Berkshire senior snaps all time points record

SHEFFIELD – In 1988 Melissa DelValle played her last game in a Berkshire uniform, and scored the last of her Berkshire School record 1,458 career points.

Ahmad Reid wasn’t even born yet. Reid entered Monday’s game against Millbrook 18 points shy of etching his name into the Berkshire record book as the most prolific scorer in Bear’s history.

Three minutes into the second half the Port Washington, N.Y. native nailed a 3-pointer to tie DelValle’s record, and less than two minutes later he drove hard to the hoop and tossed the ball over a Millbrook defender to take sole possession of the record. He finished the game with 32 points, propelling his team to a 69-65 win and giving him 1,472 career points with 13 games remaining in his Berkshire School career.

“I’m really happy about it. I worked hard for it,” the six foot four inch forward said. “Last year we ended the season in heartbreak. This year we’ve come out ready to play. I’m happy to have my teammates here to help me do this, I couldn’t do it without them.”

Reid had a rough early going of it against Millbrook, missing a couple of free throws and then air-balling a 3-point attempt, something he doesn’t do often.

“It’s so hard to play with that hanging over your head,” Berkshire Head Coach Peter Kinne said after the game. “It was hard to get him into the flow of the game.”

After a slow start, Reid exploded for 15 points in the last 11 minutes of the first half.

“It just took a little talking to from my point guard Barrett Ramsay,” Reid said of how he calmed down. Ramsay is the team’s captain and Reid said he just needed a little talking to in order to calm down.

“He is the heart and soul of what we’re doing here,” Kinne said. “He plays that way every single day, nothing but heart. I mean he leaves it all on the floor in practice and in the games.”

Hard work has defined Reid and the type of athlete he is. The hardwood isn’t the only place he’s had to work hard while at Berkshire. During the fall Reid doubles as the kicker and a receiver for the Bears on the football field, but basketball is his passion. He has committed to play basketball at the Division 1 Stony Brook University next season.

“His goal is to play Division 1 basketball,” Kinne said. “I’m just so amazingly proud of a kid like that. It isn’t even about the record, it’s about how hard he has worked to get to where he is.”

Reid had to work hard in the classroom in order to attend Stony Brook next fall. He had to raise his SAT scores in order to satisfy the recruiters.

“I had to pick my SAT scores up a little bit to go there,” Reid said. “They started recruiting me at the beginning of the season, when I went there to visit it just felt like the right fit.”

Kinne feels as though Stony Brook was able to get a great bargain by bringing in Reid to play for them.

“He had to take the SAT’s a second time, so some schools were hesitant about recruiting him,” Kinne said. “Stony Brook just stole him.

“I saw (the Stony Brook coach) down at Taft last week and he was just grinning ear-to-ear over the type of player he has.”

Several things stand out when watching Reid. First you can notice the way he commands the attention of opponents defenders and then blows past them with a powerful leg drive. He can drive the lane and slam the ball into the hoop with a powerful dunk, or he can beat you with a long range outside jump shot. He can nail a 3-pointer or a long range two point shot. Or maybe it’s his high basketball intelligence that stands out. Reid knows the game, and can play it with the best.

“He has an incredibly high basketball I.Q,” Kinne said. “Between him and Ramsay we’re a very smart team and that’s important for us.”

The all time points record isn’t the only record of Delvalle’s that Reid has broken. She also held the single game record with 48 points, last season Reid put 50 points in.

Despite all of his success, Reid is focused on this season.

“Right now I’m just looking to get back into the playoffs and have a good run,” Reid said. It’s a statement you can believe. After driving to the hoop for a layup and the record, the game stopped to celebrate the accomplishment, Reid simply walked to the bench, high fived a his teammates, hugged his coach and tossed the ball to his father sitting behind the bench. Less than a minute after breaking the record he went to take his defensive position, after all at the time his team was trailing by two points.

Is it time for a new mascot in Lenox?

In 1915 a team from the Western Canadian Hockey League called the Millionaires raised hockey’s most prized trophy when they won the Stanley Cup.

The Vancouver franchise eventually changed its name to the Maroons before folding in 1925. Today teams from Lenox carry on the winning tradition started on the Western coast 100 years ago. However, the Lenox Millionaires who claimed several Western-Mass titles this fall have suddenly had a small group of students looking to change the nickname; apparently something that happens every three to five years.

