10 best moments (and one honorable mention!) of the 2023-24 high school sports season

 

 

Mount Greylock's Emily Mole hoists the championship trophy as the Mounties celebrate winning the MIAA D-V State Title.

• MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

Makai Shepardson clicks his heels after delivering an alley-oop pass to Malachi Perry to finish off Pittsfield's home win over Medfield Thursday night.

• MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

Pittsfield's Amanda Pou and assistant coach Giuliana Pierce holler from the dugout at Ella Bassi who crushed an RBI double on Wednesday at Worcester State.

• JESSE KOLODKIN — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

 

Hoosac Valley's Frank Field drives down the court on a fastbreak in the MIAA Division V State Championship Game. 

• MARC J. WRZESINSKI — EAGLE CORRESPONDENT

 

Taconic goalie Cam Laferriere holds the PVIAC Western Mass. Class B championship trophy.

• MIKE WALSH — THE BERKSHIRE EAGLE

Over 10 months later, the high school season finally came to an end.

 

Back on Aug. 28, 2023, the 2023-24 high school sports season began with several local teams teeing off on the green. A week later, volleyball joined the mix and on Sept. 5, fall sports hit their full swing and high school competition didn't stop until just two weeks ago.

 

It was an overwhelmingly successful season for local high schools in Berkshire County. Four local girls teams brought back state championships with Mount Greylock in particular bringing back three state titles, one in each season. Certainly a feat worthy of remembering. Eight local teams made it to the MIAA Final Fours and the county produced a whopping 16 Western Massachusetts Champions.

 

With that being said, it was incredibly hard to pick the Top 10 moments of the 2023-24 high school sports season. But after deliberation, here's what The Eagle's sports desk came up with .

 

1. Mount Greylock Volleyball wins the first ever county state championship

 

There had been plenty of excellent volleyball teams in county history, but none had won a state title, in large part due to running into the dominance of Frontier.

 

In any case, Mount Greylock finally broke through — and did so in resounding fashion. A year after losing in the state final, to Frontier, the Mounties completed a perfect 18-0 regular season, won a PVIAC Western Mass. Class C Crown (21-0) and then claimed the No. 1 overall seed in the MIAA Division V Tournament.

 

Greylock did not drop a single set in any of the five matches it played, finishing its 2023 campaign with a staggering 26-0 mark and the MIAA D-V Championship. Not only the first in program history, but the first in county history.

 

Greylock lost a total of just four sets over the entire 26-game season. It only played one game that went five sets, a 3-2 win over Longmeadow, a team that went to the Division II Final Four.

 

Led by Celina Savage, who signed on to play volleyball at Tufts this past week, and a roster chock full of strong players like Julia DuChaine, Jamie Sweren, Kylie Sweren, Kelsey MacHaffie, Emily Mole, Emily Alvarez, Jackie Brannan and Talia Kapiloff, the Mounties sent their seniors off on as high a note as you can get.

 

2. Mount Greylock Girls Track and Field wins the first ever school and county state title

Last year, the Mounties took second place in both the MIAA D-VI boys and girls track and field categories. In 2024, the Mountie girls made more school and county history.

 

Greylock dominated the D-VI meet at Merrimack College, claiming the program's first state championship in girls track and field, track and field in general and first Berkshire girls track and field championship ever. Not to mention the first state track title for a Berkshire team since 1930.

 

It was a team effort, anchored by Herculean outings from senior Maggie Nichols and junior Katherine Goss. Nichols showed that she was the fastest girl in D-VI with golds in the 100 and 200 meter dash and was anchor of a quartet that won the 4x100. Individually, she produced 20 points, and that meant she was just the second highest point-scorer for the Mounties.

 

Goss took second in the 100 hurdles, second in long jump and fourth in the 400 hurdles. She'd finish with 21 points and between her and Nichols' combined score, the Mounties had almost as many points as second place Hamilton-Wenham.

Talia Kapiloff took sixth in the discus, capping off a wildly successful senior season as she was a key contributor to Greylock's volleyball championship. Annabelle Coody was also part of the volleyball team and helped her two-title cause by helping the 4x400 relay team to a third place finish. 

 

3. Hoosac Valley girls basketball wins the state championship

Hoosac Valley made it a habit of reaching the state championship game in girls basketball in the old sectional system. The MIAA introduced the new statewide tournament structure, but Hoosac hasn't missed a beat. 

 

There have been three state finals in the new system and the Hurricanes have played in two of them. 

