September 13, 2012 pdf edition - Quaboag Current

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PAGE 12 A Turley Publication • www.turley.com I Thursday, September 13, 2012 The deadline for submissions for Sports is the Monday 12 noon, prior to publication. Send information, to Sports Editor Dave Forbes, dforbes@turley.com or send it through the mail to: Turley Publications c/o Sports Editor Dave Forbes, 24 Water St., Palmer, MA 01069 Sportswww.turleysports.com Pathfinder strikes Cougars Quaboag wide receiver Joey Zalatores (84) carries the ball in the open field. Teams wait out wo-hour delay - PALMER - By Tim Peterson Turley Publications Sports Correspondent Despite losing their outstanding three-year starting quarterback to graduation, the Pathfinder football team is - STURBRIDGE - By Bob Schron Turley Publications Sports Correspondent There may have been a sense of deja vu here Saturday morning. It was the annual rivalry game between Tantasqua and Southbridge. Like last year, the Warriors were attempting to estab- expected to be one of the contenders for the Tri-County League title this fall. Following an almost two-hour lightening delay, the Pioneers cruised to a 40-8 season opening victory against the Quaboag Cougars in a non-league contest at St. Joe’s Park last Friday night. “The first victory is always the most important one of the season,” said longtime Pathfinder head coach Chris Pope. “We really didn’t play well as a team in our pre-season lish their potential against a Pioneers team that was athletic and had some experienced skill players. Last season, the Warriors upended Southbridge, followed it up with a win the following week over St. Peter-Marian, and at 2-0, seemed poised to resume its place as a major contender. It didn't happen. But it's a new year. Intent on change this season, Warriors, Cougars find reasons to celebrate - STURBRIDGE - By Bob Schron Turley Publications Sports Correspondent Tantasqua and Quaboag have made it a tradition: Two of the best athletic programs in Central Mass in Division 2 and 3, the two schools are now competing in soccer in both girls and boys play on the same night, as they have done for years in basketball. Quaboag’s gradual emergence in soccer, it’s taken the timespan of one archetypal Japanese year, 12 in Western culture, for the Cougars to achieve competi- See CELEBRATE | PAGE 14 TURLEY PUBLICATIONS PHOTO BY BOB SCHRON Quaboag’s Thomas Jankins (5) jogs out on the field. TURLEY PUBLICATIONS STAFF PHOTO BY DAVE FORBES scrimmages, but I thought we played very well in this game tonight.” Both teams were finishing up their pregame drills when a flash of lightening lit up the sky. At that point, the players headed to their buses. The fans were also asked to leave the field and headed to the parking lot. It never rained, but the lightning show continued for almost two hours. See STRIKES | PAGE 13 Warriors make good on preseason promise Tantasqua came out firing Saturday morning. Sparked by its 3-5 defense, the Warriors intercepted five passes and senior quarterback Randy Harrington made a successful debut to pace the Warriors to a 29-8 victory. It seems inconceivable now: Last season after their 2-0 begin- See PROMISE | PAGE 13 Buying Gold & Silver Class Rings, Wedding Bands, Jewelry, Sterling Silver Gold & Silver Coins, Wheat Pennies, Proof Sets Basketball committee unveils playoff proposal - MONSON - By Tim Peterson Turley Publications Sports Correspondent The members of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA) Basketball Committee worked very hard during the past year to create a new alignment for the postseason tournament. The new plan was made public a couple of weeks ago and is scheduled to take effect next year. Monson High School is the basketball chair school for District F. Two members of the basketball committee are Monson Athletics Director Sarah Shaw and Principal Dr. Andrew Linkenhoker. “I’m very excited that the new tournament proposal is officially moving forward,” said Linkenhoker. “A lot of hard work was done on this plan by the basketball committee and the tournament directors.” The basketball committee added a fourth division in Central and Western Mass. just like there currently is in Eastern Mass. Several high schools in Eastern and Central Mass will also be switching Districts under the new plan. No Western Mass. high school will be moving to Central Mass. “Everything is being shifted from east to west, but the state will still be split up into four Districts,” Linkenhoker