Fall is in the air, and with it comes the start of the 2021 high school athletic season.
The first football conditioning practices of the season are today, as the five area high school programs — Greenfield, Frontier, Franklin Tech, Mahar and Athol — begin preparations for opening games slated for Sept. 9-11.
While much will look different this fall, especially compared to last year’s landscape amidst COVID-19, one big change throughout the area comes in regard to league and division alignment. The PVIAC underwent significant changes in that department, and teams have been moved, swapped and exchanged with competitive balance the ultimate goal for member institutions.
You may be wondering where your favorite school/team is going to be playing this fall. Let’s take a closer look:
Teams: Greenfield, Franklin Tech, Mahar, Athol, Palmer, Ware
Discussion: A few things jump out in the IL North this fall. The league has pulled both Ware and Palmer up from the Tri-County League, as both have been consistent winners at the lower level over the past decade. Ware won the Tri-County League with a perfect record two years ago, and the club has been a fixture in the postseason.
Gone from the last iteration of the IL North are Frontier, Easthampton and Monument Mountain. Frontier won the league the last time it was contested in 2019.
“I do think it’s going to bring it back to the old Intercounty League a little bit,” offered Greenfield coach Mike Kuchieski. “It puts a little more burden on travel but where our program is, I think it’s going to be a more competitive league now. It’s always been competitive, and I’m going to miss Frontier and that rivalry, but we still have them on the schedule as an independent game.”
One noteworthy item on the IL North is that all six teams are aligned as Division 8 programs for the state tournament.
“Some of that alignment, at least in our league, was driven by the state tournament,” Kuchieski explained.
Teams: Frontier, Belchertown, Hoosac Valley, Lee, Commerce, Easthampton
Defending IL North champion Frontier is now in the South, where it is one of three Division 8 programs (Hoosac Valley and Lee being the others) in the six-team group.
Belchertown is a Division 5 program, while Easthampton and Commerce are both aligned as Division 6 squads for state tournament purposes.
The Redhawks could find that to their liking. With opportunities to play league games against teams from higher divisions, their Power Rating will undoubtedly benefit, particularly if they can snag a few victories.
“If we’re winning those games, I think it’ll be helpful for state tournament purposes but I think the jury’s still out on that,” said Frontier head coach Scott Dredge. “Right now, we’re focusing on this new league and the games we have to play, making sure we’re competitive with those new schools on the schedule. We’re keeping our goals tangible right now.”
The competition could be quite formidable in the IL South. Lee was the Western Mass. Division 8 champion in 2019, ultimately falling to eventual state champion Saint Bernard’s, which won its second consecutive state title two years ago. Fellow Berkshire County foe Hoosac Valley is another strong addition to the league, and the program has been in the postseason mix for the past few years as well.
“I’m going to miss our league, and the good relationships I have with those coaches and teams, but in terms of looking at our new league, I’m excited about it,” Dredge said. “We’ll see what our team is made of.”
League schedules begin Oct. 1, as the local squads will play three weeks of independent games before launching into their new leagues. Frontier has three of its five league games at home in South Deerfield, and they’ll make road trips to Hoosac (Oct. 8) and Commerce (Oct. 15). The program will spend the first month of the season on the road however, as construction of the school’s new track will interrupt field availability.