Berkshire All Stars 2020

Honoring the Top Athletes from: Lee, Lenox, Mount Everett, Monument Mountain, Pittsfield, Taconic, Wahconah, Hoosac Valley, Mount Greylock, Drury, and McCann Tech.

Premiering on Monday, June 22nd at 6pm on BerkshireEagle.com/alls t ar s or Facebook/berkshire.eagle

Or watch it on your local T V:

Pittsfield Community Television, Channel 1 301

Northern Berkshire Community Television, Channel 1302

Community Television for the Southern Berkshires, Channel 1302

Hosted by Jim Kaat Major League Baseball Legend and Broadcaster

SPONSORED BY:

Adapta bility is ke y: A salute to the athletes and coaches of the 2020 All S tars

By Fredric D Rutberg

To steal from the title of a T V show from my youth, 2020 is the year that was

Ever y thing is upside down thanks to the virus Change is the only constant in life, and adaptabilit y is essential to handling changes in a successful life

2020 has taught us all lessons in adaptabilit y, from Zoom meetings to drive-in church ser vices At The Berkshire Eagle, we are proud that we have become nimble in adapting to the realities of covering the news in a pandemic

Our plans for this year ’ s Berkshire Eagle All Stars gala began within weeks of last June’s event

By the beginning of winter, we had arranged for a new and beautiful venue while being able to secure MLB pitching legend Jim Kaat as our speaker and emcee Then we got to look at a major league cur veball –COVID-19 The virus was such a

game-changer that we ignored planning for the gala for several weeks, as we absorbed the magnitude of the changes we faced.

We were able to adapt quickly to the times. We watched as other folks used 21 st centur y communication tools to make lemonade from the lemons we were dealt

When the idea of a “vir tual gala” a video production of the All Stars awards show in lieu of an in-person gala was proposed, ever yone in the room laughed Within a week, we were well along the way to producing the video presentation you will see shor tly

The list of people who deser ve thanks for this e or t is much too long to include and I would be bound to leave someone out.

That said, I must acknowledge the adaptabilit y and commitment of our sponsor Berkshire Bank without whom there could be no All Stars gala And we give a special shoutout to

Jim Kaat who could not have been more enthusiastic or accommodating to be our All Stars awards show host

The stars of the show have not changed They were and they are the ex traordinar y young people whom we honor with the 2020 All Stars awards They had to learn to adapt to Zoom classrooms and isolation from their friends at a time in life where being with your friends and playing spor ts is almost ever y thing

Adaptabilit y is key to successful in athletics The purpose of all of the practice and training is to be ready for whatever the opponent might throw at you Game plans are impor tant, but events on the field can render them useless in seconds Players and coaches who can accept the realities with which they are confronted and make e ective changes on the spot are the ones who enjoy the most success Half time adjustments are real, and they can make a di erence And, they epitomize

While we celebrate, let ’ s hope we get to see some of these athletes and coaches along with a lot of other young people per form on the field and in the g ym nex t year, and let ’ s look for ward to an in-person All Stars event in 2021

Fredric D. Rutberg is president and publisher of The Berkshire Eagle

MLB legend Jim Ka at All St ars keynote speaker

Major League Baseball pitching legend Jim Kaat ’ s Major League career lasted for 25 years and spanned four decades. A three-time All Star and 16-time Gold Glove winner, Kaat won a World Series title in 1982 with the St. Louis Cardinals. Kaat appeared in 898 games in his career, star ting 625 of them for a 28 3-237 record, and a 3.45 earned-run average. Notably, Kaat, as a Minnesota

Twin, faced o against Sandy Koufax in three World Series games in 196 5. Kaat won a career-high 25 games in the 1966 season.

Af ter his pitching career, Kaat quickly transitioned into broadcasting and called New York Yankees games on YES Network. He is scheduled to call 10 games this season on MLB Net work with broadcast par tner Bob Costas, and another 10 games on the Twins’ T V net-

work. He also works as an assistant to the president for the Twins.

Broadcasting “keeps me in touch with the game, ” Kaat said. “I’m for tunate that this will be the star t of my eighth decade in Major League Baseball. I’m ver y for tunate that I have my health. Physically and mentally, I’m able to do it still, and as long as I feel like I can, I think that I should keep doing it.”

Golf

Fa l l Sp or t s

PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Henr y Sniezek, HOOSAC VALLE Y

The senior wrapped up his high school career in fine fashion, helping lead the Hurricanes to back-to-back Western Massachuset ts Division II championships Sniezek was medalist in 10 of 16 regular-season matches, shot 4 0 or bet ter in 10 of those 16 regular-season matches and was under 4 0 eight times. In the postseason, Sniezek shot 79 at The Countr y Club of Pit tsfield, finishing second to Southwick ’ s Mat t Garrit y in the Western Mass Division II tournament But Sniezek was No 1 for the Hurricanes as they beat Southwick 3 41 strokes to 3 4 4

COACH OF THE YEAR: Dick Salinetti, LENOX

Salinet ti, who finished his 16th season as a coach, guided the young Millionaires to a second-place finish in the Western Massachuset ts Division III tournament It has been a long climb for the Millionaires, who won the Western Mass Division III title back in 201 2. Lenox went from missing the tournament in 201 3 and 2014 to finishing eighth, fif th, four th and third in the nex t four seasons before breaking through to the state tournament for the first time since 201 2 Lenox finished six th in states, and the top Lenox finisher was Max DiGrigoli who was tied for 1 5th Lenox went 1 5 -1 in each of the last t wo seasons, losing only to Hoosac Valley, and by t wo strokes each time Salinet ti was ably assisted by Jon Cade and Mark Gilligan, when he was briefly hospitalized

