In a one-year co-op with Greenfield, the Mohawk Trail Regional boys soccer program makes its triumphant return this season. New coach Jake Thurber made a concerted effort to get the program off the ground.
“We’ve got 37 boys in grades 7-12 playing soccer this year,” Mohawk athletic director Greg Lilly said. “Five years ago we had eight. He’s (Jake Thurber) done an unbelievable job promoting the program.”
Mohawk last played a full varsity season in 2022, when the Warriors went 0-18 with a co-ed team. Thurber had a hand in creating West County Soccer and other youth leagues to help develop young players. West County started around 10 years ago.
“We went from 70 kids to now having 200 kids,” Thurber said. “That was a big part. That’s been super positive for us. That was probably the most instrumental thing. We do a good job of keeping those kids having fun and being engaged. “
Practice on Friday afternoon was crowded with 16 players on the varsity roster and a sizable middle school team sharing the field under the hot sun.
“We have all these seventh and eighth graders and they are super-skilled,” Thurber said. “In a couple years it’s going to be really great. I am really excited about that. I am hoping we can get some pride back in this program. We want to keep building it.”
On a related note, Turners Falls opted to play a junior varsity schedule to focus on development. There will be no varsity soccer in Powertown this season. Here’s a closer look at the other teams in the area.
Athol
Coach: Justin Brown
League/Division: Tri-County North/4
Last Year’s Record: 3-13-2
Roster: Seniors — Drake Wing, Maddox Greene, Ayden Cowen; Juniors — Dillon Boudreau, Adam Rodriguez, Noah Kapise, Jason Gerard, Nathan Parayson; Sophomores — Lucas L’Ecuyer, Bryce Archambault, Ralle Anderson, Liam Bevis, Oliver Spooner, Jaxon Koutrakos, Derek Melvin, Noah Kelly, Axel Sarpec Tino, Andrew Botti; Freshmen — John Robertson, Alex Pagan, Gaston Nkengafe, Bentley Hamel, Noah Beauregard, Jose Luis Amzya Salinas.
Outlook: The Bears get Nathan Parayson back from Monty Tech, which will bolster their midfield. Goalkeeper Drake Wing is in his sixth season season playing varsity soccer for the Bears. Wing is the leader of the team and a captain. There is a chance the Bears could have a junior varsity team this season with over 50 players signing up for soccer. This bodes well for the future of the program. The defensive unit will be made up of sophomores who have played many years of travel soccer for North Quabbin United together.
Franklin Tech
Coach: Dan Prasol
League/Division: Tri-County North/5
Last Year’s Record: 7-10-1
Roster: Seniors — Dyllan Duval, John Gheorghita, Conner Herzig, Kaiden Price; Juniors — Bennett Bardwell, Sawyer Cadran, Carter Leete, Dorin Marin, Nicholas Prasol, Jacob Thomas, Cody Yetter; Sophomores — Santiago Buri Rosales, Jakob George, Nathan Gheorghita, Josiah Muniz, Austin Platek, Kevin Tomas Mejia, Jonah Wiles.
Outlook: The Eagles are working with a nice group of upperclassmen this season. Nathan Gheorghita returns as the leader in points. Jacob Thomas leads the defensive effort.
Frontier Regional
Coach: Evan Horton
League/Division: Holley/4
Last Year’s Record: 10-8
Roster: Seniors — Grayson Bishop, Xavier Fripp, Henry Pleasant, Liam Wells; Juniors — Cody Debreuil, Grayden Gifford, Dean Gray, Connor Guertin, Oscar Higuera, Jack Keyes, Evan Maio, Conor Prew, Ben Zarotny; Sophomores — Crosby Anderson, Micky Brownlow, Wes Chilton, Sebastian Forhan, William Merritt, Sebastien Migeon, Mason Weis; Freshmen — Connor Biancamano, Grant Biancamano.
Outlook: The roster took a hit when both Jack Cusson and Casey Bestler left for prep schools. Last year’s team made it the Western Mass. finals. Micky Brownlow hopes for a bounce back season after a promising freshman year that had to be cut short due to a leg injury. Sebastian Forhan leads the defense. Mason Weis is the new goalkeeper for the Redhawks.
Mohawk Trail Regional
Coach: Jake Thurber
League/Division: Tri-County North/5
Last Year’s Record: N/A
Roster: Bruin Thompson, Aymeric Loucka. Senior — Cole Cross; Junior — JJ Iavorschi, Jed Amstein; Sophomores — Simon Helenek, Sawyer Thurber, Wyeth Miller, Joshua Cerone, Tyler Peterson, Oliver Ferris, Ben Russell, Sam Bucala, Anthony Bergstrom; Freshman — Andrew Redeker; Eighth grade — Bob Feury.
Outlook: The Warriors are young and inexperienced at the varsity level. Last year’s junior varsity did have a good level of success.
Mahar Regional
Coach: Dan Guertin
League/Division: Schmid/5
Last Year’s Record: 3-13-1
Roster: Seniors — Jackson Burnham, Coltin Fausett, Max Kimball, Dylan Roy, Clayde Thompson; Juniors — Landon Bass, Caio Barreto, Ian Nitter, Jhean Rocha, Hector Turuy; Sophomores — Santiago Valiente, Lucas Hart; Freshman — Carter Archambault.
Outlook: Clayde Thompson is an important player in net and in the midfield for the Senators. Mahar could get a breakout season from Caio Barreto, who worked diligently in the offseason to improve his game. Mahar has a sizable group of upperclassmen to work with this season.
Pioneer Valley Regional
Coach: Michael Italia
League/Division: Tri-County North/5
Last Year’s Record: 2-12-1
Roster: Seniors — Hayden Girard, Tad Loud, Jacoby Stumpo, Brody Welcome; Juniors — Lorenzo Bordas, Tommy Clary, Anthony Ellis, Mauricio Hanono, Josh Mauthe; Sophomores — Aaron Meuse; Eighth graders — Jovani Borgos, Frederick Burnap, Griffin Buxton, Charlie Hodgin, Adrian Lopez, Dylan Pontius, Emmett Thomas.
Outlook: Pioneer is two years removed from its first sectional title in program history. Hayden Girard and Tad Loud will lead the defensive effort. Jacoby Stumpo and Brody Welcome plan to shore up the midfield. The Panthers have a solid group of experienced players, but some of the roster consists of some younger players who haven’t played at the varsity level.
