Field hockey: Uxbridge knocks off Frontier, 5-0, in Div. 4 semifinals (PHOTOS)

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

AGAWAM — The three-time defending MIAA Div. 4 field hockey state champions weren’t ready to relinquish their crown on Tuesday. Fourth-seeded Frontier took on top-seeded Uxbridge in the Div. 4 semifinals at Agawam High School and the Spartans quickly...

Bulletin Board: Racquel Provost, Assumption field hockey win NE-10 title to reach NCAA tournament

Racquel Provost and the Assumption field hockey team are headed to the NCAA Div. II tournament. The Greyhounds faced Saint Anselm in the Northeast-10 Championship game on Sunday in Worcester, with Assumption walking away with a 3-0 victory to earn an...

Field hockey: Three-time defending champion Uxbridge up next as Frontier looks to continue historic state tourney run

By JEFF LAJOIE

The challenge is substantial, but the Frontier field hockey team is ready.Three-time defending state champion Uxbridge stands in the way of the fourth-seeded Redhawks and a spot in the MIAA Division 4 championship game. Frontier and the top-seeded...

UMass football: Minutemen QB Taisun Phommachanh out for the season due to injuries

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — UMass football head coach Don Brown confirmed Monday that Minutemen starting quarterback Taisun Phommachanh will miss the remainder of the season after suffering an injury against Mississippi State on Nov. 2.UMass had a bye this past...

UMass athletics: Minutewomen fall in A-10 women’s soccer, field hockey finals

By RYAN AMES

Locked in a 1-1 game, the UMass women’s soccer team allowed two goals in the final 20 minutes of regulation as top-seeded Saint Louis scored a 3-1 victory to capture the Atlantic-10 Conference championship on Sunday in Saint Louis.The Billikens scored...

Local roundup: Super weekend as Frontier Youth Football, Franklin County Bulldogs both have teams win SAFL Div. 2 Super Bowls

It was a Super weekend for three Franklin County youth football teams.The Suburban Amateur Football League held its Division 2 Super Bowls at Agawam High School on Saturday, and three local teams hoisted trophies after winning their respective...

Boys soccer: Jack Cusson’s PK save lifts Frontier past Pittsfield, into Div. 4 quarterfinals

By JESSE KOLODKIN

PITTSFIELD – To win big, you need players – rookies and veterans – to step up.Tied after full time and two overtime periods, Saturday’s MIAA Division 4 Boys Soccer Round of 16 game at Berkshire Community College went to best-of-five penalty kicks.Both...

Cross country: Frontier, Mohawk Trail secure state championship berths thanks to strong showings at MIAA Division 3 qualifier

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

It was a big day for the Frontier and Mohawk Trail cross country teams at the MIAA Division 3 state qualifying meet at Wrentham Development Center.There were six heats during Saturday’s race – three boys heats and three girls heats — and the top seven...

Field hockey: Frontier marches into Div. 4 semifinals following 2-0 shutout win over Ipswich (PHOTOS)

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

SOUTH DEERFIELD — After knocking on the door of a state semifinal appearance the last few years, the Frontier field hockey team is heading to the MIAA Division 4 Final Four.The Redhawks reached the state quarterfinals in both 2022 and 2023 but on...

Football: Josiah Little’s record-breaking performance helps Franklin Tech rout Monument Mountain, 50-16

By GEORGE MILLER

TURNERS FALLS — Different football teams treat assigned non-playoff games differently, but for two teams that were co-champions in their respective leagues, Friday night's meeting did carry a playoff feeling about it.Thanks to Josiah Little's 271...

UMass basketball: Late rally falls short as Minutemen fall to West Virginia, 75-69

The UMass men’s basketball team was unable to overcome a slow start against West Virginia on Friday. The Mountaineers roared out to a 25-10 lead with just over 10 minutes to go in the first half before taking a 45-28 lead into the intermission. The...

Keeping Score with Chip Ainsworth: Election Day trip to the Granite State

Good morning!Politics is sport, and on Election Day I visited two New Hampshire voting locations for a glimpse of what to expect after the polls closed.At the entrance to Hinsdale High School a woman held a large sign that said, Roe, Roe, Roe Your...

Football: Greenfield races out to 30-0 lead before knocking off Belchertown, 46-13 (PHOTOS)

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

GREENFIELD — The confidence gained from the Greenfield football team following a big win over Athol carried over into Friday’s contest against Belchertown. The Green Wave knocked off the Bears, 22-14, thanks to a late touchdown last week, and that...

Local roundup: Frontier girls volleyball falls to Joseph Case MIAA Div. 4 quarterfinals

Tensions were high, the crowd was loud and both teams were scrambling proficiently in a wild opening set during Friday’s MIAA Division 4 Girls Volleyball quarterfinal match between No. 6 Frontier and No. 3 Joseph Case.Neither team backed down as...

UMass basketball: New Hampshire spoils Minutewomen’s home opener with 48-45 win

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — Clinging to a one-point lead over New Hampshire with 12 seconds remaining in the game, the UMass women’s basketball team was set to inbound the ball after head coach Mike Leflar called a timeout to advance it into the frontcourt.On the...

UMass hockey: Minutemen head to Vermont for weekend pair at Gutterson Fieldhouse

By RYAN AMES

The No. 18 UMass hockey team will head to Vermont for a two-game set against the Catamounts this weekend, where it’ll look to improve upon its 4-3-1 record.UMass secured a 4-3 win over American International College on the road last weekend,...

High School Football: Franklin County, Hampshire County schools fail to qualify for state tournament

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

For the first time since the statewide tournament format went into place in 2021, neither Franklin County or Hampshire County had a football team qualify for the state playoffs. Entering the final week of the regular season last week, Franklin Tech...

HS Roundup: Frontier volleyball advances to Div. 4 quarterfinals following 3-1 victory over Rockland

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

SOUTH DEERFIELD — The Frontier girls volleyball team had to reset after the opening set of its MIAA Div. 4 Round of 16 contest against Rockland on Wednesday. The sixth-seeded Redhawks led 21-13 in the opening set but the 11th-seeded Bulldogs didn’t go...

Field hockey: Frontier shuts out West Bridgewater, 5-0, to advance to D4 quarterfinals (PHOTOS)

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

SOUTH DEERFIELD — Good luck scoring goals on the Frontier field hockey team this postseason. The Redhawk defense has been lights out all season long, allowing more than one goal just twice during the regular season. That defensive effort has continued...

On The Ridge with Joe Judd: Bobcats a very real part of our New England landscape

The “magic hour” had arrived when it was neither day nor night! And I’d been watching a shadowy figure moving in and out of the hardwoods below me for almost half an hour. This gray afternoon, with darkness slowly and gently overtaking me, was soon to...