Cross- Countr y Running

BOYS RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Ted Yee, LENOX

Ted Yee returned to Lenox af ter studying abroad the year before, and he hit the ground running for the Millionaires Yee opened the year by placing fif th in his first race, won five others during the regular season, and kept building on his progress until the postseason. At the Western Mass. Division II meet, Yee came in second

place overall, and helped his team to its first Western Mass. crown since 20 0 9. At states, Yee placed 10 th overall and was the top placer from Western Mass

GIRLS RUNNER OF THE YEAR: Kate Swann, MOUNT GRE YLOCK

Kate Swann lef t her competitors strug gling to catch up in the fall, winning six Berkshire Count y League races during her sophomore campaign Those six wins were double that of her closest competitor At the Berkshire Count y Individuals, Swann won by 3 3 seconds to cap her regular season dominance At Western Mass , Swann finished second overall to help her MOunties to a second-place team finish At states, Swann placed third overall in Division II, and helped her Mounties to take second place again

BOYS TEAM COACH OF THE YEAR: Ted Collins, MONUMENT MOUNTAIN

GIRLS TEAM COACH OF THE YEAR: Jeanne Teasdale & L aura Najimy

Jeanne Teasdale has accomplished a lot in her career at Lenox, both in cross-countr y and in track But in the fall, Teasdale and lead assistant L aura Najimy coached up their harriers to a program first -- a state championship The Millionaires, with a healthy mix of veteran runners and young, eager athletes, peaked at the right time this year At the Western Mass championships, the Millionaires held o rival Mount Greylock by four points to take home first place, then followed that up a week later by beating the Mounties at the D-II state championships -- by 37 points Lenox put four runners in the top 25 at states

Boys Soccer

PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Finn Welch, MOUNT GRE YLOCK

Finn Welch capped o his Mount Greylock career by scoring 28 goals and dishing out 17 assists as the Mounties made it to the Western Mass Division III Finals and won a Berkshire Nor th title He had four hat tricks including a five-goal game against Wahconah t wo other games with t wo goals, and had at least one point in 16 of his team’s 19 games

DEFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Mitch Jezouit , MOUNT GRE YLOCK

Mitch Jezouit ser ved as a senior safet y blanket for the Mounties, helping to form a defensive line that gave up just 14 goals in 19 games during the 2019 campaign Jezouit also helped bring stabilit y to the defense, as injuries forced di erent players to play in di erent positions The Mounties pitched 1 1 shutouts on the season, and had five other games with just one goal allowed Jezouit also had one assist on the season

OFFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Kevin Huban, WAHCONAH

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BOYS SOCCER COACH OF THE YEAR: Blair Dils, MOUNT GRE YLOCK

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Girls Soccer

PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Clara McWeeny, MOUNT GRE YLOCK

Clara McWeeny was once again among the leaders in scoring for Berkshire Count y this fall, racking up 18 goals and 1 3 assists to power a high-flying Greylock at tack. As a team, Greylock scored 51 goals in 20 games this year -- meaning McWeeny played a role in over half of her team’s tallies McWeeny balanced the Mountie at tack that featured several potent scorers, but also led the line by herself when injuries hit the team McWeeny helped her team to a 1 2-4-2 record in the regular season, and a spot in the Western Mass Division III quar ter finals

OFFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Izzy L aCasse, MCCANN TECH

To say Iz z y L aCasse and the back of the net had an intimate friendship in 2019 is an understatement The McCann Tech at tacker put up an absurd 4 4 points in 22 games this fall, including a Berkshire Count y-best 3 5 goals L aCasse, a sophomore, showed glimpses of promise in her freshman campaign, but blew all expectations out of the water once the action star ted McCann went 1 2-2-4 in the regular season, took first place in the Tri-Count y League, recorded a home win in the Western Mass Division IV tournament, before L aCasse’s PK in the state vocational final pushed the Hornets through for their first voke title in 1 3 years

CO -DEFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Abby Wells, WAHCONAH

The Wahconah defense was as solid as a board throughout most of the fall, and Abby Wells was critical in developing that unit With her anchoring the defense, Wahconah gave up just 14 goals in 20 games this season Along with classmate Michaela Monecchi in goal, Wahconah recorded nine shutouts in the fall despite losing some key players to graduation Wells and Co went 10-3-5 in the regular season, and won the Berkshire Nor th title, as well, before making it to the Western Mass Division III quar ter finals

CO -DEFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Taylor Knight, LENOX

Taylor Knight was willing to do any thing to win a Western Mass title in the fall, and she did it as the Millionaires got back on top of the Division IV world Playing any where on the pitch that coach Kyle Zinchuck needed, Knight spent time in goal,

in at tack, in the midfield and in defense. Whichever role she was playing, Knight helped Lenox to eight shutouts this season, and just 3 3 goals against Knight and her defensive teammates stepped things up in the Western Mass tournament, as Lenox put up three straight shutouts to claim the Western Mass title