 

In March, Hoosac got its first win in the new statewide tournament, taking care of business against West Boylston to claim the D-V State Championship at the Tsongas Center in Lowell. Hoosac blitzed through the D-V bracket, winning each game by an average of 25.4 points with its closest game being a 12-point win against Renaissance in the Final Four.

 

The 'Canes crushed West Boylston by 18. A fitting end for a trio of seniors as Taylor Garabedian, Haley McNeice and Hanna Shea, who had lost in the final as sophomores, got to go out on top as seniors. 

 

 

4. Mount Greylock Girls Nordic Skiing wins state title

 

Mount Greylock is well-known for its skiing prowess but the boys have generally had the run of the state. In 2024, the girls put Greylock back on top, claiming the state championship for the first time since 2019.

 

The final, which is held paradoxically in Vermont, saw the Mounties nudge past another Western Mass. foe in Amherst in a two-horse race for the title. But Greylock got excellent performances from the sisters Lauren and Annie Miller, with Lauren (freshman) finishing fifth and Annie (senior) placing seventh.

 

5. Pittsfield Baseball, Hoosac Valley boys basketball finish as state runners-up 

 

PHS baseball and Hoosac boys basketball ended their seasons with a bitter taste. But that doesn't mean either should hang their heads.

 

Hoosac went back to the state final for the first time since 2015, and it had been even longer since PHS made it. The Generals last appearance in the baseball title game was 2004, before any of the current players on the roster were born. That's an impressive feat that players across both rosters should take pride in. Both teams won Western Mass.

 

Championships too, PHS the Class B Baseball crown and Hoosac the Class D boys basketball title.

 

Pittsfield baseball had long been second fiddle to Taconic, but the Generals showed they more than belong by not only winning a Western Mass. trophy, but advancing all the way to the MIAA D-IV Championship at Polar Park.

 

PHS shut out and run-ruled Abington in the Round of 16 before driving some two hours to Clinton in the quarterfinals. The Generals took care of business, winning 12-5 to advance to the Final Four. Once again, PHS had to travel two-plus hours to Worcester to play East Bridgewater at a neutral site and once again, Pittsfield won. A Jackson Almeida walk-off single plated Jack Abel to put PHS into the state final.

 

Hoosac was the top seed in the Western Mass. and D-V brackets and had runs to remember in both. The 'Canes bounced back after losing in Western Mass. last year with a comeback win over Duggan to claim the Class D championship in 2024. Hoosac didn't win by fewer than double-digits in the D-V tournament, including a 32-point victory over Mahar to reach the Final for the first time in nine years.

 

Hoosac played hard against second-seeded New Mission, and was down just two points with 44 seconds left before running out of gas in an extraordinarily physical game in Lowell, losing 57-49.

 

Neither team captured a state crown but being a state finalist is still an impressive feat and a highlight of the season.

 

6. Four in the Final Four: Hoosac Valley Football, PHS and Taconic boys basketball, PHS Softball

 

Four more local teams took home MIAA trophies this year, reaching the Final Four. Even though they didn't make it to the finals, Hoosac Valley football, Pittsfield and Taconic boys basketball and PHS softball all had impressive campaigns in their respective state tournaments.

 

Pittsfield High didn't win a state title this year but it had three teams make at least the Final Four this past season. The boys basketball team won its first Western Mass. crown in a long time (more on that later) and earned the third seed in the D-III state tournament. From there, the Generals won three games, the third in front of a rocking home crowd to beat Medfield and reach the Final Four.

 

Unfortunately, PHS' season ended in Worcester at the hands of Old Rochester. And even more unfortunately, an Old Rochester player decided to ruin both the atmosphere and memory of the game for so many of Pittsfield's players. That was not one of the best moments of the season, far from it. But the way Malachi Perry (and co.) handled himself afterward was praiseworthy. As was the season the Generals had overall.

 

Sticking in the city, Taconic was coming off a state championship in D-V without many of its best players and facing a move up to D-III.

 

The Thunder didn't blink.

 

Taconic was ranked as the top team in the division for much of the season and finished with the fourth seed in the tournament. The Thunder won their first two games by double-digits before eking out an overtime victory over Norwell in the quarterfinals (which might have inspired the Norwell AD to try and make a change to the structure of the MIAA so that way he doesn't have to journey out to the lowly Berkshires and lose to a better team).

