Week 11 Already? Wowsers.

I usually like to add some “insightful” commentary to my weekly picks, but my computer is on the fritz. So, I’m going to rip through my Week 11 picks. Enjoy!

North County Athletes of the Week: Ali Tatro and Brandon Czarnecki

NORTH COUNTY FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Name: Ali Tatro

School: Drury

Year: Sophomore

Sport: Soccer

The Blue Devils have struggled to win games this season, posting just one victory through 13 games. Drury has, however, battled to six ties and has steadily improved with each contest. Sophomore goalkeeper Ali Tatro has kept Drury in some ball games with her play in net. On Oct. 12, Tatro made 17 saves against two-time defending Western Mass. champion Wahconah, the Berkshire Eagle reports. The Warriors won 4-0, but Tatro kept it close by holding Wahconah to just one goal in the first half. On Oct. 14, Tatro made 12 saves to help Drury earn a point in a 1-1 stalemate against Lee. Devils head coach Molly Meczywor said Tatro has been named one the team’s floating captains for the upcoming week because of her recent play.

Favorite pro athlete? “Rajon Rondo”

If you could attend one sporting event in the world, which would you choose? “The Celtics-Heat game [to open the NBA season on Oct. 26]”

Favorite sport to watch on TV? “Basketball”

Favorite sports team? “New Orleans Saints”

Favorite athletic memory? “One of my favorite memories was during a game against Hoosac last year. I made a save , and I didn’t realize it was that big of a deal until one of my teammates came up and gave me a hug while I was coming out [of the box]. It was a really good moment.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed against? “[My teammate] Danielle Racette because when we’re doing drills during practice, she always runs through the ball as if it’s a game. She never slows up.”

What is the hardest aspect of playing soccer? “[As a goalie] it’s trying not to hesitate. You have to decide quickly whether to come out after [the ball] or to stay back. You have to decide quickly what the opponent is going to do.”

Goals for the rest of the season? “As a team, we should work hard and never let up. We don’t want any weak moments on the field. Against Lee [this past week] everyone on our team played tough, and we executed very well together.”

What role will sports play in your life 20 years from now? “I’m hoping to go back into the youth leagues and help out. I went through the youth leagues, and I’d like to help the new kids coming up in any sport, whether it’s refereeing or coaching.”

Coach’s take: “Ali has really been playing well for us. She has saved us on many occasions. Her confidence has started to increase. She’s starting to come out on breakaways, and she is starting to come out on through balls, whereas last year she would have hung back on her line. When she makes a big saves, it’s a big pick-me-up for the team. The kids are seeming to feed off of Ali, in the sense that she’s making the big play and the next play we win the ball or something like that.” (Molly Meczywor, Drury girls’ soccer coach)

NORTH COUNTY MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Name: Brandon Czarnecki

School: McCann Tech

Year: Junior

Sport: Football

Czarnecki had a solid all-around effort during McCann Tech’s 42-14 thrashing of Dean Tech on Oct. 9. According to the North Adams Transcript, Czarnecki scored a career-high four touchdowns, three of them on plays over 20 yards. He rushed for 89 yards on eight carries and accrued 91 yards receiving on two receptions, helping the Hornets improve to 3-2. On defense, Czarnecki started in one of the linebacker slots. McCann’s starting D didn’t allow a score; Dean Tech’s points came on special teams and against McCann’s reserve defense.

Favorite pro athlete? “LaDainian Tomlinson”

If you could attend one sporting event in the world, which would you choose? “The Super Bowl”

Favorite sport to watch on TV? “Football”

Favorite sports team? “New England Patriots”

Favorite athletic memory? “The feeling of getting a handoff and running right up the gut to score a touchdown, and hitting a bunch of people on the way in.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed against? “The other linebacker on our team, Zach Bantle. We’re always competing for the most tackles in a game, which is fun.”

What is the hardest aspect of playing football? “The offseason training: running, lifting weights and things like that. Without all that, it would be so much harder to play during the season.”

Goals for the rest of the season? “I’m trying to reach 1,000 rushing yards and to record the most tackles on the team. As a team, we’d like to make it into the playoffs.”

What role will sports play in your life 20 years from now? “I think I’ll be coaching and hopefully still playing. I’d like to coach young kids. That’s how I started playing sports as a young kid, and you learn so much in those early years.”

