Happy New Year.
Take a second and rub those eyes. Nothing like staying up as late on the first night of the year as you will any other night of 2019.
Before we get too comfortable writing 2019 when we put the date down on checks and other things (how many of us will accidentally write 2018 at least once in the next week or month?), let’s take one final look back at the year we kissed goodbye to when the ball dropped in Times Square with Ryan Seacrest, Carson Daly, Steve Harvey and the rest of the network hosts.
It has been another great year for local sports fans as the area crowned five area teams Western Massachusetts champions in 2018. Individuals have shone bright on area athletics as well, as names like Meghan Davis and Carsten Carey helped cross country and track & field teams to crowns. We also lost several people this season, such as longtime Greenfield coach and teacher Bill Budness back in January, Mohawk coach Chuck Miner in March, Turners Falls/Franklin Tech coach Jake Stafford in July, and Greenfield legend Juice Moore in December.
Before we hit the top 10 stories, there were plenty of other stories that made the honorable mention this past season. The Greenfield and Turners Falls hockey teams formed a cooperative this past year as several area schools now fly under the Greenfield banner for what amounts to a Franklin County all-star team. The new-look Green Wave did not disappoint as it made the WMass Division 3A hockey semifinals. That squad is off to a great start again this season and has its sights set on a possible WMass title this year. Sticking with the cooperative theme, when the Pioneer football program was forced to fold due to declining numbers this summer, it began a cooperative with Turners Falls and the result was an Intercounty League North Division title and a memorable season.
The Frontier baseball team also put together a great season this past spring as it went 19-1 in the regular season and made the WMass Division 3 championship game, where it eventually fell to Taconic, 6-1. The Frontier golf team also had a nice season as it finished second at the WMass meet and went on to place 12th in the state meet. The Franklin Tech golf team also had a memorable run as it won the State Small School Vocational title for the second straight year and finished fifth at WMass.
10. Four straight for Frontier — Frontier cross country coach Bob Smith celebrated the 40th year of his Hall of Fame career this season and his team was led by two of his best-ever athletes in Carsten Carey and Alex Sharp.
Prior to Carey and Sharp, Smith had never had a team reach the MIAA Division 2 state meet but this season saw the Red Hawks punch their fourth consecutive ticket to the meet.
It’s been a successful run for Frontier, which has won the Pioneer North crown all four years that Carey and Sharp have been running with the team. Most impressively, the Red Hawks have not lost a race, going 57-0 during the regular season en route to the four state appearances.
Frontier finished second at the WMass Division 2 meet one season ago, and followed that up with a third-place showing this fall. The Hawks ended their run this season with a 15th-place showing at the state meet.
9. Overtime thriller for Wave — Not every story needs to end with a happy ending. Such was the case for the 2018 Greenfield girls basketball team.
Greenfield made its first-ever appearance at Curry Hicks Cage this past spring when it advanced to the WMass Division 3 girls hoop semifinals for the first time since 1990. That season, the semifinals took place at Cathedral High School. Greenfield won that game and went on to lose to Rebecca Lobo-led Southwick at the Springfield Civic Center.
The Wave’s first-ever appearance at the Cage was memorable, as they locked horns with Hampshire. The game was tight throughout and Greenfield held a 53-50 lead late, but a 3-pointer by Hampshire’s Maddie Pond in the final seconds sent the game to overtime.
Greenfield scored the first four points of overtime but Hampshire battled back to win the game, 63-59.
The core of the Green Wave’s team is back this season and Greenfield is among the favorites once again. With many of the same players having won WMass crowns in softball and field hockey, can the Wave raise a basketball banner for the first time in team history?
8. Chadwick’s milestone — Mohawk coach Joe Chadwick celebrated a major milestone at the end of 2018 when he became the all-time winningest coach in state history.
Currently in his 37th year coaching cross country and track & field at the school, Chadwick earned his 1,251st victory two weeks ago during the indoor track season to surpass Leominster coach Emile Johnson, who retired in 2013 after coaching soccer and baseball.