 

It was the sixth straight state semifinal for Bill Heaphy's Thunder, who have not missed a trip to neutral territory in the new system. At Worcester State, Taconic faced down No. 1 Charlestown and gave the eventual state champ everything it could handle. Leading at multiple points and keeping things close till late in the fourth quarter when the Thunder ran out of gas.

 

But it was an impressive run that shouldn't be ignored simply because Taconic has made a habit of such things.

Speaking of habits, Hoosac football has had a habit of success and this past season was no outlier. In 2021, the first season of the new system, the Hurricanes went to the Final Four. That team lost 16 seniors and almost played a JV schedule in 2022, finishing the year with a 3-5 record.

 

In 2023, Hoosac showed the county and the state that it was back. The 'Canes cruised to a perfect 8-0 regular season, earning the third seed in the D-VIII bracket. The Hurricanes blew past Athol and Old Colony, earning double-digit wins in both games to reach the semifinals. In the semis, Hoosac lost to second-seeded Carver in a game that saw Hoosac play its third quarterback due to injuries.

 

And while the loss will sting, the 'Canes should reflect on a successful season for a team that should be returning nearly all its pieces.

 

There was one other local semifinalist in the spring and it too came from East Street. Pittsfield softball went to its first Final Four in the new system and first overall since 2018 in a season to remember for the Generals.

 

PHS lost just three games in the regular season before blowing through the Western Mass. Class B bracket to win its first Western Mass. Championship in six years. Beating the Hampshire team it lost to in 2023 in the process. PHS claimed the No. 3 spot in the D-IV tournament and crushed its first two games, winning by a combined score of 24-3.

 

In the quarterfinals, the Generals came back to beat Uxbridge in their final game at PHS, locking in a spot in the Final Four. At Worcester State, PHS ran into a talented Tyngsborough squad it couldn't overcome. Losing thanks in part to an immaculate catch from the Tyngsborough center fielder.

 

PHS will lose quite a few starters from this team, but that group should be proud of the journey they went on.

 

7. Individual performers: Eliza Mullen sweeps MIAA Alpine, Khalil Carlson wins Basketball Player of the Year

 

Monument Mountain boys basketball had its best season in recent memory and Khalil Carlson was a major reason why. The senior led the county in scoring with over 555 points, 72 points more than the next best scorer. He finished his career with 1,511 points, sixth highest in Berkshire County boys history and led the Spartans to the Western Mass. Class B Final and the D-IV quarterfinals. 

 

His performance on and off the court earned Carlson the Western Mass. Player of the Year award. It's the first time a Berkshire player has won the award since Taconic's Isaac Percy in 2020 and Carlson is the first Monument boy to win the award period. Anne Whalen won it in 2000 and Anna Kinne won it in 1995. 

 

Carlson was recognized for his achievement at the Western Massachusetts Senior All-Star Game at the Basketball Hall of Fame. He'll keep hooping, with a prep year on the docket at Darrow School before attending Williams College. 

Pittsfield's Eliza Mullen made some history of her own in the same season as Carlson, just out on the slopes instead

 

of inside on the hardwood. Mullen crushed slalom and giant slalom at the MIAA Alpine state championships to sweep both events. The first time a Berkshire skier has swept the podium and the first county skier to win at the meet since 2017.

 

She took first in the slalom with a time of 46.70 and first in the giant slalom with a time of 54.91. 

 

Merrimack College was good to Berkshire County this spring, and not just for the Greylock girls track and field team. Maggie Nichols took individual state titles in the 200 and 100-meter dash, and her classmate Quinn McDermott grabbed first place in the boys 800.

 

The Greylock girls 4x100 relay team of Maire Scanlon, Lily McDermott, Rowan Apotsos and Nichols took first. As did the Greylock boys 4x800 team of McDermott, Ollie Swabey, Knowl Stroud and Caleb Low. Monument Mountain's Amelia Desilets claimed her crown in the 2 mile to round out Berkshire golds on the track. 

 

Hoosac's Taylor Garabedian made it two state titles in one schoolyear, claiming gold in the discus. Monument's Lily Haskins-Vaughan repeated as high jump champ and Wahconah's Payton Shippee closed out his senior season with a state title in javelin. Both Haskins-Vaughn and Shippee (discus) set Berkshire County records this season.

 

8. Feb. 24 at the Boys and Girls Club of the Berkshires

 

It had been 51 years since the Pittsfield High boys basketball team could call itself the best in Western Massachusetts.

PHS had an up-and-down start to the season and was sitting at 6-5 with a week off, coming off back-to-back losses against Taconic and Agawam.