COACH OF THE YEAR: Kyle Zinchuk, LENOX

Kyle Zinchuk entered the season without an All-Eagle MVP, and with back-to-back Western Mass. finals losses. No mat ter for the head man on the Lenox sideline. Zinchuk got his team back to work in 2019 and never let them believe it was a rebuild The team bought in, and even with a star ting goalie out for much of the year, the Millionaires won the Berkshire South and qualified for Western Mass by going 8-8-1 Once in the postseason, Zinchuk ramped up his coaching, locked in his defense and got the at tack going as Lenox outscored its three Western Mass opponents 6-1 , en route to the D-IV title -- the first in Zinchuk ’ s seven-year tenure

Volleyball

CO - OFFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Kayanna Black, LENOX

The Millionaires were the only team in the Berkshire South, with a record of 1 5 -4, to reach the postseason and senior Kayanna Black was a big reason why Black ’ s abilit y to fiercely fire any shot over the net resulted in more than 20 0 kills on the year While she made her name as an o ensive threat, Black grew into a role model for her fellow Millionaires and showcased versatilit y with over 6 0 blocks and 4 0 aces throughout the season

CO - OFFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Marie Butler, PIT TSFIELD

The Generals stormed into the Western Mass D-II tournament and Butler’s height and athleticism gave Pit tsfield the upper hand over most opponents Double-digit kills looked less as an achievement and more as an expectation for the senior What put her a step ahead was her leadership as a captain and chemistr y with her teammates, which established Pit tsfield as one of Berkshire Count y ’ s premiere teams

DEFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Rachel Wendling, LEE

Wendling, who stepped in as a first-year libero, wasted no time making her mark with a 25 -dig per formance against Pit tsfield on Sept 1 1 These strong per formances became routine for the sophomore as she also notched an 18-dig per formance against Lenox and another 19 digs against Monument Mountain just a week later, before an eye-popping 28 digs against Haverhill Wendling presented a smooth transition at libero with strong communication skills and abilit y to see ever y thing happening on the cour t

COACH OF THE YEAR: Julia Warner, LEE

Not only did the Wildcats earn the top seed in the Western Mass D-III tournament, but finished the regular season with a record of 16-2 in Warner’s first year at the helm. Her system focused on promoting the team as a whole, instead of worr ying about individual stats With that in mind, it didn’ t stop Suriana Lee from becoming one of the league’s most consistent players, while a talented bunch of underclassmen continued to develop

Football

PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Nolan Roberts, HOOSAC VALLE Y Linemen never get the respect they deser ve, but Rober ts demanded it as a key cog on an o ensive line that let a stable of backs run wild Berkshire Count y football is known for its ground-and-pound st yle Take away the running game and teams panic and the Hurricanes, led by Rober ts, allowed just 10 rushing touchdowns in the regular season and held opponents to less than eight points in five of eight games It is usually tough to identif y a player’s success without touchdowns or yardage, but that was never the case with Rober ts.

OFFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Emmanuel Nda, PIT TSFIELD

The Generals scored 31 touchdowns in the 2019 regular season with Nda responsible for 17 of them He proved he could score from any where with six touchdowns of at least 4 0 yards and finished the regular season with an eye-popping 1 ,4 32 rushing yards Nda averaged 179 yards and t wo touchdowns in 2019 showcasing his abilit y

as a game-changing threat and an irreplaceable o ensive player that any team would love to have

DEFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Luke Hescock, WAHCONAH

Hescock was an intrical par t of a devastating Warrior defense The leng thy end could not only set the edge, but gave opposing quar terbacks fits When he couldn’ t reach the play caller he would of ten position himself in passing lanes and swat away any passes that came his way. Hescock ’ s pressence was much-needed for a team that lost a massive senior class, but coach Gar y Campbell’s squad didn’ t miss a beat

COACH OF THE YEAR: Keith Thomson, LEE

From 1-3 to Western Massachuset ts Division VII champions The Wildcats ripped out a six-game winning streak and only one of the games were decided by less than 23 points Thomson’s coaching played a big role in developing one of the deepest rosters in Berkshire Count y and to also instill the confidence needed to make an impressive playo push, which included a win over the undefeated top-seed in the D-VII tournament, Hoosac Valley

SPECIAL TEAMS PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Luke Patella, LEE

What made the 2019 Wildcats so special was a roster loaded with versatile players

Not only was Luke Patella a key member of Lee’s secondar y and a physical threat on the outside at receiver, he was also the team’s kicker. He conver ted five ex tra point at tempts in the Western Mass Championship game over Ware and added another six made at tempts in a win over Commerce early in the season

W in t er Sp or t s

Boys Basketball

DEFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Mohamed Sanogo, TACONIC Sanogo’s trajector y in basketball has been eye-popping Since arriving as a sophomore, Sanogo has grown and grown into a dominant force on both ends for the Braves, but most notably on defense Sanogo, who won his third-straight Western Mass Title this year and helped the team to a co-state championship, locked down some of the best players in the count y and state, providing highlightreel blocks that fired up the fans and his teammates. In addition to defense, Sanogo also put up 14 3 points per game, and was a threat in transition with rim-rat tling dunks

OFFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Kevin Huban, WAHCONAH

Huban was a walking bucket for his senior season Berkshire Count y ’ s top o ensive threat averaged 16 9 points per game this winter, helping Wahconah to a 1 5 -5 record and the No 4 seed in the Western Mass D-III tournament Huban cleared 30 points 1 1 di erent times this season, cracked the 1 ,0 0 0-point mark in career scoring, and was held to under 20 points just three times this season Huban also did it in multiple ways, scoring 619 points this season with less than 10 0 coming from 3-point range Huban finished his career with 1 , 259 points – No 2 all-time in Wahconah histor y