said. “We need to have enough schools in each District to hold a postseason tournament. Most of the appeals that we’ll be hearing at our October meeting will be from those high schools that don’t want to change Districts.” One of the goals for every high school basketball team in Western Mass. is to win a Western Mass. title. Linkenhoker believes that goal should be to compete for a state title. “We’re always focused on the Western Mass. Tournament, but in reality it’s a state basketball tournament,” Linkenhoker added. ”It’s sort of like the NCAA Basketball Tournament in March. If a team is placed in the Western Regional, their goal isn’t to win a Regional Championship, it’s to win a National Championship.” A school that changes Districts for the postseason tournament will still be a member of their current league during the regular season. Four of the Central Mass. high schools that will be competing in the Western Mass. tournament starting in 2013 are North Brookfield, Quabbin, Quaboag and Tantasqua. “We tried to move the high schools that are located near the current District borders,” Linkenhoker said. “Schools were also placed in the four divisions strictly by a fixed enrollment number statewide, which always hasn’t been the case.” The Tantasqua boys and girls basketball teams are currently Division 1 teams, but they’ll be moving down to Division 2 under the new plan. The Quabbin girls basketball team will also be switching from Division 1 to Division 2, while the Panthers boys bas- See PLAYOFF | PAGE 13 Gardner Rare Coins 25 Pleasant Street, Gardner 1-800-452-3189 Open Monday-Saturday 9am-5pm
PLAYOFF | FROM PAGE 12 ketball team will be staying in Division 2. Quaboag will also be remaining in Division 3, while North Brookfield is moving down to Division 4 Lou Conte, Tournament Director for Western Mass., and Roger Bacon, Central Mass. Tournament Director, gave their input, but they weren’t allowed to vote on the proposal. “We really relied heavily on all four of the Tournament Directors,” Linkenhoker said. “Lou Conte and Roger Bacon have been around the game of basketball for many years and they know the tournament very well.” Both of the Monson basketball teams will be moving to Division 4. “Monson High School is the poster child why there was a need for a fourth division,” Linkenhoker said. “I really don’t think we’ll be appealing our move down to Division 4.” The Ware and Pathfinder basketball teams will also be moving down from Division 3 to Division 4. Ludlow will be moving from Division 1 to Division 2. Palmer will be moving from Division 2 to Division 3. All six of the District final games are usually played at the Curry Hicks Cage, which is located on the UMass Amherst Campus. The state finals are usually held the following week at the DCU Center in Worcester the following week. Because they’ll be adding a new division, a couple of District and state final games will most likely be held on Friday night. Tim Peterson is a sports correspondent for Turley Publications. He can be reached at dforbes@turley.com. Current basketball alignments WESTERN DIVISION 1 Agawam, Amherst, Cathedral (boys only), Central, Chicopee, Chicopee Comp, Commerce (boys only), East Longmeadow, Holyoke, Longmeadow, Minnechaug, Northampton, Pittsfield, Putnam, Sci- Tech, West Springfield, Westfield CENTRAL DIVISION 1 Algonquin, Burncoat, Doherty, Holy Name, Marlborough, Milford, North, North Middlesex, Quabbin (girls only), St. John’s, St. Peter Marian, Shepherd Hill, Shrewsbury, South, Tantasqua, Wachusett, Westborough WESTERN DIVISION 2 Athol, Belchertown, Cathedral (girls only), Commerce (girls only), Drury, Easthampton, Greenfield, Hampshire, Hoosac, Mahar, Monument, Palmer, Sabis, South Hadley, Southwick, Taconic, Wahconah CENTRAL DIVISION 2 Auburn, Bartlett, Blackstone-Millville, Clinton, David Prouty, Gardner, Grafton, Groton-Dunstable, Hudson, Leicester, Lunenburg, Millbury, Narragansett, Nipmuc, Northbridge, Oakmont, Oxford, Quabbin (boys only), Tyngsborough, Uxbridge, Worcester Tech WESTERN DIVISION 3 Dean Tech, Franklin Tech, Frontier, Gateway, Granby, Hampden Charter of Science, Holyoke Catholic, Hopkins, Lee, Lenox, McCann Tech, Mt. Greylock, Monson, Mt. Everett, New Leadership, Pathfinder, Pioneer, Pioneer Valley Christian, Renaissance, St. Joseph’s, St. Mary’s, Smith Academy, Smith Voke, Turners Falls, Ware, Westfield Voke CENTRAL DIVISION 3 Abby Kelley, Advanced Math & Science, Assabet, Ayer, Bay Path, Bethany Christian, Blackstone Tech, Claremont