 

But head coach Jerome Edgerton said something after the loss in the first War on the Floor that proved prescient, "I knew we weren’t going to be perfect. It’s all about later on," he said. "I know one thing, by the time the tournament starts, no one is gonna want to see us.”

 

After that loss to Agawam, by just three points, PHS won 13 straight games all the way to the Final Four. But the game that might be remembered most of all will be the one that took place right off of North Street at the Boys and Girls Club.

Facing 20-0 Monument Mountain, a team that had beaten PHS earlier in the season, in Pittsfield, by two points, on a buzzer-beater, the Generals made history in a 65-63 win in the PVIAC Western Mass. Class B Championship. But it was more than just a game.

 

More than just the 16 points, 11 rebounds, three steals, including the one that essentially put the game away for PHS, from Malachi Perry. More than Pat Brennan drilling 3-pointer after 3-pointer to score 18 points, Makai Shepardson pouring in 17 and Da'Sean Brown adding 11 to help Pittsfield maintain its lead till the final buzzer.

 

More than Khalil Carlson carrying Monument in the fourth quarter with eight points and several clutch defensive plays to finish with 17 points and 14 boards. It was more than Manny Brown leading all scorers with 21 points, his final heave with seconds left just slightly off, preventing another Monument buzzer-beater and Pittsfield heartbreaker.

 

It was the fact that the game, despite incomprehensible resistance from the PVIAC, took place in the Berkshires. It was the fact that the game was in the epicenter of Berkshire basketball at the Boys and Girls Club. It was the fact that not only did it outdraw every other Western Mass. Final, it did so with ease.

 

It was the fact that not only was it a sellout crowd, but it was an honest-to-goodness, standing-room-only, the fire marshal had to cut off the line preventing scores of people lining up along Melville Street from getting in, crowd. It was that even though a sellout is listed as 1,800 people, the club felt like it had even more and the environment had enough electricity to power the city.

 

There were more Monument supporters than Pittsfield ones and Wahconah, Hoosac Valley and other local hoopers showed up after their respective Western Mass. finals because there was no better show in the county and no one wanted to miss it.

 

It was an event.

 

One so grand that Pittsfield city council members were talking about it the next day and that despite all the hype, expectations and atmosphere, the players played their best and the game more than lived up to it. An event that saw the Generals end their half-century of futility in fashion that no one in the city is liable to forget for the next 51 years.

 

9. McCann Tech claims its first ever Western Mass. Baseball Title

 

"McCann never beats Drury," were the words that McCann baseball coach Justin Howland said after the fateful game.

The Blue Devils had swept the series in the regular season to prove the opposing coach's point. But in the Western Mass. Class C Championship, fittingly held at Joe Wolfe Field in North Adams, the Hornets made "never" history, and made some history, too.

 

McCann beat Drury 3-2 to claim its first ever Western Mass. championship in school history.

 

"To finally be on top, that's huge for us," was how the McCann coach finished his above statement after the game, still holding onto the trophy.

 

Lukas Rylander pitched the win, a five-inning, one-hit, shutout, gem for McCann. Dylan Turner got the save over 1 1/3 innings that saw him give up just one hit as well. Rylander launched a triple in the game and both pitchers got plenty of help from their catcher Austin Buda, who threw out two runners and had some timely hits.

 

In front of a packed stadium in North Adams, the Hornets finally climbed a previously insurmountable hill in a game that none of the players, coaches or fans should forget.

 

10. All of the Western Mass. Champions

 

Berkshire County was no stranger to Western Massachusetts trophies in the past but the county has certainly flexed its muscle since the PVIAC created the new Western Mass. tournament after the MIAA got rid of the old one. This year the Berkshires showed the rest of the 413 just how strong they were with at least two Western Mass. titles every season, in multiple sports!

 

In the fall, Mount Greylock took home two plaques, one for volleyball and the other for boys soccer. The volleyball team beat Lenox in the Class C Final as part of their run to a state title. The Millionaires won the first set before the Mounties took the next three to win their second straight Class C crown.

 

For the boys, the journey had been a little longer after Greylock had lost in the final in 2021 and 2022. But in 2023, as the sixth seed, Greylock pulled off the upset of No. 1 Ware thanks to a rocket goal from Everett Bayliss and a free kick from George Munemo to win 2-1. Greylock had lost both of its prior to finals appearances by the score of 1-0, one of those games hosted at Agawam High School. Which made winning, back at Agawam High, all the sweeter.