The town of Lenox apparently adopted the Millionaire nickname close to a 100 years ago because the town was founded by Millionaires. Now, despite their championship teams the Millionaires are subject to ridicule.

Some Lenox student-athletes have complained that opposing teams heckle them, which is true. Even opposing parents have made some snide comments about the Lenox nickname. I’ve heard a small dose of these banters over the course of the fall season, nothing to hurtful but just snide comments about the team and the players.

“This place sucks, can’t they get a nicer field? They are the Millionaires,” one opposing fan muttered on the sideline while snow fell at a soccer game in October.

“Sorry we can’t afford to pay you what they can,” one older fan (presumably a parent) yelled at an official during the Lenox boys Western-Mass title game last month.

At the time I chuckled, being someone who likes an appropriate snide comment myself I didn’t really think twice about it. Now, I have started to think about it.

Is the Millionaire nickname giving the kids from Lenox a bad rapport? Why are they called the Millionaires? Is there any other team in the world called the Millionaires?

I don’t know if the nickname has given the Lenox teams a bad image, but it has opened the door up to ridicule. Just because they’re called the Lenox Millionaires doesn’t mean millionaires live in Lenox, right? I mean how many Spartans do you see on Monument Mountain? How many Wildcats run through the streets of Lee? Okay, so maybe there is an Eagle or two in the Mt. Everett school zone. But really, just because a school has a nickname or a mascot doesn’t mean they are that mascot.

I mean my college was the Hornets. How many Hornets are in Northern Vermont? And I’ve never seen a Hornet taking classes or playing a soccer game. Or the Crusaders? Are they fighting a holy war or playing a football game? I’ve never even seen a Blue Devil before, so that tells me they don’t live in Drury.

Yes, there are a few teams I can think of that have a mascot that is localized. The Montreal Canadians come to mind. Yes, Canadians live in Montreal. And the Boston Red Sox wear red socks, why is it spelt Sox? On that topic the Chicago White Sox wear black socks, weird. But, just because you have a nickname or a mascot doesn’t make you that nickname.

When I think of Millionaires, I think of the monopoly man. How many bald men with an eye piece and a cool mustache are living in Lenox? Maybe there were one or two when the town was founded, but I assume that breed has since moved on.

However, maybe changing the nickname would be a good thing. After all it will open things up to have a mascot.

I mean how many possibilities are there for a Millionaire mascot? Maybe we could call to see if the Monopoly man is available.

A Google search of The Millionaires brings up a rock band from Orange, California. According to the bands Wikipedia page they are “widely known for mixing heavy explicit lyrics with a bubbly electro-pop sound.” That just screams Millionaires doesn’t it?

There may not be to many Millionaire sports teams out there anymore, but that may be a good thing. It allows the Lenox teams to be unique. And besides, they won several Western-Mass titles in the fall so let opposing teams make jokes and just point to the scoreboard.

I say let the students decide. So what if there is a long history of the Millionaires, times change and maybe the nickname isn’t appropriate anymore.

I don’t think it’s anyone’s decision except for the kids who have to wear the uniform and be known as The Millionaires, if they want to change it let them change it. If not let them keep winning titles as the Millionaires as revenge for the verbal jabs they take from their opposition.

Let the students who dawn the Lenox jersey’s (none of the maroon and gold uniforms say Millionaires, just Lenox) decide what they want to be called. If they want to honor tradition let them honor it, if they want to start their own tradition, let them start one.

Faster than Cancer

PITTSFIELD- A group of speed skaters carve around one of the corners of the Pittsfield Boys’ and Girls’ club looking to gain as much speed as they can as if they were running for something.

 One member of the club is running from something; cancer.

Al Gebo, 70, digs his razor sharp skates into the ice and pushes off looking for more speed. He cuts around the corner and looks for more speed on the straight away. Every time he skates he hopes to pick up speed.

“I figure I have to go faster each year because I don’t want the cancer to come back,” said Gebo, a Sheffield resident and Pittsfield native.  

Gebo has been cancer free for three or four years now, about the same time he started to race on speed skates. So maybe he didn’t out run the cancer, but he thinks he out skated it. His doctor agrees with him. He still goes to the doctor every two months to make sure he is still free, but his doctor tells him he thinks the skating helped save him.

  The 70-year-old was first diagnosed with cancer 10 years ago. He would undergo chemotherapy for about eight months and the cancer would go away. Then every March like clockwork the cancer would return. Finally he had enough. He decided he was going to enjoy whatever time he had left and do the things he wanted to do. He told his wife what some of those goals were and set out to complete them.

