junior — Daniel Cavanaugh, F; Freshman — Kayden Guimond, F.
OUTLOOK: Behind four returning starters, the Falcons are focused on ending their three-year postseason drought. They missed the tournament by just one game. Zigmont needs just 348 points for 1,000 in his career, but he wants to be a facilitator, too. Smith Academy will play quick and shoot a high volume of 3s. “It’s easy to pick up what we want to do,” Zerneri said.
The Hampshire Gazette contributed to the previews.