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)

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 MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Name: Chad Alibozek

School: Hoosac Valley

Year: Sophomore

Sport: Golf

On Monday, Oct. 4, Alibozek shot a 36 at Forest Park Country Club as the Hurricanes defeated Taconic 146-163. He finished two strokes behind teammate Corbin Brassard for the top spot. One day later, Alibozek paced Hoosac with a 39 during the team’s setback on the road against Wahconah. On Thursday, Oct. 7, the ’Canes (10-4) rebounded with a 147-182 win over Drury at Forest Park. Alibozek posted a 38. He enters Sunday’s Berkshire Classic at Stockbridge Country Club as the tournament’s defending champion.

Favorite athlete? “Bubba Watson (PGA golfer)”

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

Favorite sport to watch on TV? “Football”

Favorite sports team? “Philadelphia Eagles”

Favorite athletic memory? “Winning the Berkshire Classic last year.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed against? “(Golfer) Barrett Ramsay from Monument Mountain.”

What is the hardest aspect of playing golf? “The mental game. Just trying to control yourself.”

Goals for the rest of the season? “I want to win the Berkshire Classic and qualify for the state tournament.”

What role will sports play in your life 20 years from now? “My goal is to play somewhere down in Florida, maybe on the Hooters [golf] tour. It’s like a step or two below the PGA.”

Coach’s take: “Chad’s the man. He’s doing it again. He worked on his game all summer. Him, Corbin Brassard and Matt Freitag all joined the Taconic Golf Club, and they all worked on their long-iron game. It has really paid off. Chad really wants to improve every time he’s out there. When he doesn’t perform up to his own standards, he’s hard on himself. He shot a 38 against Drury, and a 38 to him isn’t that big of a deal. For some other guys, that would be the best rounds of their lives.”

 NORTH COUNTY FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Name: Alexandra Levinsky

School: Mount Greylock

Year: Senior

Sport: Volleyball

Levinsky had a productive week on the hardwood for the postseason-bound Mounties (11-1). On Monday, Oct. 4, the senior captain notched 13 kills and seven aces during Mount Greylock’s 3-1 victory over Pittsfield. During a 3-0 win over St. Joe’s on Wednesday, Oct. 6, Levinsky delivered eight kills to help Greylock clinch a spot in the Western Massachusetts Division III tournament. On Friday, Oct. 8, Levinsky tallied 14 kills and nine blocks in a 3-1 triumph over Taconic.

Favorite pro athlete? “Wes Welker”

If you could attend one sporting event in the world, which would you choose? “A Yankee-Red Sox game”

Favorite sport to watch on TV? “Football”

Favorite sports team? “New York Yankees. It’s really interesting to see people’s reactions when you tell them you’re a Yankees fan when you’re in the heart of Red Sox nation.”

Favorite athletic memory? “Making the elite team for my travel volleyball league during my sophomore year.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed against? “(Volleyball player) Julia Warner, who graduated from Lee High School last year.”

What is the hardest aspect of playing volleyball? “This is going to sound gross, but I sweat a lot. So when I dive for the ball, I slide all over the floor. It’s frustrating when you have to ask the referee to clean up my sweat spots on the floor. My teammates have told me to bring my own towel to the game.”

Goals for the rest of the season? “It’s safe to say that we really want to beat Wahconah. I think they’re 11-0, and they’re the only team we lost to [this season]. We really want to beat them.”

What role will sports play in your life 20 years from now? “It would be really cool if I could still play in an adult pickup league. I’d also like to be an athletic trainer. I’d like to work with athletes and, if they’re injured, get them back on track. Being injured is one of the most frustrating things an athlete can go through. I’d like to help them.”

Coach’s take: “She’s our captain on the floor. She worked hard in the offseason, playing on several travel teams. She has turned herself into one of the best overall players in the county.” (Mount Greylock volleyball coach Phil Paul.”

NORTH COUNTY FEMALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Name: Taylar Gallup

School: Hoosac Valley

Year: Senior

Sport: Cross Country

On Sept. 22, Gallup placed second in a tri-meet at Monument Mountain. She completed the 3.05-mile course in 22 minutes, 12 seconds, leading the Hurricanes to 15-50 victories over both Monument and Drury. The ’Canes enter October sitting atop the Berkshire County standings, sporting an unblemished 7-0 record.

Favorite TV show? “I like the Bachelorette when it’s on.”

Favorite book? “The Catcher in the Rye”

Favorite subject in school? “Math”

Dream job? “I want to be an occupational therapist.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed against? “(Taconic’s) Chandler Ortega”

Hidden talent? “Making puppets and making videos”

Favorite band or musical artist? “Chuck Wicks”

Favorite athletic memory? “Definitely cross country practices. We have so much fun. We meditate together, we have a lot of inside jokes. We have so much fun.”

Hardest aspect of cross country? “Mentally pushing yourself and telling yourself to keep going when your body is screaming ‘Stop! It hurts!’ Sometimes it’s tough to breathe and your legs hurt so bad, but you’ve got to push yourself.”

Coach’s take: “Taylar is our leader for the amount of work she does. She’s also the glue that holds the team together. Her excellence has helped bring the rest of the team together. She never backs down, no matter what the challenge.

“During the race at Lenox [earlier this season] she was as sick as could be. Before the race, I told her just ‘keep purple (Pittsfield runners) behind you.’ She worked really hard even though she was sick. She didn’t have a great race by her standards, but she did what needed to be done – keep purple behind her – to help the team stay undefeated. All the younger kids look at that and see how hard she works. It helps build the team.” (Ron Namislo, Hoosac Valley girls’ cross country coach)

NORTH COUNTY MALE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK

Name: Ben Gamache

School: Drury

Year: Senior

Sport: Cross Country

On Sept. 22, Gamache won the boys’ tri-meet on Monument Mountain’s 3.05-mile course. He finished the race in 18 minutes flat. The Blue Devils are 3-5, but Gamache has placed first overall in all three meets he’s competed in this fall.

Favorite athlete? “Milan Lucic. You’ve got to go with hockey.”

Favorite TV show? “Man Versus Food (on Travel Channel)”

Favorite subject in school? “Calculus”

Favorite book? “The autobiography of Tedy Bruschi was pretty good.”

Dream job? “I would really like to be an architect. That’s my goal.”

Dream vacation spot? “Maybe somewhere like New Guinea. Somewhere different like that.”

Toughest athlete you’ve ever competed against? “There’s a few. The Harmon brothers (Ethan and Andrew from Hoosac Valley) were pretty hard to beat. (Greylock’s) Matt Cheung and (Lenox’s) Scott Carpenter are pretty crazy to run against.”

Hidden talent? “I can draw pretty well. I’m starting an art gallery.”

Favorite athletic memory? “It would probably have to be my first race (in 2009) because of the injury (broken leg) I was coming back from. It was my junior year at Lenox, and I came in third place.”

Hardest aspect of cross country? “For me, it would have to be an away meet. Just driving there and having to wait for the race. You just want to get out there and do it. We don’t have any home meets this season, so I experience it every week.”

Coach’s take: “He worked hard over the summer. He came back in shape. He ran at the Nike Cross Country Camp, and he did well in the Fourth of July race. He’s put a lot of time in, and so far he has lived up to that. He’s got a lot of things he’d like to accomplish, and he’s well on his way to a good year.” (Drury boys’ cross country coach Jim Buffoni)

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)