 As a young boy Gebo had skated on the frozen ponds and enjoyed the time he spent on the ice. He has always had a passion for skating so he went to the place where skating is king. The Lake Placid Oval. He was hoping to watch a race but unfortunately there weren’t any happening on the day he was there. So he rented a pair of skates instead.

“I cleaned iced for the day,” Gebo joked about his first encounter on the oval. “After one fall a young fellow came and picked me up and told me what I was doing wrong. I didn’t fall for the rest of the day.”

Later as he was untying his skated Gebo came to find out the young man who picked him up was a Canadian Olympic Skater. The experience hit home with Gebo.

  It may have been the simple action of the Olympian that truly saved Gebo’s life.

 “It was thrilling and exciting,” said Gebo. “It was exciting that this guy would take his time to come and talk to me and help me.”

  It was his first experience of a sport he says is all about the camaraderie. When one skater falls, they all rush to that skaters aid. It may have been the five minutes that the Canadian skater took out of his day to help Gebo that really helped him kick the cancer. When he returned home he found the Pittsfield Parks Speed Skating Club and joined.

After just two months of practicing with the club he was convinced to go to a race at Lake Placid. He participated in two races, a 500 meter and a 1,000 meter. He took second in his age group in both races. 

The retired welder still skates at least four times a week. In the summer time he roller blades and in the winter he gets on a sheet of ice as often as he can.

 This winter he will return to Lake Placid to compete yet again, only this time he will be racing in the 2,000 meter and 3,000 meter races.

“I don’t care if I win,” said Gebo as he took his skates off at the Boy’s and Girl’s club Tuesday night. “All I want to do is finish.”

The original idea of begin to skate again for Gebo was to build his legs muscles back up after chemotherapy. Now he is involved in the sport more than he may have ever imagined.

He skates with about 25 other members of the club from ages seven to 73. Gebo is not the oldest member of the club. He loves the camaraderie of the sport and he enjoys passing his love for skating on to others.

He enjoys the company of the younger kids in the club almost as much as the adults.

 “They try to beat me and I try to beat them,” he said with a smile. “There are a couple of kids that make you feel more welcome than the older people.

 “When you wipe out the kids are the first ones there to help you up.”

 Gebo has had is fair share of wipe outs. He’s kind of a dare devil as he doesn’t wear shin pads or knee pads, but it’s a risk he’s willing to take. A few years ago he broke his wrist, but continued to skate. After that he took a spill that was so hard it shattered his helmet. It didn’t stop him though, not after what he’s been through. He stood up, put his helmet back on and kept going.

Skating isn’t the only exercise he gets. Gebo bikes periodically sometimes with his wife. He also walks every day. Every day no matter the weather his 17-year-old faithful dog and he go for a walk in Sheffield. He says he usually covers two to three miles with his companion who has been by his side since the first time he was diagnosed.

“Now, it’s about staying free and healthy,” Gebo said of his exercise routine.

He may be farily new to speed racing but he’s had a passion for skating his entire life, starting with the time he spent on the ponds in Pittsfield.

  In never competed in competitions in his youth but, the 1960 Pittsfield High graduate  was a member of the swim team and participated in gymnastics as well.

Aside from skating, biking and walking the father of three children spends some of his free time seat weaving and fixing weaved chairs.  He hopes to spread his story and his message in hopes of helping people.

 “Never give up,” Gebo says is his main message. “I don’t care what it is.”

Words he lives by. After all speed skating isn’t easy, but it apparently is life saving.

 This profile originally appeared in The Berkshire Record on Dec. 12th 2011. 

 

 

  

Wrestler Snags 100th win

GREAT BARRINGTON- It was just another match. Another match and another win.

For Mt. Everett Senior Seamus Wolfe it doesn’t matter what number win it is, it’s just another win and then back to business. That’s something the senior demonstrated this week after picking up his 100th career victory on the mat, then adding two more.

 “Really it was just another match,” said Wolfe after pinning Monument Mountain’s Sebation Zapata for his 102nd career win on Tuesday night. “It’s a time for a little congratulations, but then it’s time for the next match.”

 The senior got the long awaited victory over the weekend.

