WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — The Mount Greylock lacrosse team is vying for its third consecutive league champion this weekend.

The high school aged team will have home field advantage in the second round of the playoffs Saturday night when it takes on Lee

Lee defeated Northern Berkshire — the Hoosac Valley team — Thursday in the first round of the playoffs. The winner of Saturday's game will faceoff to become the Berkshire County Lacrosse Association league champion Wednesday.

"We have a good team. Our offense, I think it is the best in the league," Mount Greylock coach Jeff Stripp said of the team's chances on Thursday.

The team is unbeaten this year through fifteen games and is making its third consecutive run at the championship. The team has made it to the title game four previous years -  losing the first two times and winning it the last two seasons.

Also on Saturday, the first round game between Taconic and Central Berkshire — the Wahconah team will be held at Taconic High School. The winner of that game goes on to play the second ranked Pittsfield High School team on Monday.

The season's final standings were:
No. 1: Mount Greylock
No. 2: PHS
No. 3: Taconic
No. 4: Lee
No. 5: Northern Berkshire (Hoosac Valley)
No. 6: Central Berkshire (Wahconah)

Playoff schedule:
First Round
Thursday 6/2 Northern Berkshire (Hoosic valley) at Lee at 5:30 at Stockbridge Park
Saturday 6/4 Central Berkshire (Wahconah) at Taconic at 4

Second Round
Saturday 6/4 Lee/NB winner at Mount Greylock sy 7
Monday 6/6 CB/Taconic winner at PHS at Kirvin Park at 5

Championship Game —Wednesday, June 8

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Dozens of youth lacrosse players crowded the Mount Greylock Regional High School meeting room Tuesday to advocate for a varsity program.

The school currently lends its name to a lacrosse club in the Berkshire County Lacrosse Association's league and coach Jeff Stripp led the group request for the school committee to appropriate about $19,000 to start junior varsity and varsity men's and women's teams. He was supported by a room full of coaches and youth lacrosse players spanning from third grade on.

"We've been patient and we've done our homework," Stripp, who is also the president of the Williamstown Lacrosse Association, said. "They want to go to Western Mass. They want to give it a go against teams outside of Berkshire county."

Operating the teams would cost a total of about $26,000, with $7,500 of that being covered by user fees and booster clubs, Stripp said, and will help the school in a number of ways.

The program will help recruit school choice and new residents, it will connect more students with the school, generate more school pride and can lead to college opportunities that otherwise would not be available for some students, he said.

"Sports programs are important to some people," Stripp said. "Sanctioned lacrosse has the opportunity to attract new residents and school choice."

The surrounding youth leagues have had steady interest and the sport is growing nationally, Strip said. Recently Pittsfield schools voted to fund high school teams; the more teams that join the lower transportation costs will be, Strip said. The current high school clubs hover around 50 players per season and each team requires only about 20 players.

"It's about the kids that I've coached and the parents I've met," Stripp said. "It really is a low cost per player."

The program can really change students for the better by giving them a sense of pride and connecting them with the rest of the community, he said. Student Kim Houston said she has seen first-hand her peers change attitudes after joining the teams.

The success of the teams will not just hinge on that club, though. Williams College coach George McCormack said the college will help the high school team by providing clinics and fields.

While the School Committee expressed a desire to start the team, budget restraints will prevent the formation. The committee appointed school Principal Tim Payne to head a committee to further explore the proposal for next year.

"In a good year it would not be a big deal but it is going to be those costs that will be a determining factor," Robert Ericson, committee chairman, said.

Committee member Heather Williams said that she likes the proposal but did not like that the athletes have to purchase their own equipment. Stripp said that lacrosse equipment is very personalized and students would purchase their own anyway. Some equipment would be gifted from the club to the school if the transition is made.

"Students should not have to pay for school activities," Williams said. "This is really the worst possible time to come and ask us for money."

Committee member David Langston added that the school would have to budget for the entire $26,000 just in case the booster clubs and user fees come in short of Stripp's estimates.

Updated April 25, 2011 at 1:16 p.m.: The game officially ended after 24 hours, five minutes and 15 seconds - setting the record. Williams won the game 818 to 711.