Academy, Douglas, Hopedale, Immaculate Heart of Mary, Keefe Tech Leicester, Maynard, Monty Tech, Murdock, Nashoba Tech, North Brookfield, PROMISE | FROM PAGE 12 ning, the following week on a rainy Friday night at the Reservation, the Warriors seemed to look past an amped up Northbridge team. The Rams took it personal and soared off to a 16-0 lead in the first 13:00 of the contest. Despite a leaping interception by Spencer Duncan to try to rally the Warriors, Tantasqua never recovered. The loss initiated a six losses in seven games stretch and effectively ended Tantasqua's playoff chances. “There's a different feeling on this team this year," coach Aaron Powell said. “There's a renewed focus.” Led by Harrington, who has been prescient in his playcalling and accurate with his passes, the Warriors' offense moved crisply against Southbridge. The teams played a scoreless first quarter. But Tantasqua then took over; the Warriors controlled the A Turley Publication • www.turley.com I Thursday, September 13, 2012 PAGE 13 – sports – North Central Charter Essentials, Quaboag, Parker, St. Mary’s, Southbridge, Sutton, Tahanto, University Park, West Boylston Proposed basketball alignments WESTERN DIVISION 1 Agawam, Amherst, Central, Chicopee, Chicopee Comp, Commerce (boys only), Fitchburg, Holyoke, Leominster, Minnechaug, Putnam, Sci-Tech, Shepherd Hill (girls only), West Springfield, Westfield CENTRAL DIVISION 1 Acton, Algonquin, Burncoat, Concord-Carlisle (girls only) Doherty, Framingham, Franklin, Holy Name, Lincoln-Sudbury, Milford, Natick, North, St. John’s, St. Peter Marian (boys only), Shrewsbury, South, Wachusett, Westford Academy WESTERN DIVISION 2 Belchertown, Cathedral, Commerce (girls only), East Longmeadow, Longmeadow, Ludlow, North Middlesex, Northampton, Pittsfield, Quabbin, Shepherd Hill (boys only), South Hadley (boys only), Taconic, Tantasqua CENTRAL DIVISION 2 Ashland (girls only), Auburn (girls only) Concord-Carlisle (boys only), Groton-Dunstable, Holliston, Hopkinton, Hudson, Marlborough, Medfield, Medway, Milford, Nashoba, Notre Dame Academy (girls only), St. Bernard’s, St. Peter Marian (girls only) Wayland, Westborough, Whitinsville-Christian (boys only) WESTERN DIVISION 3 Athol, Drury, Easthampton, Frontier, Granby (girls only), Greenfield, Hampshire, Hoosac, Lee (girls only), Mahar, Mohawk (boys only), Monument, Mt. Greylock, Narragansett, New Leadership (boys only), Palmer, Pioneer, Quaboag, Renaissance (boys only), Sabis, Southwick, Wahconah CENTRAL DIVISION 3 Ashland (boys only), Auburn (boys only), Bartlett, Bellingham, Blackstone-Millville, Bromfield, Clinton, David Prouty, Dover-Sherborn, Gardner, Grafton, Greater Lowell Tech (boys only), Immaculate Heart of Mary (boys only), Leicester, Littleton (girls only), Lunenburg, Millbury, Nipmuc, Northbridge, Oakmont, Oxford, Southbridge, Sutton, Tyngsborough, Uxbridge, Worcester Tech WESTERN DIVISION 4 Dean Tech, Franklin Tech, Gateway, Granby (boys only), Hampden Charter of Science (boys only), Holyoke Catholic, Hopkins, Lee (boys only), Lenox, McCann Tech, Mohawk (girls only), Monson, Monty Tech, Mt. Everett, Murdock, New Leadership (girls only), North Brookfield, North Central Charter Essentials, Pathfinder, Pioneer Valley Christian, Pioneer (girls only), St. Joseph’s, St. Mary’s, Smith Academy, Smith Voke, Turners Falls, Ware, Westfield Voke CENTRAL DIVISION 4 Abby Kelley, Academy of Notre Dame (girls only), Advanced Math & Science, Ayer, Bay Path, Bethany Christian, Blackstone Tech, Claremont Academy, Douglas, Greater Lowell (girls only), Hopedale, Innovation Academy, Keefe Tech, Marian, Maynard, Millis, Nashoba Tech, New Testament (boys only), Norfolk, Parker, St. Mary’s, South Lancaster, Tahano, Tri-County, Trivium (boys only), University Park, West Boylston line of scrimmage defensively and forced Pioneers' quarterback Jason Peck into hurried throws. Utilizing an offense which has favored the no-huddle under new offensive coordinator Joe Beveredge, the Warriors dominated. Tantasqua took a 13-0 lead at halftime In the second quarter, Harrington completed two touchdown passes, the first to Duncan for 32 yards. Harrington then found Jon Beaudry for the second score of the game and a 13-0 lead. “Randy has come back this season very determined to play well and to lead us,” the coach said during the preseason. “He proved a lot to us last season. It was tough for him. (Last year's starter) Alex Lucas was a great player for us so Randy didn't start. But it was obvious he had the skill. Then