CHICOPEE – Once a year, McDonald’s honors student athletes from around the country as McScholar Athletes. Samuel Pursey of Chicopee Comprehensive is the male recipient of the 2010 award for his school.

Pursey is a runner and as a member of the indoor and outdoor track teams, he has been able to pursue that athletic passion. It is the middle distance races that he really enjoys–the 600 meters indoors and 800 meters out doors. He has been able to develop a discipline that comes into play in other parts of his life. Pursey graduated 3rd in his class, taking more than his share of AP and honors classes.

“My parents always stressed school first,” said Pursey, “so they made sure that I did the work I needed to do. As a result, I would never have the attitude that I could have done better.”

His coach and history teacher, Andrew Lamothe said, “Sam was a valuable member of our track team, taking points in nearly every meet. Sam was also valuable to our 4 x 400 meter relay throughout the season. I also had the pleasure of having Sam in class, as well as on my track team. In class he had one of the highest averages in my (Honors level) Modern-World History course his freshman year.”

There is more to Sam Pursey. As well as being an excellent student and athlete, he is able to balance his academic and athletic with his role as a guitarist and singer in his band, the Varlets.

Pursey will be off to the University of Massachusetts in the fall, where plans to major in Business. It is a field for which he is well suited, given his high level of discipline. He hopes to continue running at some level at school as well.*

CHICOPEE – Much is made of how these cross town rivalries bring out the best in Chicopee High and Chicopee Comprehensive. What has happened between the two boys’ basketball teams this year has done nothing to dispel that notion. After Comp beat the Pacers, 51-48 at home a couple o weeks ago, Chicopee got one back on the Colts with a 66-65 win this week.

There was much at stake for both teams, who each entered with 8-9 records. A win for Comp would have clinched a playoff berth for them, as they would have moved to 4-3 in the Valley Wheel and could finish no lower than second. It would also be a crucial game for the Pacers, as a loss would leave them with little control over their own fate. It was under those circumstances that Chicopee High and Chicopee Comp met.

The first quarter was in no way a precursor for the rest of the game, as the two teams struggled to get points on the board for much of the first. Comp broke the ice with just about a minute gone, when Ryan Malone was fouled shooting a three. He made all three free throws. After a miss at the other end Matt Toczek made it 5-0 with a short jumper. The Pacers finally got on the board on a Richie Cantella jumper thirty seconds later and then tied the game after another minute when Jesus Sanchez made a layup and then finished off the three point play with a foul shot. The Pacers made it 8 straight on a Sanchez trey at the midpoint of the quarter. Exzavier White broke the run with a layup, but Chicopee responded with six more points, including a three from Eddie Green to make 14-7. White’s jumper was answered by a buzzer beating Sanchez trey and it was 17-9 after one.

The Pacers kept the pressure, outscoring the Colts 10-4 over the first four minutes of the second quarter, getting points from their inside and outside game. Meanwhile the Colts were getting but one shot on each trip down. With 2:25 to go in the half, Chicopee was still up 14 at 31-17 and seemed on the verge of putting this one out of reach. Toczek then scored the next five points on a layup short pop and a three point play. A basket by Tyler Midura closed out the scoring with a minute to go and Comp had closed back 31-24.

They would continue there run to 9 straight in the opening seconds of the second half when Jesse Warren hit one from 8 feet and now were within 5 points. Sanchez answered that seconds later, but the Colts kept on coming. At 5:54, White’s three point play made it 35-33 and then at 3:23, he hit a layup to tie the game at 39-39. Comp had come all the way back. Chicopee responded with its best run since the beginning of the second quarter, getting free throws from Cantella and Felix Vega and a layup from Cody Hammond to go up by 6 points. Malone got three of those back with a three pointer. In the final minute, Lee Turner answered Malone’s trey and when the quarter ended, Chicopee held a 50-45 lead.

Dan Asselin got a wild fourth quarter off to a start with one free throw and after Malone and Green traded threes; it was still a six point game. And that was only the first minute of the fourth. Comp roared back to tie in less than a minute as Malone hit four free throws and White made a layup, Vega gave Chicopee a 56-54 lead on a layup and then Comp answered with 5 straight points—a post move by Malone, one free throw by Midura and two from Warren. It was the Colts’ first lead since the first quarter. Cantella had a chance to tie after he hit and layup and was fouled. It was 61-58 with 3:10 after a White jumper. The next minute was all Felix Vega. After he missed the front end of a one and one, he hit a pair of free throws and converted an offensive rebound. This put the Pacers back in front. After a Comp miss, Asselin drove for another basket and now it was 64-61 in favor of Chicopee. There was 1:29 to play. Brett James closed it to one on a put back with 53 seconds to go. White then stole the ball at midcourt and went in uncontested to give Comp the lead at 65-64 with 41 seconds left. Chicopee came back down court. Green had the ball with 20 seconds and went down the middle, making a three footer with 15 seconds left. Comp had one last shot, but could not get close enough for a good shot and saw a desperation jumper fall short as time ran out.