 

Wahconah's golf team won the Western Massachusetts D-II Championship by 22 shots over second place Pope Francis. The Warriors shot 312 thanks to a first place finish from Tim Kaley (73) and a second place finish from Pat McLaughlin (76). Kaley had four birdies while Sam McLaughlin (81) and Brady Breitmaier (82) each chipped in to help the team reach states. 

 

Lenox boys cross-country won a state title in 2022 but graduated three of its top four runners. That didn't matter as the Millionaires put four runners in the top 18 to score 78 points and beat second place Mount Greylock (94) and claim the Western Mass. Class B title for the second season in a row. On the girls side, Lenox and Greylock came down to quite literally a photo finish. But after examination, Lenox's Elyssa Scrimo leaned across the finish line first, giving Lenox 66 points and Greylock 68 as the Millionaires swept the boys and girls Class B cross country finals.

 

In the winter, the county put six teams in the Western Mass. basketball finals as well as one team in the hockey finals. Getting three wins in basketball and going 1 for 1 in hockey.

 

Taconic lost in the Class B hockey final last year to Greenfield. Continuing a stretch of the co-op team (dating back to when it was hosted at Wahconah) being unable to get over the hump, losing in 2019 as well. But in 2024, the Thunder finally found fresh ice.

 

They faced No. 1 Ludlow and the two teams had tied twice in the regular season. Which meant it was little surprise the game after regulation was tied. Roshan Warriar and Rylan Padelford scored to tie the game, while Cam Laferriere made clutch save after clutch save. Then in OT, Warriar got pinned in the corner but managed to get the puck out to Brayden Bishop in the middle of the ice who fired the game-winner to give Taconic a 3-2 victory and a Western Mass. crown.

 

On the basketball side, Pittsfield and Monument battled it out in the above-mentioned Class B final, one of the best games of the year, in any sport. Earlier that same day, over in Westfield, Hoosac Valley was trying to pull off the "double" by claiming titles for both its boys and girls teams. Mission accomplished.

 

The first game of the day was Hoosac Valley vs. Pioneer Valley in the Class D girls title match. The Hurricanes, who have been one of the preeminent girls basketball programs in not only Western Mass., but the state, showed why. They started the game on an 18-0 run and never looked back in a 57-35 win that gave Hoosac a Western Mass. three-peat.

 

On the boys side, the sledding was much tougher against an athletic and quick Duggan team. In a game that saw Duggan take a nine point lead at the half and lead by double-digits at multiple points, the Hurricanes just wouldn't quit. In the second half, they forced the Jayhawks to play in the halfcourt and started whittling away at the lead.

 

Joey McGovern and Tre Moynihan made big shots, Frank Field and Qwanell Bradley were huge inside, Adan Wicks kept the ball moving with key assists and in the end, Hoosac got back on top with a 69-65 win in the Class D final.

 

In the spring, Mount Greylock track and field, perhaps as a precursor for what it would do in the state

 

tournament, dominated once more at the Western Mass. Division II meet. The Mountie boys smoked the field with 140 points, far outstripping Frontier (65.5) in second or Wahconah (60) in third. The sixth straight Western Mass. Title for the boys track and field team. The girls began their own streak, making it two in a row in similarly dominant fashion with 158 points. Far in front of second place Frontier (82) and Monument Mountain (58) in third.

 

It wasn't easy, but Lenox girls tennis wasn't going to go down without a fight. In the Class C final against Greylock, the Mounties had taken first and second singles victories, while the Millionaires won both doubles. But Lenox freshman Katie Shove won two tough sets to get her team back-to-back Class C titles.

 

Lenox had won back-to-back Class C titles in boys lacrosse and were matched up this year with a familiar foe in Hoosac Valley. The two split the season series and in the Western Mass. Final, the Hurricanes got the rubber match, eking out a 14-13 win for their first Western Mass. title. Wes Emerson scored five goals, Kamarion Kastner had four and Kadan Tatro had a hat trick for Hoosac while Adan Wicks dished out five assists in the breakthrough at BCC.

 

Wahconah has been no stranger to boys lacrosse success, winning the inaugural PVIAC Class B Final in 2022, although it lost the second one to Pope Francis last year. This year, Wahconah was determined to not only reclaim its crown, but get some revenge in the process. The Warriors had lost to East Longmeadow, on the road, in overtime, in the regular season and faced the Spartans once more in the Class B final.