 “We probably have only 15 or 16 guys that have done that at Mt. Everett,” said Eagles assistant coach Dan Lanoue of Wolfe’s accomplishment. “He’ll down play it but it’s a big accomplishment. 

 “To get it out of the way early is a good thing, he was sitting on 99 all summer.”

Last season Wolfe took home his third straight Western-Mass title, but couldn’t secure the centennial victory in the State Championship, as he took the runner-up spot for the second year in a row.

“It felt good to get it, especially since I ended last year at 99. That was rough,” said Wolfe.

He may be 3-0 thus far on the young season but he sees a mountain in front of him that he still needs to keep climbing.

“The neutral game I guess,” said Wolfe when asked what part of his game he likes the most so far this year. “But really, I don’t like any of it so far.”

 Wolfe said he will continue to train every day and work on all of his moves in practice and try perfect everything as he moves forward with the goal of claiming his fourth straight Western-Mass title and hopefully reaching the summit and taking his first State Title.

He may not be happy with his wrestling but his coaches are seeing good things out of him so far.

“He’s tough,” said Lanoue of Wolfe’s skill sets. “He’s mentally tough so he doesn’t get scared when he’s in a bad position he just slows down and bounces out of it.”

 “I’m conditioning every day, working on every move, it’s just repetitions and trying to get everything perfect, or as close to perfect as you can get in this game,” said Wolfe. “You never stop improving.”

It may be engrained in his DNA to be a wrestler. Both Seamus’ father and brother were wrestlers. But that just means he has to work harder.

 “Not from them,” admitted the youngest Wolfe when asked if there was pressure from the family tree. “They’re pretty much going to let me do what I do and they’re not going to hold anything against me. So there’s not pressure from them, but defiantly from myself.

“That’s one thing about this year is I know my Dad’s not going to get on me, he knows I’m doing what I can. I just have to keep improving.”

  Wolfe is hoping to keep improving and get back to where he was last season.

 “I want to keep it going as long as I can,” said Wolfe. It’s my last chance to be on the mat so I want to keep going.”

 “We’d like to see him get his fourth straight Western-Mass title and get a state title,” said Lanoue of his expectations for the senior wrestler this year.

The desire to keep improving is perhaps what makes him so valuable to his team. Wolfe is perhaps the most talented wrestler on a young Mt. Everett team.

 “He brings experience and leadership,” said Lanoue. “He’ll get on guys if they’re not doing the moves right.”

The Eagles are a young team so the experience and leadership from Wolfe can go a long way.

 “We’re young so we’re looking for guys to improve and get better with every match,” said Lanoue. “Team wise we’re thin in numbers so we’re looking more towards the individual tournaments and then Western-Mass.”

 Part of what drives Wolfe to have the success he has is the team environment though.

“I’m not going to lie, winning is fun,” started Wolfe about his four year career at Mt. Everett. “But I think the guys on the team is what makes it special. We have four grads (at the Monument meet) and one was here earlier. They all come back and cheer you on and say ‘hey how are you,’ and I know that’s what I’m going to do after I graduate. That’s a huge part of this.”

 This profile originally appeared in The Berkshire Record on Dec. 20.  

Special season allows hunters to escape

          WASHINGTON- In the past 15 years Sid Eichstedt has bagged himself about 10 deer, he increased that number to 11 last week.

  Eichstedt is a paraplegic from Lee who loves the outdoors. Every year the Annual Massachusetts Paraplegic Hunt gives him and others a chance to get out in the woods.

 “I think I’ve taken more deer in a wheel chair than I ever did able bodied,” said Eichstedt during a lunch break on Friday, just a few hours before he bagged his buck. He attributes it to the fact that he has to be patient and wait for the deer to come to him.

   The Paraplegic hunt is hosted at six locations in the state of Massachusetts. There are two locations in the Berkshires, one in Williamston and one at Mt. Washington.

 “It’s a special season,” said Andrew Madden the District Supervisor for the Division of Fisheries and Wildlife at Mt. Washington. “What it is, is a three day season specifically designed for paraplegics to get out and hunt.”

 For 35 years the paraplegics have been hunting Mt. Washington’s woods. Volunteers drive the hunters out to specific locations and help them get set up on a platform in the woods. The hunters head into the woods at sun rise and return around noon for a warm lunch and then they return to the woods until sun set.

 There are several areas set up for hunting depending on how many hunters there are. Some of the areas are on state owned property and some are on private land. Several land owners allow the hunt to take place on their land as their donation to the hunt.

