Berkshire Kings Lose in Closing Moments

By Stephen DravisiBerkshires.com Sports
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PITTSFIELD, Mass. -- The Vermont Ravens scored twice in the last 1 minute, 5 seconds to hand the Berkshire Kings a 30-20 loss in the New England Football League on Saturday at Reid Middle School.
 
Ahead 20-16 with two minutes left at midfield, Berkshire (1-4) took a gamble, trying to put the game away on fourth-and-1.
 
But Vermont (3-2) made the stop it needed to make, and five plays later Clayton Torres found Jaron Jeffcoate in the end zone to to put the Ravens ahead, 22-20. Torres then completed a pass for the two-point conversion to make it a four-point game with 1:05 on the clock.
 
Berkshire took over at its 35 after the ensuing kickoff, but Vermont intercepted a deep pass and ran it back to the Berkshire 28. On the game's last play, the Ravens ran it into the end zone to finish the scoring.
 
Vermont started the scoring on its first play from scrimmage after stopping the Kings on their first fourth-down try. The Ravens took over on their 49, and Torres hit a receiver on a slant play that went for 51 yards; the two-point conversion was good, and Berkshire started the game in an 8-0 hole.
 
But the hosts went 55 yards in three plays to get on the scoreboard. Justin Bailey (74 yards) went 8 yards, QB Joe Wiggins (84 yards) ran for 13, and then Wiggins hit John Agustin deep on the right side for 34 yards and a touchdown.
 
The Kings went into half-time with a lead after a spectacular 34-yard run by Wiggins. He started out going to the left side, cut right and came all the way back across the field before going up the sideline and diving into the end zone to make it 12-8.
 
An 85-yard return on the second-half kickoff by Jeffcoate put Vermont back in the lead, 16-12.
 
Donnell McFarland gave Berkshire a boost early in the fourth quarter.
 
One play after Vermont picked off one of Wiggins' passes, McFarland intercepted Torres and returned it 40 yards to the Vermont 10. Wiggins ran it in from there in two plays, and Stephen Sumpter ran in the conversion to make it 20-16, Kings.
 
Berkshire's defense stopped Vermont twice at midfield in the fourth quarter, but the third try was a charm for the visitors as Torres completed three passes for 48 of his 169 yards in the winning drive.
 
Berkshire is off next week before getting another shot at the Ravens on Sept. 7 in Burlington, Vt.
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Dalton Town Hall Lift Solutions in Development

By Sabrina DammsiBerkshires Staff
DALTON, Mass. — Solutions are being sought for the lift in Town Hall that has been out of service since December because of safety concerns. 
 
Building Grounds Superintendent Jeff Burch told the Americans with Disabilities Act Committee meeting on Tuesday night that Hill Engineering has been contracted to come up with a potential option.
 
The lift is in the police station and the only other lift for the town hall is in the library, which is not accessible after library hours. 
 
Previous attempts by Garaventa Lift to repair it have been unsuccessful. 
 
Replacing it in the same location is not an option because the new weight limit requirement went from 400 pounds to 650 pounds. Determining whether the current railings can hold 650 pounds is outside the scope of Garaventa's services to the town. 
 
The first option Hill has proposed is to install a vertical lift in a storage closet to the left of the police entrance, which would go up into the town account's office. 
 
A member of the committee expressed concern that the current office location may not be suitable as it could hinder access to the police station during construction. 
 
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