Coach’s take: “With the formations that we have, we line him up in the fullback spot right behind the quarterback. Even at 160 pounds, he’s just going to come at you because of his relentless style of running. He’s not a flash guy; he’ll put his head down and run into you, and he might stiff arm you, too. He plays way above his weight. He’s also a very good receiver. He’s our leading receiver right now.” (Bob LeClair, McCann Tech football coach)

North County Athletes of the Week: Jason Pilot and Mary Nguyen

Our North County Male Athlete of the Week is Mount Greylock tailback Jason Pilot, who played a big role in the Mounties’ upset over Hoosac Valley on Sept. 17 and, most recently, accrued more than 200 yards rushing in Greylock’s 39-6 victory over Drury High School on Sept. 24.

Unfortunately, iBerkshires was unable to track down Pilot this past week for the questionnaire. Nonetheless, the senior’s accomplishments deserve proper recognition.

Last week against the defending Super Bowl champion Hurricanes, who hadn’t lost a football game since George W. Bush’s presidency, Pilot tallied just over 100 yards on the ground. On the other side of the ball, in the fourth quarter, he intercepted a Hoosac pass to ice the 22-6 victory.

One week later, Pilot ran wild on the Blue Devils as the Mounties improved to 3-0 on the young season. It’s not even October yet, so it’s a little too early to start talking about postseason favorites. That being said, three weeks in and Pilot has helped steer Greylock to the top of the Berkshire County League.

The North County Female Athlete of the Week is McCann Tech sophomore Mary Nguyen. The striker kicked off an impressive stretch on Sept. 17, scoring two goals during the McCann girls’ soccer team’s 5-3 win over St. Mary’s.

On Sept. 20, the Hornets’ captain notched her team’s only two goals in a 7-2 loss to St. Joe’s. The next day, Nguyen netted her first hat trick of the season during a 5-0 victory over Sci-Tech. Most recently, on Sept. 24, she added another goal against Pathfinder. With the 2-1 win, the Hornets improved to 3-2 in the Tri-County League (3-4 overall). Nguyen has nine goals in seven games.

Nguyen, who is also a promising point guard for McCann’s basketball team come winter time, devoted a few minutes of her time to iBerkshires earlier this week. Here’s what we learned about the Hornets’ sensational sophomore:

Favorite pro athlete? “Kobe Bryant”

Favorite TV show? “What I Like About You”

Favorite movie? “She’s the Man”

Favorite musical artist? “Beyonce”

Dream job? “Professional basketball player”

Favorite place to eat in the Berkshires? “Applebee’s (in Pittsfield)”

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? “Probably Vietnam. My mom, who is from Vietnam, tells me stories about it and I’ve never been there.”

Toughest athlete ever competed against? “My sister Nhi in basketball. She was always better than me growing up. She and [my older sister] Kathleen helped me get a lot better.”

Favorite subject in school? “Math”

Favorite athletic memory? “Probably when all of us on the basketball team would dance in the locker room before games. We’d listen to ‘Single Ladies’ by Beyonce to get ready.”

Hidden talent? “I can do the wave on my stomach. Most of the girls on the soccer team can’t do it.”

Coach’s take: “She’s probably one of the hardest workers on the team as of right now. She’s a quiet leader on the field, but you can see the excitement in her eyes. When she comes to the game or to practice, you can see it; she really enjoys playing and she makes things happen on the field. When you’re guarding her one on one, it’s very difficult because she’s so fast. She has a nose for the net, and we hope she can keep it going.” (McCann Tech girls’ soccer coach Mike Dowling)

North County Female Athlete of the Week: Alie Hill

Alie Hill sat out most of her junior season with an assortment of injuries, including a pulled hip flexor, a broken right foot and a tear in her ACL, which caused meniscus damage. Needless to say, she’s thrilled to be back on the soccer pitch as a senior captain for the Hurricanes.

On Sept. 7, Hill notched her first goal of 2010 during Hoosac’s 3-2 loss to Lenox in the season opener. The 'Canes rebounded two days later, on Sept. 9, with a 5-0 thrashing of Sci-Tech. Hill struck twice in Hoosac's first victory of the season.

On Sept. 13, Hill, a forward, netted both of here team's goals during a 4-2 loss to Mount Greylock. Through three games, Hill already had five goals under belt. On Sept. 16, Hoosac topped Mount Everett 4-0 to get back to .500. The 'Canes next battle Pittsfield on Monday, Sept. 20.

Getting to know Hill:

Favorite athlete? Sasha Cohen (U.S. figure skater)Favorite TV show? I like watching the Disney Channel Favorite subject in school? Science

Favorite book? "Because of Winn-Dixie" (by Kate DiCamillo)

Dream job? "I want to go to college for nutrition."