Chadwick has had tremendous success in his nearly four decades at the school, piling up 50 Western Mass. titles and five state crowns in his time at the school.
One current athlete who has helped him pick up wins is Meghan Davis, who put together another huge season in 2018 as she races toward the end of her career. The senior finished second at the Western Mass. Division 2 cross country meet this fall and was eighth at the state meet. It marked her second straight second-place finish in Western Mass., which also includes a third-place finish in her sophomore season. She shattered the Mohawk course record this season as well.
In the spring, Davis won the WMass Division 2 and Central/West Division 2 championships in the 2-mile, placed third in the event at the MIAA All-State meet, and then was second at the New England championships.
7. Two for two grand — Coming into 2018, area running backs have hit the 2,000-yard mark only once.
That belonged to 2012 Turners Falls running back Ryan Wilder, but his mark of 2,015 yards was broken by not one, but two area running backs this fall.
Turners Falls running back Wyatt Keith came over to the Powertown as part of the cooperative with Pioneer this fall and he did not disappoint his new team as he became the area’s all-time leading rusher with 2,355 yards. He capped off his historic season with a 38-carry, 346-yard, four-touchdown performance on turkey day, which is the second-most rushing yards in a single game ever by an area running back.
The all-time single-game rushing record was set by his turkey day counterpart RJ Byrd, who rushed for one more yard (347) on 39 carries in a win over Athol earlier this season. Byrd went into turkey day needing 209 yards to join Keith and Wilder in the 2,000-yard club and he did not disappoint, as his 301-yard performance on Thanksgiving easily eclipsed the mark and leaves him second all time in area rushing for a season with 2,091 yards.
Byrd ended his three-year varsity career with 4,768 yards to set the all-time rushing mark for the Green Wave, surpassing Sean Boyle’s 3,674 mark set in 2007, and Peter Bergeron’s 3,189 yards set in the mid-90s. He is third all time in Franklin County history.
For his career, Keith is now the eighth-ranked rusher in Franklin County with 3,456 yards.
Is there a 2,000-yard rusher in an area backfield in 2019? Frontier’s Garrett DeForest, perhaps? Time will tell.
6. Cold Turkey — Plenty of history was made on the gridiron for turkey day this past fall.
The biggest storyline entering Thanksgiving morning was the cold conditions, which made area games the coldest-ever to be played on Thanksgiving. The Franklin Tech game was moved to Thanksgiving eve due to the cold conditions, where the Eagles made a bit of history as they played (and lost) to a brand-new Thanksgiving opponent in Smith Voke after their former opponent Pioneer folded the program.
Those who did brave the cold on Thanksgiving morning at Veterans Memorial Field in Greenfield were treated to one of the most memorable games in the 92nd edition of the annual rivalry. The game featured the pair of aforementioned 2,000-yard rushers in Byrd and Keith, and fans were treated to an offensive explosion, as the teams combined for a turkey day-record 78 points.
The game came down to who could score last and the final few minutes were memorable. A fake punt by two-time turkey day hero Danny Vega went for a 35-yard touchdown run that put the Green Wave up 40-32 with six minutes to play. Turners quarterback Kyle Dodge responded by leading his team down the field on the ensuing possession and he ran in an 8-yard touchdown run with 1:15 to play to cut the deficit to 40-38. Greenfield stuffed lineman-turned-fullback Reilan Castine on the 2-point attempt to preserve the lead, but the drama did not end there.
Turners Falls lined up for and Tyler Lavin recovered the ensuing onside kick, but on the first play from scrimmage following the recovery, Green Wave linebacker Byrd delivered a hit on Keith that jarred the ball loose and Cam Lackey recovered for the Wave, which held on for its second straight win in the rivalry.
If Turners does have enough players to put on the field in 2019, players on both teams will have their hands full putting on an encore.
5. Hawks grounded — The 2018 Frontier volleyball team had nothing to be ashamed of even if the team did not cash in on another state title.
