Hurricanes Top Lenox to Stay Undefeated
CHESHIRE, Mass. – Futbol, meet football.
After the undefeated Hoosac Valley boys soccer team Wednesday beat Lenox, 4-1, the members of the undefeated Hoosac Valley football team were happy to take a break from practice to storm their fellow Hurricanes.
“These boys, they’re all our friends,” senior soccer player Dylan Rohlfs said. “Everyone here, we’re all friends with them. We support their games. It’s tough because their practices run so long they can’t support our games.
“But it feels so great when we, not only beat the team, but all our friends come get hyped with us. It’s one of the best feelings ever. I love it.”
The football players did not watch much of Wednesday’s game, but they did take a short break each time their friends scored to give the booters a round of applause.
And the soccer players gave them plenty to cheer about.
Blake Mazzeo scored twice, and Rohlfs had a goal and an assist as Hoosac Valley (6-0-1) bounced back from Monday’s tie at Mount Everett.
“We had some data on [Lenox], and we came in with a plan, and these boys just enacted everything we’ve asked them to do as far as the positions that we play, the spreads that we play, the movement off the ball, their energy, their leadership – they did everything we asked,” Hoosac Valley coach Blair Mahar said. “We had a plan, the plan worked today.
“We knew it’d be a tough game. This is a tough team. They’re well coached. They played great soccer. … I don’t think they really knew what to expect from us. We just came out from the first whistle and just took it to them and had a great first half.”
Lukas Mazzeo got things going when he converted a cross from Rohlfs in the 11th minute of play to give Hoosac Valley a 1-0 lead.
The early score appeared to take a little of the wind out of Lenox (3-4-2), which came into the game hoping to capitalize on the momentum of Monday’s win over Mount Greylock.
“This has been the bane of our existence,” Lenox coach Jedd Hall said. “We get scored on, and then it’s like … that’s the end of it. Now, we’ve got to dig out of a hole, and it’s 2-0 at the half.
“And I’m like, ‘Listen, it’s still a winnable game.’ But it’s just the desire and the heart.”
The Millionaires were down two goals at half-time because Blake Mazzeo scored with an assist from Evan Richardson with 7 minutes, 43 seconds left on the clock to make it 2-0.
Lenox did find its footing after the break and had a couple of strong chances to make it a one-goal game.
First, Fyodr Chairez-Volakh had a try from about 40 yards out that went just over the crossbar in the 49th minute. Then, three minutes later, Tristan Pritchard got a head on a cross from the right wing inside the 18 that sent the ball just over the goal.
Two minutes after that, Lenox found itself in a 3-0 hole after Richardson again set up Blake Mazzeo, who scored with 26:11 remaining in the game.
An eventful six-minute stretch of play ended when Lenox’s Dylan Blake came off the bench to give his team a lift with a goal to cut the deficit back to two goals.
In the 69th minute, Lenox again had a prime opportunity to get back within a goal.
A Millionaire corner kick from the left side was headed out of the 18 for Chairez-Volakh about 20 yards from the goal. He fired a line drive that got through the crowd but was stopped on a diving save from Hoosac Valley sophomore Diego Luna.
“Diego is awesome,” Mahar said. “Diego is our backup keeper. Craig Field is out with an injury. Diego, I think I probably spent 15 minutes total with him. We just threw a jersey on him.
“He’s athletic. He’s highly intelligent. And he’s highly motivated. So, yeah, making that save at that moment was awesome.”
A few minutes later, Rohlfs, who challenged Lenox all day with runs down the left wing, finally got a goal to make it a three-goal margin with 8:01 left to play.
Both Hoosac Valley boys football teams will be in action at opposite ends of the county on Friday.
The American footballers will be in Great Barrington to take on Monument Mountain.
Those who play “the beautiful game” will make a short trip north for a rematch against McCann Tech, a team the Hurricanes beat, 2-1, back on Sept. 4.
“McCann’s a tough team,” Rohlfs said. “They’re always tough team. They beat us, last year, pretty bad, and we tied them. Then we had that close game here the other day.
“We know those guys are physical. They’re a lot bigger than us. So we know they’re going to come with a punch. But I think we’re more technical, and I think that’s why we’re going to pull through.”