H.S. Roundup: Athol boys soccer triumphs over Mohawk

BUCKLAND — The Mohawk Trail Regional boys soccer team held a brief lead, but eventually lost to Athol, 3-1, on Wednesday afternoon. It was the first lead of the season for the revamped varsity program.

“We are moving the ball better,” Mohawk coach Jake Thurber said. “We are playing with a little more confidence, which is good.”

Sawyer Thurber sent a corner kick to Sam Bucala who finished to give Mohawk a 1-0 lead with 19 minutes 23 seconds left in the first half.

“They are believing that we can do this,” Thurber said. “They have to believe that they are good and can put some goals in and have a lead. We haven’t had one yet, so that’s a good start.”

Athol called a timeout immediately after the goal to regroup. Just minutes later, the Bears sent a barrage of shots at Mohawk keeper Simon Helenek. Two shots hit the crossbar before Noah Kapise tied the game on a rebound.

The play of the Warriors caught the Bears by surprise.

“Communication was a big thing,” Athol coach Justin Brown said. “As far as trusting one another. We are playing too much hero ball early on. We thought we would have a walk in the park, I told them it’s not going to be that way. That’s exactly what happened. They caught us off guard, but we responded.”

Athol scored two more goals in the second half to take a 3-1 lead. Toward the end of the game, Mohawk had several quality chances to get to within a goal. Bucala dinged the crossbar late in the game.

“They play competitive,” Brown said of Mohawk. “What they are doing is great. They played well and played smart on the back end.”

There were several instances of some trash-talking going back and forth throughout the game. A new varsity team having confidence can be a good thing, but taking it too far can be a negative distraction.

“Sometimes they are focusing on that instead of the game,” Thurber said. “There’s a fine line. I don’t always want it.”

Lucas L’Ecuyer scored on a free kick to give the Bears a one-goal lead early in the second half. The shot came from distance for the sophomore. Nathan Parayson put in a rebound with 17:40 left in the second half to give Athol a 3-1. John Robertson assisted on the play.

Helenek had an active game for the Warriors, making 15 saves. Helenek made several aggressive moves after the ball to cut down opportunities for the Bears.

Drake Wing made seven saves for the Bears.

Girls soccer

Granby 3, Frontier 1 — Mara Allium scored for the Redhawks in a road loss to the Rams in a Central contest. Jazzy Hayes made five saves for Frontier. Kayla Tudryn added four saves for the Redhawks. The Rams scored three goals in the second half to pull away.

Volleyball

Mahar 3, Granby 0 — The Senators swept the Rams in an independent contest at Grzesik-Bixby Gymnasium. Set scores were 25-11, 25-20 and 25-7. Madelynn Burgess led the offense with 15 assists. Nastasia Sanders and Kamryn Hart both had five assists. Scarleth Aranda-Lebron and Mckenzie Scribner had two digs each.

Golf

Franklin Tech 151, Pioneer 174 — Braeden Talbot and Grady Deery both shot a 37 for the Eagles in a win over the Panthers at Thomas Memorial. Jack Day carded a 38 for Franklin Tech in the Bi-County East match up. Weston James shot a 39 for the Panthers.

Smith Vocational 168, Mohawk 198 — The Warriors fell to the Vikings at Wycoff Country Club. Conner Bergeron shot a 44 for the Warriors. Chayton Massa carded a 48.

Late Tuesday results

Boys soccer

Franklin Tech 4, Hopkins Academy 1 — The Eagles defeated the Golden Hawks for their fourth straight win under the lights in Turners Falls. Cody Yetter scored twice for the Eagles. John Gheorghita and Nate Gheorghita (assist) also scored. Santiago Buri-Rosales added an assist for Franklin Tech.