Bulletin Board: Day 2 Massachusetts Shotgun Deer Hunting Season

Another dry day greeted hunters for Day 2 of the Massachusetts Shotgun Deer Hunting Season on Tuesday.Erving’s Chad Jackson checked two deer at Bitzer Hatchery in Montague, including a 163-pound, 10-point buck – the largest deer checked during Day 2...

UMass athletics: Men’s soccer, field hockey tourney runs highlighting final A-10 seasons

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — There may be plenty of reasons for UMass fans to lament the athletic department over the past two weeks – a third-straight disappointing football season and a subpar men’s basketball start (3-5 record) among the results-based reasons outside...

Bulletin board: Day 1 of the Massachusetts Shotgun Deer Hunting Season

Sunny skies and cool temperatures greeted local hunters for opening day of the 2024 Massachusetts Shotgun Deer Hunting Season on Monday.Area checking stations were steady, highlighted by 32 deer reported at Gould’s Sugarhouse in Shelburne.The largest...

UMass football: Amid coaching search, pair of blunders has athletic department in the spotlight

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — In the midst of trying to hire a new head football coach, the University of Massachusetts athletic department can’t seem to get out of its own way.While Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford hasn’t addressed the fanbase since firing former head...

Fit to Play with Jim Johnson: Lessons of the playground

There was a vacant lot on the corner of 10th Street and Avenue H. I learned to play there, meeting up daily with other children in the neighborhood after school. There is something irreplaceable about unsupervised play; many lessons are learned. We...

UMass soccer: Minutemen continue Cinderella NCAA tourney run with 1-0 win over Virginia in Sweet 16

Three up, three down for the UMass men’s soccer team in the NCAA Division I tournament.The Minutemen’s Cinderella season continued as they defeated No. 11-ranked Virginia 1-0 in the Sweet 16 for their third win of the big dance.UMass (13-3-5) applied...

Chad Chatlos of TurnkeyZRG talks UMass football head coaching search: “If you get it right, this is a five, six, seven, eight-year type decision”

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — With Saturday’s 47-42 loss to UConn at McGuirk Alumni Stadium concluding the 2024 UMass football season, all eyes – if they weren’t already – now turn to the Minutemen’s head-coaching vacancy.And helping UMass Director of Athletics Ryan...

UMass football: Minutemen offense puts up season-high in points but UConn holds on for 47-42 win in finale

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — Oh, so close.That has certainly been the theme for this year’s UMass football team. And it was again, one final time on Saturday afternoon at McGuirk Alumni Stadium as the Minutemen fell 47-42 to UConn – which played spoiler to UMass’ senior...

UMass hockey: Minutemen take care of business in 3-1 win over Army

By RYAN AMES

AMHERST – The UMass hockey team used a pair of second-period power play goals to propel past Army in its 3-1 win on Friday at the Mullins Center.Cole O'Hara and Daniel Jencko each notched man-advantage strikes less than five minutes apart during the...

UMass football: Minutemen have one last shot to get first win over FBS program in finale against UConn

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — Although the UMass football team didn’t win either of its last two contests, it put together arguably its best eight consecutive quarters all season long. The Minutemen dropped a crushing 35-34 overtime game to Liberty two weeks ago before...

UMass soccer: Minutemen looking to keep magical run alive in Sweet 16 against Virginia

By RYAN AMES

The UMass men's soccer team will look to keep its impressive postseason run going when it matches up against No. 11 Virginia during the Sweet 16 round of the NCAA Division 1 tournament Saturday in Charlottesville, Va.The Minutemen (12-3-5) took down...

Keeping Score with Chip Ainsworth: UMass football blame pie

Good morning!My friend John Kennedy thinks I’m too hard on UMass athletic director Ryan Bamford. True, Bamford deserves credit for overseeing successful men’s and women’s soccer teams and the field hockey team that reached the NCAA Final Four and,...

Pioneer to host Celebration of Life Saturday to honor former AD Bill Messer, who died at age 101 last week

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

There aren’t many who had a bigger impact on the Northfield-Bernardston community than Bill Messer. Messer, born in Bernardston in 1923, served in the U.S. Navy during World War II before attending Springfield College, later getting a job at...

Thanksgiving football: Hot start more than enough to propel Athol past rival Mahar, 26-0 (PHOTOS)

By GEORGE MILLER

ORANGE — The lessons learned the first time around served Athol very well indeed during Thursday's Thanksgiving rematch.Three first-quarter touchdown passes set the tone early for the Bears and the ground game helped do the rest, along without a stout...

UMass hockey: Minutemen welcome Army for Black Friday matinee

By RYAN AMES

The UMass hockey team only has one game on the docket this week as it’ll welcome Army to the Mullins Center for a Black Friday matinee.The Minutemen (6-6-2) are coming off an up-and-down weekend – first with a win against Harvard before a loss to...

Thanksgiving football: Smith Vocational knocks off Franklin Tech for the first time since 2018 following 16-8 OT win

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

EASTHAMPTON — It was true late November football in New England at Mountain View School on Thursday. Smith Vocational hosted Franklin Tech for the sixth Turkey Day showdown between the two rivals, and with driving rain coming down throughout the...

UMass basketball: Second half spurt helps Minutemen take down Harvard, halt 5-game losing streak

By GARRETT COTE

It may not have been the prettiest of games by the UMass men’s basketball team, which headed into halftime tied with Harvard 24-24 as neither team playing exactly inspired. But the Minutemen woke up in the second half and dominated the glass en route...

Thanksgiving Football: One of state’s oldest rivalries, Athol-Mahar to meet for 88th Turkey Day contest

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

It wouldn’t feel like Thanksgiving without an Athol-Mahar showdown on the gridiron. A tradition dating back to 1894, the Bears and Senators will square off for the 88th time on Turkey Day in what is one of the oldest Thanksgiving rivalries in the...

Thanksgiving Football: Rising programs Franklin Tech, Smith Vocational gear up for 6th Turkey Day showdown

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

While Thanksgiving football games are largely diminishing around the state, there’s one new Turkey Day rivalry that’s growing each year. Franklin Tech and Smith Vocational began playing on Thanksgiving in 2018 and since that time, both programs are on...