CO -PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Isaac Percy, TACONIC

Percy, along with Defensive Player of the Year Mohammed Sanogo, led the Braves to a third straight Western Mass Title this winter, and also helped the team claim a co-state championship Percy was forced to carr y a large scoring burden this year af ter graduation hit the roster, and he answered the call with gusto Percy surpassed 1 ,0 0 0 career points this year and finished with 1 ,173 for his career –four th all-time in Taconic histor y He scored a whopping 1 28 points in a four-game span this season, jump-star ting a 1 2-game winning streak that went right through the end of the season In addition to his scoring prowess, Percy also stepped up his game on the defensive end, and became a lock-down defender for taconic

CO -PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Scott McGuire, DRURY

McGuire finishes his Drur y career as one of the greatest scorers to ever play in Berkshire Count y Averaging 25 3 points per game this season, McGuire became the program ’ s all-time leading scorer in the regular season, and finished his career

with 1 , 80 4 points – second all-time in Berkshire Count y boys basketball histor y. McGuire broke his school’s scoring mark with a 52-point outburst, one of a handful of eye-popping o ensive outputs He hit 5 3 3-pointers this season, but also showed his abilit y to put the ball on the deck and take it to the rim What took McGuire’s level to a new game this year was his defensive e or t Tasked with guarding all five positions at times, McGuire became the embodiment of what head coach Jack Racet te asked for in his players, and it paid o with Drur y ’ s second straight Western Mass Championship

COACH OF THE YEAR: Randy Koldys, MONUMENT MOUNTAIN Koldys stepped back into the head coaching role at Monument t wo seasons ago, and has helped build the Spar tans up ever since Monument went 1 5 -5 for the second straight season, and his boys went 1 3-3 in Berkshire South play this season to capture the league title Koldys coached one of the bet ter individual talents in Dion Brown, and surrounded the junior star with a system to create open looks for the entire roster

Girls Basketball

CO -PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Taea Bramer, TACONIC Bramer’s leadership on the cour t was always apparent, answering the call when some veteran experience was needed Af ter using most of the regular to gel as a team, Bramer took the reins of the o ense for a dominant playo run where she averaged 17 points a game. The Braves marked up the record books with a record of 22-2 and a state title None of that would have been possible without Bramer’s defensive prowess and basketball IQ

CO -PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Riley Robinson, HOOSAC VALLE Y Robinson played the role of safet y in a destructive full-cour t press that held 1 1 opponents to 3 5 points or less When she wasn ’ t picking o passes that were a bit too ag gressive, she was communicating with her teammates on how to squash the half-cour t o ense On the o ensive end of the cour t, she made her money with a devastating behind-the-back dribble before cut ting into the paint, providing a level of consistency and leadership needed in order to repeat as Division III State champions

OFFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Izzy L aCasse, MCCANN TECH

Nobody in Berkshire Count y scored more of ten than L aCasse did throughout the 2019-20 season Despite opponents knowing the t ype of damage she was capable of, L aCasse averaged 16 6 points per game to lead the Hornets into the Western Mass D-IV tournament The sophomore 20 points five times on the year and was held to less than 10 just once. With only 19 made 3-pointers, she leaned on her speed and slashing play st yle cut ting through opposing defenses at will

DEFENSIVE PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Maria Gamberoni, WAHCONAH While the Warriors had a handful of impressive scorers, Wahconah’s success star ted on the defensive end In a count y loaded with talented guards, Gamberoni showcased the abilit y to slow down all of them The Warriors held 1 3 opponents to 3 5 points or less on the season and Gamberoni never ran out of fuel Not only does she fit, but thrives, in coach Liz Kay’s defense-first mindset, establishing herself as one of Berkshire Count y ’ s top talents in the 2019-20 season

COACH OF THE YEAR: Matt Mickle, TACONIC

Taconic’s potential was through the roof but it was up to coach Mickle to help the Braves reach new heights Coach Mickle didn’ t change their lineup too much, but always found the most e ective way to take advantage of opposing defenses with his talented roster He instilled a culture that allowed his players to be themselves and speak their minds, but also developed a unit that came together to achieve the first state title in program histor y

Alpine Skiing

BOYS SKIER OF THE YEAR: Andrew King, TACONIC

Andrew King ran the table at Bousquet and then unleashed his speed on the state of Massachuset ts at Berkshire East It was a clean, season-long sweep for the Taconic junior, who put the league in his rear view each and ever y week of the

regular season. King amassed a per fect 10 0 to take home the Berkshire Count y crown, put ting an exclamation mark on his dominance with a 2 4 8-second victor y during the Week 6 giant slalom race All of that was still just the appetizer for King to take on the best the state had to o er in Charlemont a couple weeks later At Berkshire East, King was one of the most consistently excellent skiers on the slopes, carding a pair of four th-place finishes in slalom and GS for a combined time of 1 minute, 29 5 8 seconds, also put ting him four th overall With still another year of high school to go, King’s confidence, knowledge and willingness to at tack the mountain will make him the man to beat in 2021 as well

GIRLS SKIER OF THE YEAR: Helena Jankovic, LENOX

A Week 1 stumble was all the motivation Helena Jankovic needed to dust herself o and then dust the league competition. The Lenox youngster bounced back from a 1 2 th-place finish in the opener and was untouched over the remaining five weeks, still totalling a per fect 10 0 to claim the title of Berkshire Count y ’ s best With a gaping win in Week 2’s slalom race of 5 6 6 seconds with a time of 51 3 5, Jankovic’s average margin of victor y was 3 19 seconds She took on all comers, with three other girls finishing as runner-up throughout the season She helped guide the Millionaires to a repeat count y title and led a full crew into the state meet at Berkshire East On the big gest stage, Jankovic still produced, placing 1 2 th in slalom and 1 3th in GS, which resulted in the ninth-best combined time (1:3 8 3 8) of the day It was a heck of a season for the Lenox eighth-grader, and the best is still yet to come.

BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR: Marc L atimer, TACONIC

On the boys side, the Berkshire Count y league looked to be wide open in 2020, and three di erent teams took home race victories, including the Taconic Braves Head coach Marc L atimer’s crew showcased some major in-season improvements highlighted by a runner-up spot in Week 4, before roaring to a win in the seasonfinale by 6 0 9 seconds over Monument Mountain The Braves only carded five individual DNFs throughout the season, and sent t wo underclassmen skiers to states in count y champion Andrew King and Shamus Gaher t y L atimer earns this nod for more than his work in making the Braves a tough out week in and week out, for more than a decade, he and his family have been a stalwar t in keeping the spor t of alpine alive in Berkshire Count y. From the elites like King to the freshest of rookies, L atimer makes life-long skiers out of his student-athletes

GIRLS COACH OF THE YEAR: Greg Knight, LENOX

The Millionaires are the standard-bearers right now for Berkshire Count y alpine skiing Head coach Greg Knight and his sta have helmed a program that took home both the girls and boys regular season titles, and swept the season-long podium for All-Berkshire on the girls side Lenox got a title from Helena Jankovic, and then backed her up with Madison DiGrigoli in second with 91 points and Molly Knight in third with 87 Senior Taylor Knight also wedged herself into fif th overall with a pair of runner-ups DiGrigoli and Molly Knight each finished second to Jankovic t wice as well, illustrating the consistency of Knight ’ s program The Lenox girls won all six count y races and then brought it home by placing fif th overall as a team at states with a total time of 30 6 14 seconds The Millionaires sent eight student-athletes to states, including three boys, who helped take home four league wins on the season, edging Wahconah in second 5 3-51 for the count y hardware

Nordic Skiing

BOYS SKIER OF THE YEAR: Col McDermott, MOUNT GRE YLOCK

Col McDermot t threw down the gauntlet in the first race of the season and never looked back The Mount Greylock senior took first in all of the league races during the regular season as the Mounties repeated as Berkshire League champs He also held o a strong field of competition, as five other skiers finished in second place behind him In the postseason he finished in four th overall at Prospect Mountain as Mount Greylock reclaimed the MIA A state championship by holding o rival Lenox GIRLS CO -SKIER OF THE YEAR: Mar y Elliot, LENOX

Elliot was as steady a skier as Lenox had throughout the regular season, then in the MIA A state championships she helped make sure that her Millionaires went home with the first-place trophy. Elliot finished first in one race during the regular

season, added a second and a third, and had t wo, four th-place finishes as she tied for second in the overall position race With the competition around her solid, Elliot stepped her game up at Prospect Mountain in the state championships, skiing to a four th-place finish as the Millionaires edged rival Mount Greylock for the title

GIRLS CO -SKIER OF THE YEAR: Jackie Wells, MOUNT GRE YLOCK

Jackie Wells put together a solid and consistent showing throughout the Nordic season for Mount Greylock, finishing as the Mounties’ top placer in four of the six Berkshire League races this winter Her average finishing position, 1 25, was best in the League, and came in a season where three other skiers averaged a 2 5 for finishing positions. At the MIA A state championships, Wells finished 1 2 th overall, helping her Mounties to place second as a team

BOYS COACH OF THE YEAR: Hiram Greene, MOUNT GRE YLOCK

Hiram Greene’s influence on Nordic skiing in Berkshire Count y can be felt nearly ever y where, but most cer tainly in the trophy cabinet A three-decade veteran of the spor t in the Berkshires, Greene’s boys teams have found consistent success in both the Berkshire League and the MIA A state championships, and this year was no di erent The Mounties won the league title again, and a year af ter losing their grip on the state title, the coaches and skiers celebrated again this year when Greylock beat the pack at Prospect Mountain

GIRLS COACH OF THE YEAR: Joe Bazzano and Kyle Zinchuk, LENOX

The Lenox girls program has been steadily building for a few years now, and this winter the team capitalized on its strong foundation Riding a strong underclassmen presence along with a few veteran skiers, the Millionaires got back on top of the MIA A world by winning the state championships at Prospect Mountain In the process, the Millionaires defeated their archrivals, the Mount Greylock Mounties, to claim the ultimate prize

Hockey

CO -PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Ryan L aPierre, WAHCONAH

R yan L aPierre finished o his hockey career in dominating fashion, scoring 20 goals and dishing out 14 assists as the Wahconah hockey team made a run to the Western Mass Division III-A championship game L aPierre scored four goals in the playo s to get his team to the final, had one hat trick in the regular season, and recorded multiple points in 10 games He also had multiple assists in t wo games this season, including three in a win over Chicopee Comp

