The Intercounty League North Division All-League football team has been released, with numerous Franklin County residents making the roster.
Frontier led the way with nine players on the team, followed by Franklin Tech with seven players.
Five Easthampton players were named to the team, with Mahar adding four players on the roster.
Monument Mountain and Greenfield each saw three players named to the team while Athol also had a selection.
Frontier quarterback and linebacker Garrett DeForest took home league MVP honors, as the senior guided Frontier to the regular season league title and helped earn his squad a spot in the WMass Div. 7 playoffs.
DeForest finished the season with 400 yards rushing and 506 yards passing, running in six touchdowns while tossing four through the air.
“It was a little shocking,” DeForest said of the MVP selection. “Two years ago, [Frontier’s] Aaron Landry won it. There’s a ton of other Frontier alumni on the trophy. It’s awesome knowing all the coaches thought of me as the MVP. It made me happy, going out my senior year, it couldn’t have been more perfect. It was the cherry on top. I was happy I was able to please the coaches and make an imprint on all of them.”
DeForest took over as the Red Hawk signal caller his senior season after starring as the team’s running back his junior season.
Having played quarterback his whole life, the transition to tailback wasn’t easy, though he thrived in the role and was excited to get back to QB for his final year in South Deerfield.
“Whatever it takes to get the team in the best spot is what anyone on the team would do,” DeForest said. “It was easy going back to quarterback. I had a lot of help from teammates. It was bittersweet because I loved running back, but liked playing quarterback as well.”
DeForest is still weighing his college options for next year, saying he’s considering playing football at Massachusetts Maritime or baseball at La Salle among other options.
“He worked hard for four years,” Frontier coach Don Gordon said. “He was the spark plug that made us go. He will be missed.”
Greenfield’s Colby Avery was named Lineman of the Year in the Intercounty League. The senior has started on the offensive line since his freshman year, and took over as a starter at defensive tackle his sophomore year.
He was a monster up front for the Wave all season, paving holes at the left guard spot and blowing up the line of scrimmage in the middle on defense.
“It meant everything to me,” Avery said of the honor. “Football is always what I wanted to play and I always wanted to be the best at it. I never thought I’d be given an award for being on the line. It meant a lot. It’s good people noticed the dedication I’ve put in the last couple years.”
Avery entered the year with the hope of winning the award, working hard all offseason in hopes of posting a stellar senior season.
“My goal when I first got to Greenfield was to play on Turkey Day,” Avery said. “After I did that, it was then making All-League. This year, the goal was to win Lineman of the Year and I’m proud I was able to accomplish that.”
Fellow Wave teammates Cam Lackey and Jared Hart were also All-League team selections, with Lackey named on the defensive line and Hart at linebacker.
Joining DeForest on the team from Frontier was Ito McMillan, who rushed for 1,152 yards, the most in Franklin County, and 13 touchdowns this season. Three Red Hawk linemen who helped pave the way for Deforest and McMillan — Jackie Phong, Andrew Logan and Ethan Russell — were also named to the team while John Semaski made it as a defensive tackle.
The rest of the Frontier starting backfield earned All-League selections as well, with tailback sophomore Josh Semaski, who rushed for 468 yards and a pair of scores, and fullback Alec Kirkendall (five rushing touchdowns) both making the squad. Tight end Donovan Hoffman closed out the Red Hawks named to the team after catching 10 passes for 234 yards and three touchdowns.
Running back Jake Tenney headlined the Mahar section of the roster. The junior finished the season with 1,124 yards on the ground and a Franklin County-high 17 touchdowns, playing a big role in getting the Senators into the WMass Div. 8 postseason.
Mahar’s Charlie Barnes, who hauled in 24 passes for 437 yards and five touchdowns, made the team as a wide receiver. Guard Todd Chiasson and defensive tackle Jakob Carron were also named to the All-League team for the Senators.
Three players from the Franklin Tech offense made the roster, with junior quarterback Owen Bashaw earning a spot at quarterback. Bashaw threw for 801 yards through the air and nine touchdowns this season, 362 yards and six of those TDs going to Colby Mailloux, who made it as a tight end,. Hunter Wozniak, who caught 19 passes for 338 yards, was also recognized.
On defense, Franklin Tech’s Brooks Medeiros was named on the defensive line, Donte Rosewarne and Dylan Demers at outside linebacker, and Austin Demers at middle linebacker.
Logan Wing was the lone Athol player named to the team, with the senior earning a spot as an offensive tackle.
Jacob Neumann, Marcus O’Meally, Nathan Hogan, Peter Holbrook and Keith Cudworth were the five Easthamton players named to the team while Caden O’Roarke, Jack O’Brien and Ashton Aloisi made it from Monument Mountain.