The Colts had the top two scorers, Malone an at 25 and White at 20 and both made their mark in the second half with Malone getting 20 after the break and White 14. Between them they had 34 of Comp’s 41 second half points. Sanchez led the Pacers with 15, scoring 11 before the break and two more seconds into the third. The key to their second half was Vega who scored 10 of his 13 points in the second half and was strong on the boards for Chicopee. Rounding out the scoring for the Pacers was Cantella, 10, Green, 8, Turner and Asselin, 5 apiece, Louis Lake and Chad Woodfine, 4 each and Hammond 2. On the Comp side, Toczek had 7, James, 6, Warren, 4 and Midura, 3.

Looking forward, the Pacers won their 9th game of the season and need but to beat either Minnechaug or Westside on Monday or Wednesday to clinch a berth. For Comp to make the tournament, they would either have to beat West Springfield on Monday and Putnam on Wednesday to make their 10 wins or if they lose one, then hope that Chicopee loses one as well. That would put the teams into a tie for second place in the Valley Wheel and send both to the postseason.

CHICOPEE – Raheem Kelly-Reid has truly been a special student-athlete in his years at Chicopee High and on Tuesday morning, the school celebrated that fact. A press conference was set up for the signing of his National Letter of Intent for football at Assumption College. With that he will be committing himself to that fine school in Worcester.

In attendance were his parents, Rocky and Veronica, Coach Alex Efstratios and other members of the coaching staff and several teachers and administrators at the school. Principal Roland Joyal got the proceedings underway with a few words of introduction. He mentioned that this scholarship is not just for his prowess on the football field, but also in the classroom. He talked of how Kelly-Reid came to Chicopee in 1999 from Lynn and how he eventually entered Chicopee High as a school choice student. He also made a point about mascots—that the Assumption Greyhound looked strikingly similar to the Chicopee Pacer.

Athletic director Jim Blain talked about not only football and academics, but also how Kelly-Reid can always be seen in the stands leading the cheers for other Chicopee High sports. Coach Efstratios reiterated the same points and talked about how hard Raheem worked in practice and in the weight room. He also made mention of his skills on the track team.

Then at 10:08, Raheem Kelly-Reid took an “official” Chicopee High pen in hand and signed his commitment to Assumption College. He was decked in a school sweatshirt and hat.

Finally the man of the hour had a chance to thank everyone, starting with his parents, his aunt and uncle and two of his best friends and teammates who were there in support, Orlando Harvey and Eddie Green.

Afterwards, people were treated to a couple of stories from his father and mother about how he finally decided upon Assumption. While his ultimate decision had a lot to do with getting away, they are happy that he was able to accomplish that, but still be close enough to be able to attend many if not most of his games.

Chicopee High is lucky to have had such an athlete and student and they did themselves proud in the way they handled this.

EAST LONGMEADOW – The Holyoke Catholic boys’ basketball team has enjoyed a banner season thus far, already clinching a place in the postseason. Their latest highlight came on Monday at the First Baptist Community Center, where Nick Bryda became the 10th player from Holyoke Catholic to score 1000 points in their career. Bryda entered the game with 965 points and scored his historic point from the foul line with 3:03 remaining in the game.

It was not easy for the 6’4” senior, who had been sick since the end of last week and had not practiced in three days. He was also fighting his asthma. But Bryda would not be denied. With an average of 23.8, it was something of a long shot for him to do it in this first of three road games against Pioneer Valley Christian. When he put up 9 points in the first, the thought that he might just do it became more apparent. In the second quarter, he struggled a bit, missing shots he would normally make, including a put back. With 5 in the quarter, he had 14 and needed 21 in the final 16 minutes.

Meanwhile his team was enjoying a comfortable lead. They jumped out to 15-5 in the first and then extended that to 34-18 by the break. Nathan Powers had 12 points at the half.

One thing that was working for him was his three point shot, especially from the left wing. And it took just 11 seconds into the third quarter for him to get on the board and that was his third trey of the night. He and Powers hit back to back threes to extend the lead to 45-25 and then he added two more in the third quarter. The twelve point quarter left him just 9 points short of the mark.

His teammates were looking for him and the bench rose at every shot that he took. He opened the fourth quarter with a three and was fouled on the play. Hitting the shot he had a four point play. That was just 20 seconds into the fourth. It took another two minutes but then at 5:30 he hit his 8th three of the night to put him just two points away. All eyes were on Bryda and everyone held their breath with every shot. Then he was fouled at went to the line with 3:03 on the clock. On the outside he looked calm as he sent those two shots through the net. Bryda had his 1000th point. After a little fanfare and congratulations from his teammates and the players from Pioneer Valley Christian, he was removed from the game. His two shots gave the Gaels a 69-39 lead and they would go on to win 75-42.

After the game he spoke, “I was trying to stay within the flow of the game and not do anything out of the ordinary. As a team, we tried to play our game and win. After the first half, I got comfortable on the wing and hit those threes. When I got to the line for the free throws, I was nervous and probably thinking as much as I had all night. All in all, it is a great feeling to be in the company of those before me. I am honored. What is important is that we won and we have some unfinished business ahead of us.”

