With input from Franklin County and Hampshire County coaches, the Greenfield Recorder sports department put together All-Stars for boys and girls basketball with a certain formula introduced to build the list into three teams. The structure is similar to the NBA, with 15 players creating three separate teams: first, second and third.
Area coaches received up to 15 votes for All-Star recognition. Players they felt deserved first team recognition received three points. Players on the second team received two points and players on the third team received one point. When all the lists were compiled, the Greenfield Recorder tallied up each point total to put together the three teams. All ballots were anonymous. Sports reporter Adam Hargraves also participated, voting for 15 players.
Honorable mention includes players who had points but not enough to get into the top 15. Position on the court does not matter on these teams. The most points received determined position on the assigned team.
First Team: Grayson Thomas, Greenfield; Max Millette, Frontier; Alex Ellis, Frontier: Karim Thompson, Athol; Conner Bergeron, Greenfield.
Thomas (31.3 PPG) and Millette (20.0 PP) were obvious selections. Both scored very efficiently and in bulk for their respective teams. Additionally, their presence and playmaking abilities opened things up for teammates. Ellis was one of the more dominant big men in Franklin County. Thompson and Bergeron were consistent all season. Bergeron provided a steady scoring presence for the Green Wave. Along with his scoring, Thompson relished the opportunity to defend the opponent’s best player.
“He’s definitely committed himself to the offseason,” Athol coach Brian Patria said of Thompson. “I think this year the most improvement that he had was just playing team basketball. He has individual talent and is athletic. But to get to that next level he needed to play team basketball…but when I needed a big basket, he’s the kid that I went to. He impressed me this season. It wasn’t just offensively; it was defensively too.”
Second team: Judah Glenn, Pioneer; Rowan Modestow, Frontier; Jackson Cogswell, Turners Falls; Matt Richotte, Pioneer; Garrett Dredge, Frontier.
Glenn had a never-ending motor for Pioneer. Throughout the course of the season, Richotte got better and better for the Panthers. He scored inside and did not hesitate if he was open from beyond the arc. Dredge was an upper echelon defender and rebounder for the Redhawks. Cogswell averaged 16.2 points per game for the Thunder, scoring a season-high 31 points in a loss to Hampden Charter.
Third team: Gavin Arsenault, Greenfield; Kayden McGivern, Mahar; Nolyn Stafford, Franklin Tech; Ethan Goodwin, Athol; Kainen Stevens, Turners Falls.
McGivern, an eighth grader, jumped into a starting role for the Senators in the final five games of the season.
“He separates himself from a lot of people in Franklin County with his ability to score the basketball,” Mahar coach Chad Softic said. “He can flat out shoot. He’s going to be excellent off the dribble as he gets older. He has an innate ability to score. He led our team in points, and he probably was seventh and eighth in minutes over the course of the season.”
Arsenault ran the point all season for the Green Wave. For Athol, Goodwin scored and rebounded consistently for the Bears. Stafford scored a season high 31 points for Franklin Tech in win over Westfield Tech. Stevens averaged 14.6 points per game for the Thunder.
Honorable mention: Freilyn Abarua, Turners Falls; Hunter Brooks, Mahar; Dominik St. Andre, Athol; Braydn Marcoux, Mohawk; Ty Skroski, Frontier; Hayden Killeen, Pioneer.
After the conclusion of the Division 4 state championship, the Greenfield Recorder received all necessary votes from area coaches to determine the teams for girls basketball. Sports reporter Adam Hargraves also selected 15 players.
First team: Addie Harrington, Frontier; Skyler Steele, Hayden Comeau, Mahar; Tayler Bergeron, Greenfield; Harper Modestow, Frontier.
Harrington went over 1,000 points in her junior season and provided a menacing presence on defense for Frontier. During the Frontier playoff run, Steele averaged 15.8 points in five games. For Bergeron, opposing teams usually knew what was coming and still couldn’t stop it. The lefty averaged 14.7 points and has 735 points for her career. Comeau finished her career at Mahar with 1,009 points. Modestow ruled the paint for Frontier, all while returning from ACL surgery early in the season.
Second team: Kyler McClelland, Pioneer; Whitney Campbell, Frontier; Maggie Tsipenyuk, Sadie Wilcox, Mohawk; Gloria McDonald, Greenfield.
During the season, McClelland had the ‘shooter’ distinction from opposing coaches. The outside threat finished her career at Pioneer with 936 points. Campbell ran the point for the Redhawks and provided a nice touch from outside. Both Wilcox and Tsipenyuk developed into solid threats in the paint for their respective squads. McDonald did a little bit of everything for the Green Wave.
Third team: Brayleigh Burgh, Franklin Tech; Taylor Paluk, Mahar; Emmalee Inman, Mohawk; Abigayle Spooner, Athol; Natalie Lanoue, Mohawk.
Burgh led the Eagles in scoring, averaging 12.4 points per game. She led the Eagles with 38 made 3-pointers during the season. Running the point for Mahar, Paluk developed into a consistent scorer for the Senators as a sophomore. Spooner and Inman had solid presences around the basket for Athol and Mohawk, respectively. For Mohawk, Lanoue had a nice touch from outside and always guarded the other team’s top scorer.
Honorable mention: Autumn Thornton, Turners Falls; Valerie Bzomowski, Mohawk; Zephyr Jetzon, Mohawk; Kiara Gruszkowski, Pioneer; Ivy Lopez, Turners Falls; Amy Mihailicenco, Greenfield; Nastasia Sanders, Mahar; Julia Hatch, Mahar; Maliah Clark, Athol; Madi Hermes, Athol; Jazzy Hayes, Frontier; Abby Schrieber, Frontier; Macy DeMaio, Frontier; Jojo Hayman, Turners Falls.