If someone gave you $1 million, what's the first thing you'd do with it? I would help kids all over the world. I'm a big fan of kids, and that's what I want to do when I get older, work with kids. If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? Paris

If you could meet anyone, dead or alive, who would you choose? Abraham Lincoln

Toughest athlete you've ever competed against? During practice, it's my [former] teammate Hannah Noel. She was just so good. She had quick touches and quick feet.

Hardest aspect of playing soccer? 'Trying to keep your cool when things aren't going your way. If you make a bad pass or you have a disagreement with the referee, it's important to keep calm so you can play your game.

Favorite band or musical artist? I'm a big fan of Eminem and Lil' Wayne.

Favorite athletic memory? I remember when I was playing in the U-14 league, and we were facing the team from Williamstown. The winner would move on to the [Massachusetts Tournament of Champions]. Me and Sam Howe did wall passes all the way up the field, and I got off a shot with my left foot and scored the winning goal.

Coach's take on Hill: She leads by example. She's a great leader and a great captain. During the summer, we were practicing in the 90-degree heat, and I could always hear Ali in the background, being a good, active voice for our team.

She's aggressive and has a great sense of timing. She knows when to burn past defenders and she knows when to be patient and wait for that perfect moment to break toward the net. And once she gets the ball, she's got a great shot.

— Hoosac Valley girls soccer coach Blair Mahar

North County Male Athlete of the Week: Matthew Cheung

Name: Matthew Cheung

Class: Junior

School: Mount Greylock

Sport: Cross Country

On Sept. 7, Cheung captured first place in a tri-meet at Mount Greylock Regional High School, conquering the 4-kilometer course in a personal-best 13 minutes, 53 seconds. He crossed the finish line 44 second before Lenox’s Scott Carpenter, who happens to be the defending Berkshire County champion.

On Sept. 11, Cheung had a great showing at the Ed Springstead Invitational in Colonie, N.Y., placing 10^th out of 64 runners, most of whom are Division I athletes. His 5K mark of 16:17 was one minute faster than his time on the same course in 2009.

On Sept. 15, Cheung again topped Carpenter but this time on Lenox’s home turf. The Mounties’ No. 1 runner took first overall in 17:10, edging his friendly rival by 5 seconds.

Cheung shared a few moments in between victories this past week to answer some pressing questions, such as ‘What’s your favorite TV show?” So, Matt, what is your favorite show?

Favorite TV Show? “The Office (U.S. version)”

Favorite character on The Office? “Probably Dwight. He’s hilarious.”

Favorite subject in school? “AP Physics”

Favorite pro athlete? “Russian marathon runner Emil Zatopek”

If someone gave you $1 million, what’s the first thing you’d do with it? “I’d put it in the bank, many banks actually. I’d save it up and probably invest in some stocks.”

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go? “Definitely somewhere in Europe. I went to Italy last year, and it was definitely one of the best times of my life.”

Favorite place to eat in the Berkshires? “Michael’s Restaurant and Pizzeria (in Williamstown)”

Do you have a hidden talent? “I’ve recently been playing piano. I just started taking lessons, and I played every day over the summer. It’s fun.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed against? “On my team, it’s Will Kirby. In the league, it’s definitely Scott Carpenter. He’s always pushing me to work harder and run faster.”

Dream job? “I want to be an orthopedic surgeon. When I sprained my ankle last year before the postseason, my doctor really put me on the right track so I could heal faster. That really inspired me to want to get into the medical field. Plus, my dad is a doctor.”

Favorite athletic memory? “During a practice a few years ago, it was late in the fall and (former Mount Greylock runner) Patrick Joslin and I were running in the woods, and it was snowing pretty hard. It just looked really cool. It was cold; the snow was freezing to our shirts.

“I really looked up to [Joslin], so it was a really cool experience to share that moment running together.”

Coach’s take on Cheung: “He’s one of the top students in his class, if not the top. He’s just a great kid, and he has a great attitude. He had a really great summer of training. He knows that you win races by working in July and August.” (Mount Greylock boys’ cross country coach Scott Burdick)

 *Hoosac Valley senior Ali Hill (girls' soccer) is our iBerkshires North County female athlete of the week. Check back in the next couple days to find out about Hill's recent accomplishments*

*Also, Drury senior Mike Tatro had an unbelievable showing last week in the Blue Devils' victory over Taconic. Check out Ryan Holmes' profile on the Drury quarterback*