CO -PL AYER OF THE YEAR: Jake Risley, WAHCONAH

Jake Risley’s senior year was broken up at times due to illness, but the cold was about the only thing that could get to the netminder during the season Risley recorded t wo shutouts on the year, and in a four-game span near the end of the season, he gave up just four goals while his team scored 1 5 During the team’s Western Mass Division III-A final run, Risley gave up just four goals in three games, and had 37 saves in the final before Greenfield finally broke through for the win

COACH OF THE YEAR: Matt Risley, WAHCONAH

Mat t Risley took over t wo years ago, and showed o his abilities as coach by get ting the Warriors to the Western Mass Division III-A championship game in the 201920 season Risley was able to mix together kids from three di erent schools Wahconah, Taconic and Pit tsfield and get them to buy into a team-first message Risley’s kids spread the puck around throughout the season, and were defensively stout as they made their run through the D-IIIA tournament

Swimming

BOYS SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: Sam Cybulski, MONUMENT MOUNTAIN C ybulski shined in his sophomore season, registering 1 2 points for Monument at the Western Central Massachuset ts swim meet by slicing t wo seconds o his seed time in both the 10 0-yard backstroke and 20 0 freest yle His tenth-place finish in the 10 0 backstroke, with a time of 59 98 , was good for seven points, the most any local swimmer earned in any event C ybulski showcased the versatilit y needed to stand out as one of the Count y ’ s strongest swimmers.

GIRLS SWIMMER OF THE YEAR: Asa Stone, MONUMENT MOUNTAIN

Stone was The Berkshire Eagle’s girls swimmer of the year for the 2018-19 season af ter t wo bronze medals at the Western / Central Mass swim meet and raised the bar at this season ’ s meet crushing her seed times and earning t wo first-place finishes Stone’s confidence continued outside of the swimming lanes, becoming a leader for a roster that is on the younger side

COACH OF THE YEAR: Jill Svirida, MONUMENT MOUNTAIN

The names may change, but the Spar tans continue to thrive under coach Svirida On the boys side, a second-straight undefeated season Meanwhile, the girls finished with an impressive 8-2 record Svirida isn’ t just a swimming coach, but a life coach who invests the same amount of time in and out of the pool The Spar tans enter each season with high hopes and rarely miss the mark with a sustainabilit y that is rarely seen at the high school level

Wrestling

UPPER WEIGHT WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Dylan Burke, TACONIC

Burke capped his dominant career at Taconic by repeating as a Western Mass Division III champion and claiming a second MIA A Division III championship, this time at 182 pounds, before going on to place third at the MIA A All-State meet Burke broke the school’s all-time wins record this year and finishes with 176 wins to his name. Burke also broke the school’s single-season wins mark, recording 5 5 in his senior campaign Burke finished first in his team’s Taconic Invitational, at the Wayland Holiday Tournament, and at the Red Raider Invitational He also placed fif th at the prestigious George Bossi Lowell Holiday Tournament, and finished second at the Mountie Invite

CO -LOWER WEIGHT WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Zack Lupiani, MOUNT E VERE T T Lupiani joins his dad, Dave, as a wrestling All Star this winter The elder of the Lupiani siblings currently on the team, Zack ’ s season was one of redemption, as he climbed back on top of the Western Mass Division III world by winning the sectional title at 1 26 pounds -- the second sectional title of his career Lupiani went on to place third at the MIA A Division III championships, and qualified for the All-State championships, as well During the season, he won the Mountie Invite, the Eagle Holiday Classic and the Berkshire Holiday Tournament, and he finished second at the Chad Antoch Memorial Tournament and the Taconic Invitational

CO-LOWER WEIGHT WRESTLER OF THE YEAR: Mike LaFreniere, TACONIC

LaFreniere capped o his Taconic career by winning a second straight Western Mass D-III title, this time at 132 pounds LaFreniere went on to place second at the MIAA D-III championships, and qualified for the All-State meet LaFreniere went over 150 career wins during the season, and finished with 155 -- third all-time in program history During the regular season, LaFreniere took home first-place finishes at the Mountie Invite, Wayland Holiday Tournament, Red Raider Invitational and Taconic Invitational

COACH OF

THE

YEAR: Dave Lupiani, MOUNT E VERE T T

Dave Lupiani is a veteran of the wrestling game in Berkshire Count y, and now he can add Coach of the Year honors to his cabinet Lupiani’s Mount Everet t team has been low on numbers for a while now, but his few kids put up big per formances in the 2019-20 season Lupiani’s sons, Nick and Zack, won Western Mass D-III titles in the winter, and the Eagles also had Jerimiah Tomascak and Eduardo Rodriguez place at sectionals en route to placing four th as a team Dave Lupiani’s team also went 4-2 in the regular season to finish second in the Berkshire League, and Nick Lupiani made it to the finals of the MIA A Division III championships

Spring Sports

Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, all spring sports were canceled this year. Therefore, to honor the athletes, below is the list of every senior who would have played a spring sport.

