Locals Have Springfield College Football in National Rankings
A trio of Berkshire County football alumni have helped Springfield College to a 2-0 start and the No. 25 ranking in the country according to D3football.com.
Pittsfield High graduate Chad Shade, Pittsfield resident Jonny Bianchi and Hoosac Valley graduate Zach Wright each is contributing for the Pride, who have outscored opponents by an average of 42-11.
Shade was recognized by the region’s college football writers after an eye-popping Week 1 performance against Western New England.
Shade was recognized with the New England Football Writers Association’s Gold Helmet Award after rushing for 247 yards and six touchdowns in a 42-21 win. Last week, the junior quarterback followed that up with 116 yards rushing, a TD and a throw for 14 yards in a 42-0 road win at New Jersey’s Kean University.
Bianchi (Cushing Academy)i, a senior safety, has four tackles and has broken up two passes so far this fall. Wright is a senior offensive lineman at Springfield this fall.
The Pride Saturday is home against Union College.
Williamstown’s Jake Benzinger (Mount Greylock) has started two games at offensive tackle for the Wake Forest football team. The Demon Deacons’ junior has helped his team to a 2-0 start, including last week’s 51-20 win over Towson. On Thursday night, Wake Forest hosts Boston College.
Staying in the Bowl Subdivision ranks, Central Florida sophomore Jake Hescock has appeared in one game this fall for Central Florida. The Pittsfield native by way of the Salisbury School has helped the Knights start 2-0 going into Saturday’s game at North Carolina.
Westfield State University junior Evan Garvey (Wahconah) is second on the team in all-purpose yards with 104 per game. Has returned seven kicks for 109 yards for the 1-1 Owls, and he has a team-best four receptions for 99 yards.
Another Wahconah graduate, Endicott College sophomore Will Genaway, has two catches for 17 yards on the young season. He also has a tackle for the Gulls (1-1), who look for their second straight win at home on Saturday against the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Meanwhile, sophomore Anthony Whiteley (Taconic) has rushed for 33.5 yards per game for Endicott this fall.
Lee High football and Lenox Memorial alumnus Matt Heppleston has two tackles and a fumble recovery in two wins for the Macalester College football team. The Scots are 2-0 with a week ff to prepare for their Sept. 22 game at Illinois’ Monmouth College.
Berkshire County swept the Massachusetts State Collegiate Athletic Conference’s weekly women’s soccer honors this week as Megan Richardson (Hoosac Valley) and Brianna Hawley (Lee) each was honored.
Richardson, a junior at MCLA, was named the league’s player of the week after stopping 21 shots and compiling a .955 save percentage in a 1-1 week for the Trailblazers. She had nine saves in a 1-0 shutout win over Connecticut’s St. Joseph College.
Westfield State freshman Hawley is the league’s rookie of the week after making 13 saves in a 1-1 tie against the University of New England.
Richardson and Hawley could face each other in the nets on Sept. 22 when Hawley’s Owls visit North Adams. There likely will be a number of other local products on the field that afternoon.
Wahconah graduates Jocelyn Hill and Gianna Moncecchi, both juniors, and Ashley Zink, a sophomore, each have contributed on for Westfield State (1-2-1). On defense, Moncecchi has two starts and has appeared in three games. Zink has started all four games. Hill has yet to appear in the midfield.
At MCLA (1-2), the roster includes Jessica Halverson (Hoosac Valley), Brooke Mangiardi (Taconic), Jae Middleton (Taconic) Miranda Wissman (Drury) and Lauren Mangiardi (Taconic). Halverson and Lauren Mangiardi have started all three games for the Blazers.
Providence College junior Alessandra Arace (Lenox) has two assists so far for the 5-2 Friars. Providence, whose losses came by scores of 1-0 and 2-1 against No. 3 North Carolina an No. 12 Duke, respectively, take a two-game winning streak into Thursday’s home game against Drexel.
Springfield College senior Amanda Wright (Pittsfield) has a team-best four goals this fall for the Pride (3-0-1). Springfield plays at UMass-Dartmouth on Tuesday night.
Sophomore back Carah Cote (Hoosac Valley) has started all three games for the Salve Regina women’s soccer team. The Seahawks are 2-1 going into Wednesday’s game at Coast Guard.
Senior back Taylor Patti (Pittsfield) has appeared in all five games and started two for the Wentworth Institute of Technology women’s soccer team. Wentworth is 2-2-1 going into Wednesday’s game against Emerson.
Williams College sophomore Ilana Albert of Pittsfield High has appeared in all three games and started once for the Ephs (3-0), who are gunning for a second straight national championship this fall. Westfield State is home against UMass-Dartmouth on Friday night.
The Williams men are also off to a solid start, winning their opener, 5-0, at home on Saturday. Mount Greylock graduates Eric Hirsch and Brady Foehl each participated in the win. Williams is home this weekend for a pair of games against Colby on Saturday and Babson on Sunday at Cole Field.
Elsewhere in the NESCAC, freshman Sam Dils (Mount Greylock) has appeared in two games off the bench for the Hamilton College men’s soccer team, which was scheduled to make its home debut on Tuesday evening against Ithaca College.
At Albany, N.Y.’s, College of St. Rose, junior forward Shane Fuller (McCann Tech) has appeared in all three games for the 3-0 Knights, who went to Springfield, Mass., to take on American International College on Tuesday night.
Three Hoosac Valley alumni are contributing on the MCLA men’s soccer team this fall: senior Khalil Kareh and sophomores Colin Rousseau and Nate Wojtaszek. Rousseau and Kareh each has started three games and appeared in all four for the 0-3-1 Trailblazers; each also has been credited with three shots for MCLA, which is home Friday night against Worcester State.
Xavier University sophomore Connor Meehan (Drury) competed and ran a time of 18 minutes, 18.3 seconds in the season-opening 5-kilometer Queen City Invitational.
Northeastern University senior Tucker McNinch (Lenox) was fourth in an 8-kilometer race in Smithfield, R.I., to open the season. He crossed the line in 26:50.3 to finish 30 seconds behind the winner, his Huskies teammate Zachary Jarnagin.
Trinity College junior Ace McAlister (Monument Mountain) beat the field by more than 20 seconds at Saturday’s season-opening Trinity Invitational, helping the Bantams place first as a team in a six-team field.
Junior Michaela Grady (Pittsfield/Massachusetts Virtual Academy) competed for Westfield State at that event in Manchester, Conn., where the Owls placed third.
Molly Kittler (Pittsfield) ran a time of 14:16.29 in the two-mile Roger Williams Invitational. Her Salve Regina team finished first among five squads at the event.
Freshman Lilliana Wells (Mount Greylock) competed Saturday with Williams College’s cross country team at the Little Three Championships in Amherst, where the Ephs won an 11th straight title.
If you know an area alum who should be included in an upcoming edition of College Collage, please email sports@iberkshires.com.
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