“I just fell in love with the hunt and the people,” said Shawn Smith, a volunteer who has been involved in the hunt for all 35 years. “The sole goal is not just to get out and get deer, but more to enjoy the woods.” Smith said the hunt is more rewarding for him because he gets an opportunity to get out and help people do something they enjoy.

“It’s the comradery amongst other disabled sportsman,” said Eichstedt on what he enjoys most about the hunt. “And seeing the volunteers, they are just great.”

  For most of the hunters it’s an escape from reality.

 “The fresh air just clears my head,” said Brigitte Buzalsky, who has been at the last three hunts. “Then you go back to real life and it sucks, but for three days I’m stress free.”

 Buzalsky snagged a deer of her own last year. She didn’t have any luck this year, but it didn’t damper her spirit. 

  “These guys are just amazing,” she said of the volunteers. “I look forward to getting out here all year.”

 

Steve Gladding feels the same way. It was the first year attending the hunt for Gladding, his first in a wheel chair. He said it gives him a chance to feel the freedom of the woods again.

“It’s so great to be out there in the woods,” said Gladding. “These people are just wonderful and really friendly.”

 The hunt gives people who may not get a chance other wise to be out in the woods a chance to get out in the woods. As the hunters said, it’s not about getting deer, it’s about being in the woods and feeling the company  of other hunters again.

 If you didn’t know any better you would think the hunters and the volunteers were old friends. Jokes, laughter, hunting stories and the smell of fresh roasted pork filled the room where lunch was served Friday.

 Some of the hunters have been coming to the hunt for many years and it allows them to build friendships with the volunteers that help make the hunt possible. Many of them exchange e-mail address’ and phone numbers and keep in touch all year.

his year Mt. Washington location had five hunters come throughout the three days. The hunt also had about 15-20 volunteers that helped make the hunt possible and cook the meals.

 The volunteers put more than just the three days worth of time into the hunt. Volunteers spend time scouting hunting areas and recruiting donors for food, supplies and property. 

 This year the hunt didn’t cost a dime for the Mt. Washington locations. Everything was donated by local business and other people looking to give back.

 This story originally appeared in The Berkshire Record in early November.

Lewis kicking it to World Cup

SHEFFIELD– Not many 17-year-old high school students can say they have represented their country.

Zeiko Lewis can.

Lewis, a junior attacker on the Berkshire boys varsity team, has been playing games for another team this year; his home country of Bermuda.

Lewis has spent most of his summers since he was 12 playing on Bermuda teams, starting with the under 13 team and most recently the U-17 team. On Sept. 2, he strapped his shin guards on for another Bermuda team, this time the Men’s World Cup hopeful team.

He played 13 minutes against Trinidad and Tobago in a qualifying game.   

“When I first played with the men’s team I was nervous,” said Lewis of his first encounter with the team a few weeks ago. “I was the youngest on the men’s national team, no one really trusted me because I was the youngest player.” That is something that has changed according to Lewis, and will continue to improve as he spends more time with the team.

“Getting to see professional faces at first was a bit timid,” Lewis said of his recent call up to the men’s team. “But, I realized that they were playing on the same level as me, so there isn’t anything to be scared of.

“We’re all on the same field, so I must be just as good as them,” Lewis said.

Before spending his 2011 summer on the men’s national team, Lewis impressed with a good 2010 summer on the U-17 Bermuda team. In that season he scored three goals in five games. He followed the summer up by recording 15 goals and 10 assists for Berkshire. 

“Zeiko is the catalyst to our offense,” said Berkshire Head Coach John Moodey. In 2010, Berkshire led the league with 70 goals. Lewis was selected to the New England Prep School All-Star Team. According to Moodey, several colleges identified Lewis as the top player on the field in the All-Star game.

In his freshman season Lewis recorded eight goals. Entering his junior year, he is on pace to break the all time record for goals and assists.

This year, he will be leaving in October to play in two more games for his country. Playing on two different teams at once, may not be the easiest thing to do, but Lewis doesn’t have a problem with it. 

“I know my roles for both teams,” said the 17-year-old. “I don’t really change my style of play for either team, so I just do what I do for both teams.”

“He works as hard if not harder than any player I have ever coached,” said Moodey. “He brings it every day, to training, games, and any other aspect of the game. 

“He is a consummate team player, and always puts the good of the team ahead of himself,” said Moodey. “He is the sort of player that every coach wants on their team.”