Hoosac Valley

Liam Feeley - Boys Lacrosse

Aiden Maturski - Boys Lacrosse

Cairagan Greene - Girls Lacrosse

Faith Hall - Girls Lacrosse

Syrah Bradley - Softball

Kelsey Wohrle - Softball

Logan Stansfield - Softball

Zachary Swistak - Baseball

Henry Sniezek - Baseball

Luc Trombley - Baseball

Cole Desroches - Baseball

Ryan Audet - Baseball

Logan Keyes - Baseball

Colby Rougeau - Baseball

Ken Chesbro - Baseball

Zach Boulger - Baseball

Jackie Case - Track & Field

Jenna Levesque - Track & Field

Shaleigh Levesque - Track & Field

Grace Kronick - Track & Field

Madelaine Martin - Track & Field

Abby Wells - Softball

Bailey Shippee - Softball

Amelia Bergquist - Track &

Janna Looney - Track & Fie

Kate Mathews - Track & Fie

Becca Morris - Track & Fiel

Hailey Pickard - Track & Fie

Corey Bazonski - Boys Lacr

Dominic Orlandi - Boys Lac

Donny Nealon - Boys Lacro

Hayden Kendall - Boys Lacr

Jack Perenick - Boys Lacro

Tyler Meunier - Boys Lacro

Gavin Henshaw - Boys Lacr

Mike Acevedo - Track & Fiel

Easton Eberwein - Track &

Ian Graham - Track & Field

Mitch Gray - Track & Field

Jaden Kuzia - Track & Field

Shea McIlquham - Track &

Jack Minella - Track & Field

Cam Newsome - Track & Fi

Jack Pudlo - Track & Field

Zach Rogers - Track & Field

Charlie Salinetti - Track & F

Gri en Salvini - Track & Fie

Fred Sears - Track & Field

Alex White - Track & Field

Kevin Huban - Baseball

Luke Hescock - Baseball

Zak Bernardo - Baseball

Gabe Davis - Baseball

Caden Frazier - Baseball

Alex Walker - Baseball

Drury

Dante Woodson - Baseball

Hunter Sarkis - Baseball

Keeghan Vidal - Baseball

Payton Barnes - Baseball

Scott McGuire - Baseball

Rayanna Therrien - Track & Field

Joe Delmolino - Track & Field

Travis Dozier - Track & Field

Jackson Keplinger - Track & Field

Daniel Pompi - Track & Field

Nolan Roberts - Track & Field

Wahconah

Emma Adams - Girls Lacrosse

Maddie Naef - Girls Lacrosse

Emily Figiela - Girls Lacrosse

Cameryn CatelottiUnified Track & Field

Hayden RobbUnified Track & Field

Jess Duma - Softball

Hailey Lenski - Softball

Natal Paredes - Baseball

Dontay Carr - Baseball

Jackie Moulton - Softball

Megan Guyette - Softball

Jayden Tower - Softball

Isabel Lescarbeau - Track & Field

Alison Felix - Track & Field

Hannah Singer - Track & Field

Emily Burdick - Track & Field

Holly Boudreau - Track & Field

Brian Czarnecki - Track & Field

Francisco Alicandri - Track & Field

Jacob Swan - Track & Field

Braedon Delmolino - Track & Field

Jadon Hartley - Track & Field

Mount Greylock

Tyler Canata - Baseball

Mitchell Jezouit - Baseball

Joseph Jones - Baseball

Paul Roeder - Baseball

Brayden Smith - Baseball

Sarah Egan - Girls Lacrosse

Brooke Phelps - Girls Lacrosse

Liam Brady - Boys Lacrosse

Alexander Falk - Boys Lacrosse

Cole Filson - Boys Lacrosse

James HetheringtonBoys Lacrosse

Marleigh Briggs - Softball

Taylor Cornell - Softball

Evelyn Fuls - Softball

Nicole Overbaugh - Softball

Anna Welch - Softball

Ryan Narey - Boys Tennis

Gabriella Alvarez - Track & Field

Miriam Bakija - Track & Field

Elizabeth DeGra - Track & Field

Lily Edge - Track & Field

Ashtyn Faas - Track & Field

Tarryn Gaherty - Track & Field

Brandi Gill - Track & Field

Saville Keyes - Track & Field

Cairra Ramos - Track & Field

Madison Ross - Track & Field

Grace Sanchez - Track & Field

Chase Angelini - Track & Field

Owen Crowell - Track & Field

Nima Darafshi - Track & Field

Brandon FahlenkampTrack & Field

Brendon Goss - Track & Field

Jonah Kelly-WhitneyTrack & Field

Malcolm Skinner - Track & Field

Finnian Welch - Track & Field

Lenox

Jake Lyons - Crew

Maxwell Daoust - Track & Field

Heather Dennis - Track & Field

Keveen Delgado - Track & Field

Peyton Doyle - Baseball

John Fielding - Baseball

Lexi Fletcher - Softball

Lindsay HepplestonTrack & Field

Olivia Johnson - Track & Field

Karla Kalvo - Softball

Kendall Lamm - Crew

Claire Lynch - Softball

Emily Molini - Track & Field

Nick Nicotra - Baseball

Amelia Reis - Track & Field

Jett Steinman - Baseball

Zach Su sh - Track & Field

Isaac Tabakin - Track & Field

Spencer Villinksi - Track & Field

Monument Mountain

Sam Cormier - Baseball

Kade Groeber - Baseball

Rhiana Louw - Softball

Greta Luf - Softball

Finn Gerow - Track & Field

Chris Becker - Track & Field

