Sports
Mohawk Trail’s Chay Mojallali sets school record in high jump as Franklin County contingent racks up titles at Western Mass. Division 2 Track & Field Championships (PHOTOS)
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
BUCKLAND — Mohawk Trail’s Chay Mojallali put on a show Friday on his home track during the Western Mass. Division 2 Track & Field Championships.Mojallali entered the day as the top seed in the boys high jump and made sure he didn’t get upset. The...
High Schools: Ethan Heuer’s 10 strikeouts lift Athol baseball past Gardner
Ethan Heuer struck out 10 in five innings of work, picking up the victory as the Athol baseball team took down Gardner, 14-6, in an independent contest on Friday.Logan Cormier belted a home run as part of a 2-for-2 day. Cormier scored four runs and...
Bulletin board: Liam Kerivan has big night to power Pipione’s in Newt Guilbault action
Liam Kerivan tallied two inside-the-park home runs, a single and five RBIs and struck out 12 on the mound while Madden Coates knocked a single and drove in two in Pipione’s 13-5 win over St. Stan’s on Friday in a Newt Guilbault contest. Malcolm Tyler...
Keeping Score with Chip Ainsworth: Without Muth, Preakness looks wide open
Good morning!Today’s Preakness Stakes at Pimlico Race Course in Baltimore was supposed to be easy pickings. Bob Baffert’s speed merchant Muth, named for his friend Aaron Muth, would jet around the oval at even money and Baffert would pocket his ninth...
High Schools: Greenfield softball enters postseason with 17-1 record following win over Easthampton
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
GREENFIELD — The bats came alive for the Greenfield softball team in the fourth inning against Easthampton on Thursday night. Trailing 1-0, Gloria McDonald smashed a home run to open the bottom of the fourth and tie the game. The Green Wave added a...
Bulletin board: Franklin First goes on hit parade in GGSL victory
Elise LaPrade, Danielle Zraunig, Grace Hickey and Ellie Martin each had three hits while Grayson Baker knocked two hits as Franklin First Credit Union earned a 5-4 win over Pristine Orientals in a Greenfield Girls Softball League game on Thursday at...
Track & field: Six local athletes enter Western Mass. Div. 2 Championships as No. 1 seeds
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
The postseason is officially here. The top track and field athletes from Athol, Franklin Tech, Frontier, Greenfield, Mahar, Mohawk Trail, Pioneer and Turners Falls will head to Buckland on Friday to compete in the Western Massachusetts Division 2...
UMass basketball: Minutemen assistant coach Brett Nelson leaving for job at NC State; to be replaced by Matt Figger
By GARRETT COTE
AMHERST — UMass men’s basketball assistant coach Brett Nelson has jumped ship to North Carolina State to accept another assistant role under Wolfpack head coach Kevin Keatts.North Carolina State is coming off one of the most impressive Cinderella runs...
The Real Score: Will AI necessarily make sports better? Will AI make the sport experience better?
Artificial intelligence is experiencing a renaissance. Tools like ChatGPT and Copilot are becoming a daily part of conversations. AI’s history stretches back nearly as far as computers themselves, but the advent of generative AI has made it more...
Softball: Fifield, Taylor, Machon homer in Frontier’s win over Taconic
The Frontier softball team had its bats going early against Taconic on Wednesday. The Redhawks scored two runs in the first inning and five in the second to take a 7-2 lead going into the third. The visiting Thunder clawed back to tie the game at...
High Schools: Greenfield girls tennis knocks off Turners Falls (PHOTOS)
The Greenfield girls tennis team earned an important win as it looks to secure a spot in the MIAA Div. 4 state tournament. On the road at Turners Falls, the Green Wave pulled out wins at No. 3 singles and No. 1 doubles while also taking No. 2 doubles...
Bulletin Board: Keith Burch, Jeff Houle win Crumpin-Fox Senior Two-Ball
The Crumpin-Fox Club Senior Open Two-Ball tournament took place on Wednesday, with Keith Burch and Jeff Houle firing a round of 63 to take first place. Al Griffin and Gary Mattesen took second (68), JC Guthrie and Matt Dobosh placed third (70) and Tom...
On The Ridge with Joe Judd: Late season turkey hunting tips
Moving into the final week of turkey hunting season, hopefully you’ve already put a nice tom turkey on the table this spring – though we all know that it doesn’t always work out the way we want. Calendars fill up, the weather doesn’t cooperate, birds...
High Schools: Mohawk Trail boys, girls track knock off Athol (PHOTOS)
The Mohawk Trail boys track and field team is heading into Friday’s Western Mass. Div. 2 championship on a high note. Hosting Athol on Tuesday, the Warriors earned a 72-46 victory behind wins in the long jump (17 feet, 2 inches) and triple jump...
Bulletin Board: Lasek, Carme perform well in 9 Hole Women’s League at CCG
In a Back Nine Gross contest in the 9 Hole Women’s League at the Country Club of Greenfield on Tuesday, Annie Lasek and Diane Carme tied for first in the Patty Berg Flight with scores of 42. Lisa Sullivan won the Nancy Lopez Flight (40), Angela...
Top of the class: Turners Falls twins, athletic standouts Anne and Ella Kolodziej finish 1-2 in graduating class
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
Balancing extracurricular activities and school work is a constant challenge. Anne Kolodziej and Ella Kolodziej made it look effortless. The twin sisters, who are seniors at Turners Falls High School, have starred on the Franklin Tech girls soccer...
High Schools: Frontier boys, girls track finish season unbeaten in Intercounty League
Both the Frontier boys and girls track and field teams closed out the regular season with unblemished records to take home Intercounty League titles. The Redhawks traveled to Greenfield on Monday, with the Frontier boys picking up an 85-60 triumph...
Softball roundup: Hannah Gilbert, Franklin Tech hold off Frontier for 15th win
By THOMAS JOHNSTON
TURNERS FALLS — With just one game left until the Western Mass. tournament gets underway, Monday’s contest between the Franklin Tech and Frontier softball teams was a good way for both squads to prepare for the type of competition they’ll be seeing in...
Bulletin Board: Conway's Gunnar Moore plays well in U.S. Open local qualifier
Conway’s Gunnar Moore competed in a 2024 U.S. Open Local Qualifier at Longmeadow Country Club on Monday, finishing in a tie for 16th place. Moore shot a 2-over-par 72, going 1-under on his back nine. Holyoke’s Chris Tallman was the medalist with a...
Softball: Turners Falls held off the board in 7-0 loss to Hampshire Regional (PHOTOS)
By CONNOR PIGNATELLO
WESTHAMPTON — Hampshire Regional first baseman Teagan Charles cracked a bases-clearing double with two outs in the sixth inning to break open a 3-0 game, and the host Raiders cruised to a 7-0 independent win over Turners Falls on Monday afternoon.Last...
