The new year can be a time of reflection, one where people can look back on the positives that happened over the past 365 days.
Across the Recorder area, there were plenty of major accomplishments in the sports world, from local squads winning state championships to individuals doing things that sound nearly impossible.
Here are five of my most notable events that happened in the area during 2023:
Coach John Hickey and the Green Wave softball team took home the first state title in program history in 2022, and followed it up with a dominant performance in 2023.
Greenfield had a postseason to remember this past spring, dominating from start-to-finish. The Green Wave won their three Western Mass. Class C tournament games by a combined score of 38-3, culminating in a 16-3 win over Mount Greylock to win a Western Mass. title.
The dominance didn’t end there. Earning the No. 1 seed in the MIAA Div. 5 state tournament, the defending champs dominated to the finals (outscoring opponents 41-4 in four games) and beat Tahanto, 8-2, in the semis to secure a spot in the championship.
Standing in the way of a second straight crown? Their rival, Turners Falls. Unfortunately for the Thunder, it was going to take a monster effort from anyone to take down the 2023 Green Wave, which beat Turners 10-2 to claim their second straight state title.
Jack Reynolds had himself a year on the powerlifting circuit.
The 16-year-old junior at Franklin County Technical School started powerlifting in 2022 and it didn’t take him long to take to the sport. This past spring he qualified for USA Powerlifting Nationals in Scottsdale, Ariz. Competing in the Under-18 163-pound-and-under weight class, Reynolds put up lifts of 475 pounds in the squat, 342 on the bench and 530 in the deadlift, which earned him first place.
As the U.S. winner in the weight class, Reynolds qualified for the 2023 World Sub-Junior Classic Championship in Cluj Napoca, Romania this past summer. Over in Europe, and competing against the 22 strongest competitors in his class, Reynolds placed third overall with a 485 squat, 355 bench and 540 deadlift.
Kuchieski, the longtime Greenfield football coach and athletic director, was honored for his achievements on the gridiron this past January.
Kuchieski was one of six coaches to be inducted into the Massachusetts High School Football Coaches Hall of Fame this year, being honored during a banquet in the spring.
Between his time with Athol and Greenfield, Kuchieski has racked up 139 wins, which puts him fifth all time among Franklin County coaches.
“We don’t coach for the wins and losses,” Kuchieski said after hearing the news. “We coach to create young men and women and create memories for them. You try to create great people. Most of these kids won’t go on to play college football. We want to create great people in the community. That’s our No. 1 goal.
“I tell the kids every year that I want them to remember where they came from and to learn all the little things in life that will make you a great person,” he continued. “Those are the things I care about and what we want to hear about when they come back to visit. We coach for those reasons.”
A pair of state vocational banners came to Franklin Tech in 2023.
The Eagles girls basketball team racked up an impressive 21-3 record last winter, with no two wins more important than those against South Shore Vocational and Blue Hills RVT in the State Vocational Tournament. Tech opened with a 46-27 victory over South Shore in the semis and followed it up with a 67-25 triumph over Blue Hills to capture their second straight vocational title.
On the softball diamond Franklin Tech had similar results in the vocational tournament. In the semis against Westfield Tech Hannah Gilbert threw a no-hitter to lift the Eagles to a 5-2 victory. In the finals against Tri-County RVT, Franklin Tech walked away with a 5-0 shutout win to take home their second straight vocational title, just as they did on the hardwood.
It was a historic season on the mat for Gilmore last winter.
Competing for Mahar, Gilmore raced through the Central Mass. Div. 3 tournament with ease to capture the title at 113 pounds.
That earned him a spot at the Div. 3 state tournament, where Gilmore competed against the best Div. 3 had to offer. As it turns out, that was him.
Gilmore, the No. 4 seed, won his opening three matches to earn a spot in the finals, where he defeated Michael Thomas of Melrose, 4-1, to take home the state title.
Gilmore will look to repeat this winter, where he is now wrestling for Athol.