Moodey describes Lewis as “selfless, determined, competitive, talented, modest, funny, and extremely talented.”

Lewis’ soccer career got started at a very young age. He says he has been playing since he was three. 

“Since I could walk, I’ve been kicking stuff,” Lewis joked. “So my parents just got mad and broke down and bought me a ball.” A purchase that looks like it is paying off for the Lewis family.

The soccer field isn’t the only place Lewis excels. He has done quite well in school, recording mostly A’s and B’s, he said. He also understands that school is just as important as soccer.

“My teachers understand (my schedule),” Lewis said about being in and out of school for soccer. “They know I do my work.

“If I drop in my (academics), then they won’t let me go,” Lewis said, something he plans on never letting happen.

Entering his junior year, it appears that he has his options open as to which college he attends. According to Moodey, several colleges have started the process of looking at bringing Lewis to their school, but it is a long process and will stretch into his senior year. So far, it appears Lewis is most interested in the University of Virginia, but there is still a lot of time before he has to make that decision.

“I am confident he will have a great opportunity to pursue his studies and soccer at a high level,” said Moodey. 

Lewis hopes to play at a division one school and potentially have an opportunity to play pro soccer after school.  

Lewis is a three sport athlete at the Berkshire School. When he isn’t sprinting up and down the soccer field, he plays basketball, and is on the track team. Last year, he was undefeated in 300 meter hurdles. 

Aside from being a talented athlete, and a great student, Lewis is a model citizen. According to his coach, Lewis is always first to jump up and help with fundraising efforts or any other project.

“While Zeiko certainly loves soccer, he also has an eagerness to learn, challenge himself, and take on new experiences,” said Moodey.

During his 2010 spring break, Lewis helped raise $20,000 for the Lutanda Soccer Academy and Foundation in Lusaka, Zambia. He did this by participating in a one-week bike trip through Virgina. He and other teammates, rode 30-40 miles a day. He has also been involved in many other fundraising events.

This profile first appeared in The Berkshire Record in early September. 

Eagles soar to Semi-final

HATFIELD – Their season was supposed to be over. Their season should be over.

However, their season isn’t over and the Mt. Everett Eagles are showing the MIAA they made the correct decision in letting the Eagles into the Western-Mass tournament. Mt. Everett’s final game of the season was snowed out and left them out of the playoffs, but after being allowed to petition for a postseason berth the Eagles were in and looking to make some serious noise. On Tuesday, the Eagles clinched a trip to the Western-Mass Semi Finals. Reaching the semi final game is the furthest the Eagles have every been in the programs history.

“The kids believe what I have told them all year, and that is it doesn’t matter how we get in as long we get in,” said Head Coach Jesse Carpenter.

So far, Mt. Everett has turned a few heads. On Tuesday, the 11th seeded Eagles ended the season for the number three seed Smith Academy on penalty kicks. After falling behind just five minutes into the game the Eagles tied the game.

Before the goal, Head Coach Jesse Carpenter was getting a little worried his team wouldn’t be able to score so on a corner kick he pulled out all the stops. The Eagles moved every player with the exception of their goalkeeper into the box to put the pressure on. The trick worked as Robby Parsons put the ball off of his chest an into the Smith goal.

“It was one of the most physical games I’ve ever coach in or been involved in,” said Carpenter of the style of play his team saw in the quarterfinal game.

The Eagles were able to get the win after playing sound defense in the overtime and forcing the game to be resolved in penalty kicks.

Both teams scored on their first three attempts before Eagles goalkeeper Colby Rueger made two big saves allowing his team to take the victory 4-3 on kicks.

The Eagles got PK goals from Nick Tomich, Dylan Wheeler, Cristian Sanchez, and Sage Angell.

Rueger isn’t your normal goalkeeper. He is one of the most talented offensive players on the field for the Eagles, but because of the circumstances leading into the final few games of the year Rueger was pushed into goal, a position he’s thrived at.

“He was fantastic,” said Carpenter of his keeper who had 12 saves in regulation and overtime. “He wasn’t supposed to be the keeper but in the last five games he has been unbelievable.”

The trip to the semi final game is the farthest the team has ever been and the Carpenter is hoping his team won’t be overwhelmed by the stage.

“The biggest thing is to understand the stage and not be intimidated by it,” said Carpenter Tuesday night. The coach thinks that may have been the problem early in Tuesday’s game saying his team was all over the place and seemed to be overwhelmed, calming down as the game got older.