 

It was a close game the whole way through, but Wahconah, which went down 1-0 early, took a 3-2 lead after the first quarter and went on to win 9-8. Even surviving a fourth quarter that saw neither team score. Rylan Padelford scored five goals while Bryce Smith blocked 10 shots, coming up clutch in that final frame.

 

As mentioned earlier, McCann Tech won the Class C baseball final against Drury. An excellent game in front of a packed Joe Wolfe Field. But in a similar vein, Pittsfield baseball won a Western Mass. title in its own vaunted ballpark in the Class B final. The Generals beat local rival Wahconah 6-1 and did so at Wahconah Park. It brought the Generals their first Western Mass. title in 20 years and served as some relief after being upset in the quarterfinals last year.

 

Pittsfield softball had a longer road to the Class B final, because it literally had to deal with more roads thanks to the game being moved at the last minute. But the trip to Turners Falls to face Class B and 413 power Hampshire didn't halt PHS. Pittsfield lost to Hampshire in the final the year prior and in 2024, were determined to get over the hump. PHS did just that, shutting out Hampshire until the seventh inning when the game was already decided in a 6-2 win for the program's first Western Mass. championship since 2018.

 

11. Honorable Mention

 

Throughout the basketball season The Eagle sports staff were almost besides themselves. Not in a bad way, just somewhat disbelieving because seemingly every other week, another local baller scored 1,000 points.

 

Five Berkshire boys basketball players hit the 1K mark this season: Monument's Khalil Carlson, Wahconah's Pat McLaughlin, Hoosac's Frank Field and Joey McGovern and Mount Everett's Michael Ullrich.

 

Field hit his mark in an early season blowout of Easthampton and kept on scoring. The senior finished his career with 1,321 points, good for 20th on the county's all-time boys list. McLaughlin didn't have much trouble hitting his milestone either, but the game he did it in was a far closer contest. McLaughlin got a bucket with four minutes to go, rebounded a miss, was fouled, hit both free throws and Wahconah beat West Springfield to ensure McLaughlin's big day wasn't bittersweet. He finished his career with 1,240 points, 29th all time for boys.

 

That's one spot behind Ullrich in 28th who ended his senior season with 1,256. Unfortunately for the Eagle, he had some bad luck when hitting milestones. He scored his 1,000th point in a road loss to Duggan. He also became the school's all-time leader in scoring on the boys side, but once again on the road and once again in a loss, this time to Hampden Charter East 57-52.

 

McGovern hit his mark late in the season, but the senior made sure to end his career in quadruple digits. In the first round of the MIAA D-V tournament, a game following the Hoosac girls' blowout win, McGovern scored 21 points to break the 1K barrier as Hoosac beat Keefe Tech 78-54. McGovern finished his career with 1,055 points, good for 64th on the all-time boys chart.

 

Noah Poirier is no stranger to success on the canvas but the Wahconah senior, who wrestles for the Taconic co-op, made some history in his final season. Poirier took gold this year at the Western Mass. sectionals in the 175-pound weight class. His third gold in a row, all in a different (and higher) weight class. West Dews, Poirier's wrestling teammate and classmate at Wahconah, earned his first ever Western Mass. gold with a win at 132 pounds via pinfall. Those two golds helped Taconic's wrestling team take second place at the Western Mass. sectional meet.

 

Mount Everett's Diego Cruz kept up his string of success, pinning his opponent at 106 pounds for his third straight Western Mass. gold. Monument Mountain's Sam St. Peter went back-to-back with another gold, gutting out a 1-0 win in the 285-pound weight class.

 

Lenox's Max Shepardson ended his high school golf career on a high note. While the Millionaires didn't qualify for the state tournament, Shepardson did and was one of just two Berkshire County golfers at the D-III tournament at the Sterling National Country Club. Shepardson didn't let the distance, miserable cold or constant rain affect him. He shot an 8-over par 79 to tie for third overall and claim a bronze medal out of a field of 100.

 

Rylan Padelford sat at 284 career points at the midpoint of the Wahconah lacrosse season. Needing five to break former teammate Billy O'Neil's record, on a Saturday game against Oakmont, Padelford made school history. The Warrior recorded nine points to reach 293 for his career. After another 10 games, the Western Mass. playoffs and a run to the MIAA D-IV quarterfinals, Padelford finished his high school career with well over 330 points.

 

Monument Mountain swimmer Keaghan Kline's all-around effort helped her Spartans to a top-10 finish at the sectional championship. She placed third in the butterfly, fourth in the 50 freestyle and anchored two relay teams to podium finishes in sixth place.