WILLIAMSTOWN, Mass. — Breaking the world record for the longest women's rugby game is not easy; especially when Mother Nature adds snow, hail, gusting winds and rain to the equation.

The Williams College Women's Rugby team is battling Saturday both the weather and Keene State College for 24 hours to set a Guinness Book of World Record for the longest women's rugby game.

"Provided the weather doesn't get the best of us, we'll make it," Williams coach Gina Coleman said Saturday. "We certainly have the will and the stamina and wherewithal to do it."

The players started at 8 a.m. on Cole Field in the snow, but that switched to hail and eventually into rain while a strong wind tore through the field. After four hours, the players showed no signs of letting up – nor did the weather. Players were taking hour shifts on and an hour warming up, and a few players were examined by emergency personnel for fear of hypothermia.

"I have a small team in right now. We're taking shifts an hour in and an hour out," Keene State coach Karen Johannesen said. "We're using buses, cars, whatever we can to keep warm."

The two teams play a friendly game every year but this year they decided to shoot for the record to raise money for breast and colorectal cancer research. The game, titled Scrum for a Cure, received more than $7,000 in sponsorships and there are a few "sizable" donations contingent on completing the game that could bump the total to more than $8,000, Coleman said.

"It started as a small idea and snowballed into this great big thing," Johannesen said.

The game is being filmed and there is an official timer clicking away for when a representative from the Guinness Book of World Records verifies the record. The representative is expected to arrive Saturday night.

Area businesses have donated outdoor bathrooms, cots, tents and food to keep the players going.

"They haven't felt like they've been playing for four hours," Coleman said. "Their spirits are good."

Donations will be accepted until May 1 through the event's website and supports The Breast Cancer Research Foundation and Manhattan Surgical Associates Gastrointestinal Surgery Research Foundation, Inc.

More photos are available here.

 PITTSFIELD, Mass. —  After pitching seven season in the major leagues, Chad Paronto is coming home.

The 35-year-old city resident signed a contract with the Pittsfield Colonials in dual roles as pitching coach and starter.

Despite having been invited to spring training by multiple professional clubs, Paronto decided to hang up his professional career to be closer to his family.

"I know that I can pitch in the big leagues but that's the least of my concerns," Paronto said at a press conference Friday. "I chose to retire for my family."

Last season, Paronto led the Pawtucket Red Sox in appearances with 54 and posted a 4.22 ERA out of the bullpen. But at the end of the year, he said he began thinking of retiring in order to spend more time with his children.

When Colonials manager Jamie Keefe found that out in January, he jumped at the opportunity to bring him in as a coach. The two reached a deal earlier this week.

"I know Chad wants to be able to help the younger players," Keefe said.

Paronto moved to the city 15 years ago when he was drafted by the Baltimore Orioles in 1996. He got his first crack in the show in 2001 when he posted a 5.00 ERA in 24 games. He then went to the Cleveland Indians for the 2002 and 2003 seasons. He spent the following two seasons in the minors before getting back to the big leagues with the Atlanta Braves.

With the Braves, he posed a 3.18 ERA in 11 appearances in 2006 and a 3.57 ERA in 12 appearances in 2007. He then pitched for the Houston Astros for two years before signing with the Red Sox.

"I could have gone back to the Red Sox but I chose not to," Paronto said. "I was most excited about the coaching aspect."

The team is comprised of players who could play in the upper levels in the next few years, Keefe said, and Paronto is looked at to be the mentor and leader.

"We want to win a championship. We want to win it for the city," team owner Buddy Lewis said. "Chad brings the leadership to get that championship."

He will be used mostly as a coach but will also be part of the starting rotation.

"I've got plenty of bullets left," Paronto said.

Paronto pitched in 177 professional games going 6-12 with a 4.32 ERA in 183.1 innings. He struck out 107 batters and walked 66. With the bat, he got three professional plate appearances and stuck out all three times.

The colonials open the season at home on May 26. Keefe said there are three roster spots left to be filled.

"We look forward to a real exciting baseball season," Mayor James Ruberto said.