The weather won’t be the only thing heating up this week.
Thanks to a wet April, the final two weeks of the regular season are quite crowded on the high-school front. This week is loaded with key events, including several that will impact league championships. Here’s a closer look at some of the games and meets to look forward to in what should be an exciting few days in Franklin County.
Mohawk at Mahar, girls’ track & field (today, 3:30)
It’s all on the line in Orange this afternoon.
Host Mahar Regional School has its sights set on ending the three-year reign of Mohawk Trail Regional High School with the Intercounty League title up for grabs. The Warriors have won the last three IL crowns, with Mahar finishing second all three times, and today’s winner will claim the outright title in a matchup of undefeateds.
Mahar (5-0, 4-0 IL), aiming for its first league title since 2013, has dominated league foes this spring. The Senators will ride the performances of standouts like Kamryn Reilly, Anna Wetherbee, Emma Currier and Kianna Reilly.
On the other side, Mohawk (5-0, 4-0) has plenty of firepower to make things very tight. Distance specialist Meghan Davis will look to set the tone, though athletes like Jackie Wells, Lilly Wells, Lily Shearer and Gabby Shean all have the ability to score big points.
“I think we’re ready and I think (Mahar) probably thinks they’re ready, too,” offered Mohawk coach Joe Chadwick. “It’s going to be a good one. There’s going to be a lot of good times and performances, so I think it’s going to be close.”
Frontier at Southwick, girls’ track & field (today, 3:30)
The top of the Suburban League standings are jam-packed, with Frontier Regional School (3-1), Southwick High School (3-1-1), Hampshire Regional High School (3-1) and South Hadley High School (2-1) all in the hunt for a league crown.
Fresh off a tough loss to South Hadley, the Red Hawks travel to Southwick today for what should be another meet with a razor-thin margin.
Junior Jenna Martin is a multi-event star to watch for Frontier, though teammates like Kimani Topolski-Burgess, Jaime Byrne and Marisela Ackerman will all need to figure into scoring load to knock off the Rams.
Greenfield at Turners, softball (Thursday, 7)
One of the games of the year thus far, the highly-anticipated rematch between Greenfield High School and Turners Falls High School takes center stage on Thursday night at the Bourdeau Fields Complex in Turners Falls.
The Green Wave won the teams’ first meeting two weeks ago, becoming the first team in the Franklin County League to defeat the Powertown since 2013. Greenfield has since taken a loss to Athol High School, putting both teams at 8-1 in the league entering this week’s games. That puts Thursday’s winner as the odds-on favorite to capture the FCL title, with both squads two games clear of third-place Mohawk Trail Regional High School (6-2).
Despite both offenses employing plenty of home-run firepower, two stellar pitchers in Greenfield’s Olivia Joy and Turners’ Peyton Emery will likely keep this one a low-scoring affair. That was the case in the first meeting, as Samantha Smith’s sixth-inning home run was the difference in Greenfield’s 2-1 win.
Mohawk at Pioneer, baseball (Thursday, 7)
The Hampshire League East race is starting to take shape, and these two teams currently sit atop the standings with Thursday night’s game in Northfield a crucial one.
Pioneer Valley Regional School (8-5, 5-1 HL) is the surprise of the league thus far. New head coach Jordan Branson has his Panthers sitting alone in first place at 5-1, one game ahead of Mohawk (11-4, 4-2). Pioneer won the first meeting, sending a message to the rest of the HL that the Panthers are a legitimate threat to unseat the Warriors, last year’s East champion along with Smith Academy.
Mohawk’s offense has been scoring runs in bunches, and the Warriors are never out of a game. They’ve worked out of some sizable holes already this season.
Pioneer has done it with sound all-around baseball. Good defense, consistent pitching and timely hitting has been the formula. Just one league opponent, Smith, has managed to solve the puzzle. This week will certainly test the team, however. The Panthers also play at South Hadley High School, which leads the HL West, in a rescheduled game on Wednesday. We should know quite a bit more about the postseason potential for Pioneer by the end of the week.
Putnam at FC Tech, softball (Friday, 4)
After steamrolling through the first eight games of the Tri-County League slate, Franklin County Technical School fell back to earth last week. The Eagles dropped back-to-back, one-run league games and currently sit at 8-2 in a crowded top of the TCL.
Smith Vocational & Agricultural High School, one of the teams that knocked off FC Tech last week, sits alone atop the FCL at 9-1. The Eagles are tied at 8-2 with the other team they lost to, Putnam Vocational Technical Academy. The two teams meet for the rematch on Friday in Turners Falls.
It’s a must-win if Tech has its sights on capturing another TCL championship. The Eagles will still need another Smith Voke loss to get back into the mix, but a loss on Friday all but guarantees a third-place finish.