Two years ago Carpenter’s baseball team played in the Western-Mass championship game, and several seniors on this team were sophomores on that team, so Carpenter is hoping they can draw from that experience and be prepared heading into the biggest game in program history.

The Eagles have a good mix of older players and younger players on the team, something that Carpenter thinks will help the team.

Dylan Wheeler is a senior on the team and has been scoring all season. While Nick Tomich is an eighth grader that was recently promoted to the team to help provide scoring touch.

“I knew he was ready to play varsity, but I wanted to give him a little more time at the J.V. level to start,” said Carpenter of Tomich. “I brought him up in an effort to get a little stronger.”

Tomich showed he could live up the pressure when he converted a goal in the penalty kicks.

The Eagles will now face the second seeded Hopkins team who knocked Lee off 1-0 on Tuesday. The game will be Thursday at Szort Park.

The teams haven’t played each other this year, but Carpenter has been talking with other local coaches to try and get a scouting report on the team. Carpenter thinks his team will have to do more of the same that they did against Smith Academy in order to be succesful, saying that Smith was a good game to help prepare the Eagles for Hopkins who enters at 14-1-2 almost an identical record to Smith Academy.

This story originally appeared in The Berkshire Record in early November. 

Farnum growing as a golfer

EGERMONT — Eat. Sleep. Golf.

It appears that if Devin Farnum had it his way, that’s all he would do. In fact over the last few months that is about all he has done;  okay mix in some time in school and doing homework, but for the most part Farnum can’t get enough of the course.

“I’ve been playing on the course pretty much every day,” said the sophomore who clinched his first trip to the individual Western-Mass tournament last week. “I try to get out here and if I’m not playing on the holes I’m on the range or on the putting green working on my short game.”

The dedication to the game has seemed to pay off for Farnum, a sophomore at Mount Everett. In just two short years he has excelled to the top of Mt. Everett’s depth chart. The sophomore has only been playing golf for two full seasons now.

“All it is, is hard work, and of course a little bit of luck,” said Farnum, adding that golf is a game of luck and sometimes putts drop and other times they do not. He knows that his hard work has gotten him to the position he is today, but also says he has a lot of God given talent, all of which he is thankful for.

On Monday Oct. 24, the sophomore golfer will be teeing off in perhaps the biggest match of his short career. The Western-Mass Individual Tournament. In order to qualify for the individual tournament a golfer must have 50 percent of their rounds be at five over or under. Farnum has done that in eight matches.

“I’m pretty excited,” said Farnum. “It’s my first time going to states, so I’m pretty excited. I’ve been working hard at it.”

With a little more than a week off before the tournament Farnum plans on using the time to prepare and perfect his game.

“I’ll just be preparing mentally for it,” said Farnum after his team’s final match of the season Thursday. “I’ll just focus on any weak points in my game and just keep training and training.”

A challenge golfers face in the Western-Mass match is the course. During the regular season matches are only nine holes, the tournament is a full 18 holes. It’s a little different for the golfers, but most of the time when not playing in a match they play 18 on their own, something Farnum said he did a lot during the summer.

“Only two things will change, you need increased stamina and the good thing about it is you get more chances to score and recover,” said Farnum. “It’s a game of recovery.” Farnum said he will be staying hydrated and snacking on the course, as well as staying focused on all the holes.

Despite Farnum’s fantastic season the Eagles struggled on the course. Mt. Everett limped to a 1-13 record on the year, getting its first win in the second to last match of the season. Something that disappointed Farnum. But, the future is bright for the Eagles. He says the team will be soaring in the near future.

Farnum is one of the oldest golfers on the team, a team that features no juniors or seniors. Farnum says that with the improved play of his teammates the team will be strong in the future.

“I’m really looking forward to next season,” said Farnum. “But then again this year isn’t over yet,  and it can only get better.”

This profile first appeared in The Berkshire Record on Oct. 30. 

The tools to get it done: Lenox Cross-Country star Scott Carpenter

PITTSFIELD – Lenox junior Scott Carpenter might be finishing first in every race this season, but believe it or not he’s better at another sport. Motor-Cross.

Motor-Cross was Carpenter’s first sport. He started ridding when he was four-years-old and is hoping to go pro.