Nicholas Lussier - Track & Field

Caleb Pollard - Track & Field

Nick DeRis - Track & Field

Augustine Free - Track & Field

Leo Rosenbaier - Track & Field

Abby Kittler - Track & Field

Emelyn Theriault - Track & Field

Brandon Cook

Emanuel Brown

Kevin D’Aniello - Track & Field

David Kankam - Track & Field

Tony Hunt - Track & Field

Nasim Purry - Track & Field

Adam Quinto - Tennis

Brian Lavinio - Tennis

Alexander Masiero - Tennis

Liam Fitzgibbons - Tennis

Ali Henderson - Tennis

Marie Butler - Tennis

Ella Korte - Girls Lacrosse

Sierra Murray - Girls Lacrosse

Maleah Speers-BrownGirls Lacrosse

Jadyn Petitte - Girls Lacrosse

Parker Bell-DevaneyTrack & Field

Adam Boscarino - Track & Field

John Broderick - Track & Field

Patrick Yeung - Track & Field

Riley Bailey - Track & Field

Rosa Barnaba - Track & Field

Elsie Dilisio - Track & Field

Alyssa Kend - Track & Field

Gracie O’Brien - Track & Field

Olivia Raifstainger - Track & Field

Sara Rawson - Track & Field

Ally Saunders - Track & Field

Gabby Theirling - Track & Field

Kylah Rivest - Girls Lacrosse

Madison Tobin - Softball

Jordyn Lummus - Softball

Szofia Lewis - Softball

Shawn O’Shea - Boys Lacrosse

Matt Wick - Boys Lacrosse

Noah Elzner - Boys Lacrosse

Roger Cook - Boys Lacrosse

Brandon JozefiakBoys Lacrosse

Omar Miranda - Boys Lacrosse

Ryan Polastri - Boys Lacrosse

Ryan LaPierre- Baseball

Mason Alfonso - Baseball

Josh Bean - Baseball

George Bissell - Baseball

Alexis Cruz - Baseball

Henry Eustis - Boys Lacrosse

Nathan Reynolds - Boys Lacrosse

Brady Whalen - Boys Lacrosse

Curt Wilton - Boys Lacrosse

Mount Everett

Carly Duval - Tennis

Laynie Mullen - Tennis

Shelby Tinker - Tennis

Madeline Von Ruden - Tennis

Gray Duval - Tennis

Cole Duval - Tennis

Jake Martin - Tennis

Marc Gogel - Tennis

Andrew Haiss - Tennis

Faith Angell - Softball

Ashley Atwood - Softball

Madeline Soudant - Softball

Megan Smith - Softball

Andrew Consolini - Baseball

Kenny Zucco - Baseball

Pittsfield

Cami Diehl - Track & Field

Megan Francoeur - Track & Field

Rhylie Garvey - Track & Field

Danny Dimassimo - Baseball

Nick Taylor - Baseball

Lucien Lamoureux - Baseball

McCann Tech

Mya Daigneault - Softball

Casey Daigneault - Softball

Hailey Miller- Softball

Hailey Williams - Softball

Hanna Williams- Softball

Alesia Yeaton - Softball

Kiera Kupiec - Softball

Rebecca Poulton - Softball

Jared Swan - Baseball

Dalton Tatro - Baseball

Andrew Levesque - Baseball

Jacob Swan - Track & Field

Jadon Delmolino - Track & Field

Jadon Hartley - Track & Field

Dana Canales - Girls Lacrosse

Jason Delisle - Boys Lacrosse

Liam Politis - Boys Lacrosse

Darian Tovani - Boys Lacrosse

Darius Tovani - Boys Lacrosse

Taconic

Billy Ellis - Boys Lacrosse

Wyatt George - Boys Lacrosse

Elyjah English - Boys Lacrosse

Takoda LaFont - Boys Lacrosse

Natalia Agrelo - Girls Lacrosse

Sara Curry - Girls Lacrosse

Leeyia Hoose - Girls Lacrosse

Alora Mahoney - Girls Lacrosse

Jenyka Ostellino - Softball

Mary Lee - Softball

Addison Lyon - Softball

Taea Bramer - Softball

Kirstyn Carrigan - Softball

Allie Puia - Softball

Jaylin LaCasse - Softball

Jaelynn Sistrunk - Softball

Tamia Patrick - Softball

Jake Risley - Baseball

Dylan Burke - Baseball

Luke Whitehouse - Baseball

Wayne Moore - Baseball

Cole Lander - Baseball

Abigail Heath - Track & Field

Ana’Lisha Ortiz- Track & Field

Sydnie Sherman - Track & Field

Dairis Brignoni - Track & Field

Ashlee Langlois - Track & Field

Faith Ezan - Track & Field

Adan Garcia NormandinTrack & Field

Chanze Filippi - Track & Field

Chris Adams - Track & Field

Dakota Brazee - Track & Field

Ethan Milette - Track & Field

Evan Fawcett - Track & Field

Je Crosier - Track & Field

Josh Tayi - Track & Field

Justin Forrest - Track & Field

Kyle MacDonald - Track & Field

Mike LaFreniere - Track & Field

Mohammed AhmedTrack & Field

Phil Evans - Track & Field

Sam Aku o - Track & Field

Sincere McGirt - Track & Field

Thomas Rabasco - Track & Field

Abby Cha ee - Girls Lacrosse

Jack Purcell - Boys Lacrosse

Taggart Roosa - Boys Lacrosse

Brock Bauman - Boys Lacrosse

Bob Stevens - Boys Lacrosse

Hunter Briggs - Boys Lacrosse

Caleb Kollmer - Boys Lacrosse

Suriana Lee - Girls Tennis

Cole Redstone - Baseball

Michael Somerville - Baseball

Declan Drozd - Baseball