The Red Hawks have been western Mass. girls volleyball royalty for nearly two decades as is evidenced by its current run of 14-straight WMass titles. The 2018 team did nothing to hurt that streak, as it went 18-2 in the regular season and was arguably the best team in all of western Mass. regardless of division.
The WMass tournament was essentially a victory lap by the Hawks, who cruised to three consecutive straight-set victories over Easthampton, Turners Falls and Lee. In the finals against a talented Lee team, the Red Hawks may have played their best match of the season to capture that 14th straight crown.
That sent the Hawks to the state semifinals where it faced Bourne. Unlike most state tournaments that match up the West winner with the Central winner, the volleyball tournament is on a rotating schedule and the Hawks faced off against South sectional champion Bourne. Many volleyball pundits called that match the makeshift “state championship game,” since both squads were arguably better than either of the teams playing in the other semifinal. Bourne had revenge on its mind, as it fell to Frontier in the 2017 state finals and returned many of its players this season, while Frontier had several newcomers to varsity. Given the opportunity, Bourne did not disappoint, as the Canalmen beat Frontier in straight sets to advance to the finals. Bourne went on to win the state title match, 3-1.
While Frontier did lose key seniors including outside hitter Lauren Davenport, middle hitter Ashley Telega and setter Elizabeth Fuqua, the team should be right back in the mix for a state crown in 2019.
4. Thunder booms loud in Powertown — It was an odd year for the Turners Falls athletic teams.
The year began with the Powertown mired in a debate over a new mascot and the dust finally settled late in the spring when Turners Falls officially adopted its new “Thunder” nickname to replace the outgoing “Indians.” While the town continues to heal following the heated debate, the Turners Falls softball team continued to roll along. Turners Falls opened the 2018 WMass Division 3 softball tournament sporting a brand new nickname but that didn’t change the team’s success, as the Thunder rolled to its fifth straight WMass crown and 14th in the past 15 years.
The team was buoyed by a number of underclassmen, including then-freshman pitcher/slugger Jade Tyler, as well as classmates Olivia Whittier, Taylor Murphy and Taryn Thayer. All four played a pivotal role in the WMass championship game, which Turners Falls won 8-3 over Mount Everett. Tyler allowed three hits in five innings in the title game. In three WMass tournament games, Turners Falls outscored opponents, 36-6. Even more astonishing, perhaps, was that Turners hitters struck out only twice in the three games.
The freshman theme was far from over. In the state semifinals, another freshman — Julianna Rode — hit a pinch-hit, two-run single to help the Thunder to a 4-1 win over Hopedale and send the team to its fifth straight state finals.
Unfortunately for the Thunder, the team’s string of three-straight state crowns came to an end as it fell to Abington, 5-0, in the finals. With just three seniors on the 2018 squad — Peyton Emery, Abby Loynd and Sienna Dillensneider — and much of last year’s team comprised of freshmen and sophomores, there is nothing to suggest that the Thunder will again roar in 2019.
3. Riding the Wave to States — Sure, winning three Western Mass. Division 2 field hockey titles in a row is reason enough to celebrate, but 2018 proved to be extra special for Greenfield.
After Raegan Hickey, Audrey Bresciano, Samantha Smith and the rest of the Green Wave hoisted the WMass trophy this season, they set their sights on doing something no area field hockey team has done in a decade, and nothing the Green Wave have done in nearly two decades when they played in the state championship game.
Franklin County has long been a hotbed of field hockey, with area teams piling up Western Mass. titles over the years. Franklin County has won five straight WMass titles (with Frontier winning in 2014 and 2015 before Greenfield’s streak began), and has won 12 of the past 15 crowns. In fact, with this year’s win, Greenfield now has nine WMass titles since the tournament began in 1973, and the area has 28 titles all time with Frontier (15), Mohawk (3) and Athol (1) owning the other crowns. Just for the sake of history, Frontier is 15-12 all time in WMass title games, while Greenfield is 9-7, Mohawk is 3-5, and Athol is 1-1. Those numbers include Division 1 titles as well, since Division 2 didn’t begin until 1997.