he was injured, but Randy was a terrific teammate. He has the players' STRIKES | FROM PAGE 12 Pope, Pathfinder Athletics Director Don Irzyk, who’s also a football coach, and Quaboag head coach Dave Shepherd held several meeting with the referees during the delay. The contest was almost postponed until Saturday afternoon, but the storm clouds eventually headed east. “I wanted the game to start at a reasonable time because I was afraid the players were going to tighten up on a warm night,” Pope said. “It turned out to be a perfect night to play.” It turned out to be a far from perfect night for Quaboag, who lost several key players to injuries during the course of the game. One of the Cougars players, who left the game, was senior quarterback Jimmy Zalatores. He suffered an injury to his left leg following a long run at the end of the first half. He walked off the field following the game on crutches. He was replaced at quarterback by senior Victor Santiago at the start of the second half. For the first time in three years, Greg Pobieglo wasn’t calling the plays in the huddle for the Pioneers offense. He watched the game along with several other former Pathfinder football players. Senior Matthew Stafford, who had been the Pioneers junior varsity quarterback the past couple of years, was given his first start in a varsity game. “Stafford amazed me with his performance tonight,” Pope said. “He’s a smart kid and he’s been to a couple of summer football camps. He’s a very good quarterback.” The Pioneers first touchdown drive was set-up following an interception by senior Trystan Davis at the Pioneers 31-yard line. Pathfinder moved the ball down the field on a couple of long runs by senior running back Cody Hess, who rushed for a game-high 81 yards, and junior running back Michael Krzynowek, who scored four touchdowns on opening night. Stafford also completed his first varsity pass to senior tight-end Brad Lord during the drive. Following a 14-yard run by Hess, which placed the ball at the 5-yard line, senior running back Dakota Nadle scored the first of his two rushing touchdowns with 1:44 left in the opening quarter. Stafford would add the first of his three extra point attempts. The Pioneers scored three more touchdowns during the second quarter. With 7:26 left in the second quarter, Nadle made the score 13-0 with a 1-yard TD run. Pathfinder got the ball back about a minute later following an interception by Krzynowek, who took over the spotlight. Krzynowek completed the six-play scoring drive, which covered 60 yards, by catching a 46-yard TD pass from Stafford. “I was very excited when I threw my first touchdown pass in a varsity game,” Stafford said. “I just threw a good pass to Mike and he did the rest.” A couple of minutes later, Krzynowek returned a punt 40 yards for another touchdown, which gave the home team a commanding 27-0 halftime lead. “Mike Krzynowek is a very gifted athlete,” Pope said. “Our special teams unit played very well tonight.” The Pioneers offense also continued to play very well at the start of the second half, as Krzynowek scored on a 9-yard run up the middle making the score 33-0. Krzynowek returned another punt 54 yards for a touchdown late in the third quarter, which increased the lead to 40-0. At that point, most of the Pioneers starters were replaced by the members of the jayvee team. Quaboag finally got on the scoreboard with 1:55 left in the game when senior running back Jon Janosz, who rushed for a team-high 49 yards, scored on a 21-yard run. Sophomore running back Devonte Parker scored on the two-point conversion play. The Cougars will be looking for their first win of the season when they face the Bartlett Indians at home on Friday night. On the same night, the Pioneers will be playing their first league game of the season against McCann Tech at St. Joe’s. McCann Tech, who was the league champions last year, beat Ware, 18-6, in their season opener in the rain, last Saturday afternoon. respect as a leader." Leading 13-0, the Warriors' defense then played with abandon. Trevor Roberts and Nick Beaudry each had two picks for the Warriors and Jon Beaudry had another. Roberts and Nick Beaudry's respective performances were tops among all Central Mass defensive backfield players, a promising start defensively. Harrington was ranked 14th among passers. It's a new year. "We're working as a team, the players and the coaches," said Powell. "You just want to get off to a good start."
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