North County Athletes of the Week: Nick Aitken and Mackenzie Hitchcock

NORTH COUNTY MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Name: Nick Aitken

School: Hoosac Valley

Year: Senior

Sport: Football

Aitken was impressive on both sides of the ball during Hoosac Valley’s 24-0 thumping of Amherst on Oct. 17. The Hurricanes led 12-0 when Amherst drove into ’Canes territory late in the first half. Aitken, a cornerback, intercepted a pass from quarterback Justin Carey with less than a minute left to protect the shutout. As a tailback on offense, Aitken tallied 55 yards on seven carries, according to The Berkshire Eagle. He got the ’Canes on the board with 7:30 left in the first quarter, dashing 11 yards into the end zone.  Hoosac improved to 5-1 on the season (4-1 in Berkshire County).

Favorite pro athlete? “Dwyane Wade”

If you could attend one sporting event in the world, which would you choose? “Probably a Game 7 Bruins game in Boston. I went to a playoff game last year, and it was just nuts.”

Favorite sport to watch on TV? “Hockey”

Favorite sports team? “Boston Bruins”

Favorite athletic memory? “That’s tough. We went to the Super Bowl and won it last year. We won Western Mass. in basketball (in 2009), and then we played in the state final game. So I don’t really know how to answer that question and pick just one.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed with or against? “(Former Hoosac football and basketball standout) Dalton Larabee. He has so much heart, and he never gives up. He’s good at pretty much everything he does.”

What is the hardest aspect of playing football? “Probably going to practice every day. Some days, you just want to go home, but you’ve got to go to practice and work hard. If you want to win, that’s what you’ve got to do.”

Goals for the rest of the season? “Obviously we’d like to go back to the Super Bowl and win it, but we want to take it one game at a time. We really want to win the Berkshire County League, so that’s our main goal right now.”

What role will sports play in your life 20 years from now? “I definitely will always be a fan, and I’ll come back to watch the Hoosac games if I’m living in the area. I want to play in a men’s hockey league because I didn’t play in a league when I was a kid. And one of my basketball coaches told me that I’d be a basketball coach when I got older, so maybe that, too.”

Coach’s take: “Nick is a great leader for this team. He started for us last year at cornerback and he did a great job, and he’s even better this year. He’s a quiet leader. He’s always smiling. He’s a fun kid to be around, and all of the kids like him. He puts his nose to the grindstone, shows up every day and works hard.” (Dayne Poirot, Hoosac Valley assistant football coach)

NORTH COUNTY FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Name: Mackenzie Hitchcock

School: Mount Greylock

Year: Junior

Sport: Cross Country

On Oct. 13, Hitchcock notched a personal-best time on her home course while leading the Mounties to victories over Taconic and Drury. She crossed the finish line in 16 minutes and 4 seconds, finishing second overall behind Taconic’s Chandler Ortega. Greylock coach Larry Bell said that the race’s top scorers (Ortega, Hitchcock, Emily Kaegi, Amalia Leamon, Stephanie Adamczyk and Kaylene Lemme) recorded the fastest top-six in course history. Hitchcock led the pack for most of the race. “She set a blistering pace. She got everyone out to a real good time,” Bell said.

On Oct. 16, Hitchcock finished third overall at the Burnt Hills Invitational in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. In a race loaded with Division I teams, Hitchcock led the Mounties to first place out of 27 schools.

Favorite pro athlete? “[Cross country skier) Kris Freeman because I met him once. My friends and I were at one of his races in either Vermont or New Hampshire, and I was looking for him the whole day. So, like a minute before he was about to start the race, I finally found him and got his autograph.”

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

Favorite sport to watch in person? “Probably a running race. I’m happy watching soccer and football but watching a college running race in person is pretty cool.”

Favorite sports team? “I really don’t watch sports that much. (laughs)”

Favorite athletic memory? “Every year we run Berlin Mountain, which is 2 miles up and then 2 miles on the way down. Two years ago, we were doing speed work on the way up and it was raining so hard that you couldn’t see 10 feet in front of you. There were leaves falling, branches falling. It was really cool.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed with or against? “(Mount Greylock senior) Cate Costley. We’re really good friends, and she pushes me a lot.”

What is the hardest aspect of cross country running? “I love the sport so much, but the lifestyle can be good and bad. It’s hard to juggle practice every day with other things in your life like driver’s ed and homework. You have to work really hard to keep up with the training schedule.”

Goals for the rest of the season? “As a team, we want to take a shot at the state championship meet. Hopefully we can win Western Mass., stay healthy and compete the best we can.”

What role will sports play in your life 20 years from now? “For the most part, I want running to be something I do my whole life, running every day and staying in shape. I’ve thought about trying out for the Olympics, but it’s not as important as keeping a job and having a family.”

Coach’s take: “She’s getting more and more confident. She used to look over her shoulder and worry about someone unexpected catching up to her. She’s maturing into a runner that says, ‘Hey, why don’t I take a shot at the girl in front of me? … She’s the first one to keep us honest and make sure we’re having fun during practice.” (Larry Bell, Mount Greylock girls’ cross country coach)