Winning Western Mass. titles has not translated into winning state crowns. In fact, of the 28 WMass titles won by area teams, less than half of those teams (13) went on to play for a state title. And of those 13 appearances, only five have resulted in state titles with Greenfield and Frontier each winning a pair.
Despite winning nine of the past 11 crowns since 2008, no area team had won a state semifinal game since Mohawk did it in 2008, when the Warriors eventually fell to Hopkinton, 2-0. Greenfield faced Oakmont in the state semifinals for the third straight season and the past two had not been kind for the Wave, losing 4-1 two years ago, and 7-1 in 2017. This fall proved to be different, however, as Hickey scored twice and Smith made one save in the Wave’s 2-0 shutout victory.
That sent the Green Wave on to face Dennis-Yarmouth in the state finals and what a game it was, as the teams went into halftime tied at 1-1. Dennis-Yarmouth scored a pair of goals out of the break to take a 3-1 lead, but the Wave fought back to cut the deficit in half at 3-2 and a late flurry had the Dolphins on their heels, but the Wave were unable to cash in and fell 3-2.
It was a memorable way for the Wave’s seniors to end their careers and Hickey and Bresciano now sit 1-2 all time in scoring for the program. With their graduation looming in the spring, it remains to be seen if the team can make it four-straight in 2019.
2. A title over 30 years in the making — The last time softball players at Greenfield were hoisting a Western Mass. trophy into the air, I was only 4 years old.
It had been 32 years since the Green Wave won a WMass title on the softball diamond, but 2018 saw that drought come to an end as pitcher Olivia Joy and company got the job done with a memorable season.
The Green Wave went 16-2 in the regular season to earn the No. 1 seed in the WMass Division 2 field and riding the hot hand of its ace pitcher, Greenfield worked its way through the tournament. Joy allowed a single run in each of the Wave’s tournament games, as Greenfield beat Athol (3-1) and Hampshire (5-1) to reach the finals where it faced third-seeded Wahconah.
The Warriors proved to be a tough opponent, as they outscored teams 24-3 in the first two games of the tournament. They then got off to a quick start against the Green Wave in the title game when Wahconah’s Abby Wells led off the top of the first inning with an inside-the-park home run. Joy buckled down from there, allowing only a bunt single the rest of the way, while striking out 11 to keep the Warriors from scoring again.
The Wave’s offense, meanwhile, tied the game at 1-1 in the second inning when freshman Gianna Conte smoked an RBI double to plate senior Lizzy Howland, and it was the senior catcher Howland who put the Wave in front to stay in the fifth inning when she hit an RBI single to plate Samantha Smith, who had doubled earlier in the inning.
Greenfield’s run ended in the state semifinals when it fell to Liecester, 4-2, in eight innings. With many of the players back this season, the Green Wave could be celebrating again in 2019.
1. The shot — Who can forget the biggest single-play of the year?
Down two points with 5.3 seconds to play in the WMass Division 4 boys basketball semifinal, Pioneer junior guard Garrett Cote took an inbounds pass and raced up the Curry Hicks Cage court where he pulled up at the 3-point line, ducked under a Drury defender and hoisted a shot toward the basket. The buzzer sounded before the ball reached the rim, but when it did, it swished through to send the third-seeded Panthers to a 69-68 victory.
“Once I pump faked and got space, I knew I just had to execute the shot,” Cote said at the time. “When it left my hands it looked great. It was just amazing. A great feeling.”
The shot sent Pioneer to the WMass championship game to face three-time defending champion Hopkins Academy, which was favored to win its fourth straight after going 20-2 in the regular season with a pair of lopsided wins over the Panthers. But you don’t make a shot like Cote’s only to lose in the title game and Pioneer was not to be denied, as Pioneer knocked off the top seed, 59-53 to win the school’s first WMass boys hoop title since 2000. Cote was the hero in that game as well, scoring 10 of his 14 points in the fourth quarter to help the Panthers put away the Golden Hawks.
Cote’s shot and Pioneer’s improbable WMass title make it the No. 1 story of the year.