“I’m really working at going professional in motor-cross,” said Carpenter after a cross-country race Tuesday in Pittsfield. “So we’ll see how the next couple of years go as far as that and college.”

Carpenter didn’t start running until he was in the seventh grade, and it looks like he made a good decision by starting to run. He has finished first this season in every race he has run in for Lenox. He credits it to hard work.

“The effort you put into it is what you will get out of it,” said the junior jogger, who puts in a few extra miles after each practice. “That’s really what motivates me.”

“Scott works really hard,” said Lenox Head Coach Jeanne Teasdale. “He is a kid that really wants to achieve.

“He is highly motivated not just to achieve, but to be the very best.”

Carpenter didn’t just win Tuesday’s tri-meet in Pittsfield against Taconic, Mount Greylock and Pittsfield; he crushed the competition, covering the 3.1 mile course in 16:57 almost a full minute better than every other runner.

Teasdale went on to say that having Carpenter on the team is good for all the younger runners on the team.

“I think the younger kids really look up to him and see him as somebody that they can look up too and strive to be like,” Teasdale said.

Carpenter runs every day of the cross-country season, but he doesn’t run every day of his life. In fact, Carpenter admitted that during the offseason he rarely runs. He mostly concentrates on motor-cross and academics. The junior is a high-honors student at Lenox.

“I find that running too much over the summer sometimes you peak to early and you’re steamed out by the time the big races come late in the season,” said Carpenter. “So taking it easy in the summer, I find, is better for me.”

During the season is a totally different story though.

“I eat right, I run every day, I put in a bunch of extra miles after practice and I work out hard,” said Carpenter about his in season training.

For now, the junior isn’t thinking about college or professional motor-cross. Right now he is focused on cross-country and the upcoming Western-Mass meet.

“Really the main goal is just states and the Western-Mass meet,” said Carpenter who appears to be in good shape to head for both meets.

Carpenter emerged victorious at Western-Mass in early November and then took third in the State meet a week later.

This profile originally appeared in The Berkshire Record in October. 

Back to blogging

Time to bring this baby back.

I’m ending my year of silence and bringing back my blog.

I’ve been busy lately running a sports section at a weekly newspaper in the Berkshires, but the paper doesn’t have an online source. So I present to you, my way to reach the people. You may see a lot of Berkshire related sports stories on this page, but that’s because I’ve received permission to republish my columns on here.

                I may at some point toss up some of my better columns and feature stories from the last six months, but for now I want to focus on Boston for a second.

                What a good time to be a fan. The Bruins are playing like they could win another Stanley Cup, the Patriots are in the postseason and the Red Sox are right around the corner. As for the Celtics, I haven’t watched a game yet this season, and I don’t see that changing any time soon.

                On New Year’s day my brother and I attended the Patriots game. Our beloved Pats hosted the Buffalo Bills and boy was it a good game. However, that’s not really what I’m focused on. Our tickets, thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, were awesome. We sat in a section near a bunch of season ticket holders, and I realized something. Season ticket holders aren’t always fans. Some of them are people with dollars to spend and time to waste.

                The crew we sat in front of was obnoxious to say the least, and I thought I was an obnoxious New England fan. Annoying whistling for every time Tom Brady touched the ball and a lack of knowledge of the rules made me realize fans just aren’t what they used to be. I’m not saying this about all fans of course, just some. The ones with dollars to spend, time to waste and need a reason to get out of the house.

                Comments such as “out of bounds up to the 40,” after a Buffalo punt rolled out of bounds at the New England 13 and “oh man, that’s face guarding,” after Jerod Mayo made a brilliant defensive play to reach up and knock a pass away from a Buffalo receiver, had my brother and I giggling like school girls on the way home.

                A frantic scramble to get on the jumbo-tron in front of some little kid in his first game at Gillette and a great sign, as well as a ridiculous phone call asking his friends if they saw him on TV and that they needed to check the Fox highlights (CBS has exclusive rights to all AFC v. AFC games, Fox carries NFC games) made us realize some people would rather just put themselves in the spot light then enjoy the game and cheer on our team.

                I know I share the same allegiance as this buffoon that sat behind me, but come on man. Have a little self respect. I spend a lot of time in high school gymnasiums and they have signs that say “be a fan, not a fanatic.” I think that could carry over to pro sports too.

                Plus, if you’re going to taunt players (which can be fun and funny) come up with something more unique than “Arrington you suck!” and please stop yelling it in my ear.