Bryda has been playing since preschool, but really developed his game in high school. Coach Bob Prattico calls him the best shooter, he has ever had. Bryda joins a list of 8 boys and 1 girl who have accomplished the feat for Holyoke Catholic. Jim Palmer first hit 1000 in 1966 and was followed in 1970 by John Grouchowski. Bob Snyder did it in 1971 and then it was Neil Callahan in 1973. Fran O’Connell made it 4 in the 70’s with his in 1976. In 1991, the only girl on the list, Amanda Zedonis scored her 1000th. Shawn O’Brien did it a year later in 1992 and Jack Jerzyk made 1000 in 1998. Four years ago, in 2006, Ray Witkos was the last until Bryda.

The win was a big one for the Gaels, as it moved them to 6-0 in the Bi County South and clinched the title. Overall they are 11-6 and by winning out, could find themselves in a high seed for the upcoming tournament and thus gaining a first round bye. That remains to be seen.

CHICOPEE – For the second night in a row, Chicopee Comp played host to Chicopee High. On Tuesday, it was the girls’ basketball teams that met and once again, Comp came out on top, this time by a 49-36 score.

Following the excitement of the previous night, the two rivals appeared to be on the same path after a highly entertaining first quarter that left the Lady Colts ahead by a point. But they took control in the second quarter and entered halftime with a 14 point lead. Another left in the third gave them a 21 point lead and effectively put the game on ice.

Comp jumped out to a 4-0 lead on a put back by JC Pickett and a layup by Erin Sweeney. Two minutes had gone by before Chicopee got on the board, that coming on a three pointer by Brittany Urban. She would have a big night, as Chicopee’s biggest scoring threat. The teams traded hoops, but when Brittany Taylor hit a short jumper, the game was tied at 7-7 with 3:25 to go in the quarter. After Alexis Wegrzynek answered that with a lay in, Taylor buried a three to give Chicopee their first lead at 10-9. Pickett made two free throws to put Comp back in the lead, but another three by Urban, made it 13-11. The fast pace continued until the final seconds, when Ashley Assarian made a three to give the Lady Colts the lead once again at 14-13.. They would never trail again.

Marisabel Santiago’s two free throws offset a layup by Vanessa Stefanelli in the first minute of the second quarter, but after that the Lady Colts took control. Wegrzynek scored two baskets fifteen seconds apart to make it a 5 point game. Nikki Parenteau got two back at the six minute mark. Those would be the last points scored by the Lady Pacers in the half. A minute later, Assarian hit another three, followed by a Wegrzynek layup. The Lady Colts continued their run to 11 straight points and led 31-17 at the break.

Urban opened the second half with her third trey of the night to cut the Comp lead back to 11, but Wegrzynek started another 10 point run that left Comp with a their biggest lead of 21 points with 4:09 to go in the third. In fact, she and Assarian scored 5 apiece in the quarter for all ten Comp points. The Lady Pacers broke the string with a free throw by Janea West and a trey from Jen Belanger. Neither team scored in the final 2 minutes and 43 seconds after that.

The lead went back to 21 in the opening minute of the fourth as Amber Legare scored on a layup and two free throws. It was still a 20 point margin, 49-29, when Erin Maroney scored Comp’s last basket at 3:15. Belanger sandwiched two baskets around Urban’s fourth three and end the game.

Urban was the game’s high scorer with 14 points, hitting four from beyond the arc. Wegrzynek led the Lady Colts, as she was dominant in the inside game. Right behind her was Assarian with 11 and Legare at 10. Rounding out the Chicopee Comp scoring was Pickett with 5; Stefanelli and Sweeney, each with 4 and Maroney with 2. On the Chicopee side Belanger was in double figures with 10, followed by Taylor with 7, Santiago and Parenteau with two apiece and West with one.

The win lifted the Lady Colts to 6-6 overall and 2-1 in the Suburban League. Chicopee fell to 2-10 and is 0-3 in the Suburban.

CHICOPEE – More often than not Chicopee High/Chicopee Comp games tend to be battles no matter what may be the records of the respective teams. This week’s meeting at Comp featured two teams that are evenly matched and both should be in the fight for superiority in the Valley Wheel until the end.

This game lived up to all the hype, with no lead bigger than 6 points, that coming midway through the second quarter when the Colts went up by six. The Pacers managed to get up by two on a couple of occasions, the latest in the early stages of the fourth quarter. That final frame was as tense as could be and in the end, it was the Colts who stood as victors.

After a scoreless first minute, the Colts got on the board on a Brett James Jumper. Ryan Malone followed shortly with 2 free throws to give Comp a 4-0 lead. Jesus Sanchez answered that with a power dive to cut the lead in half, but Malone responded quickly with a three to put Comp up, 7-2 with 5 minutes left in the quarter. The Pacers fought their way back and when Richard Cantella hit a three at 1:45, the game was tied at 11-11. In the final minute, Anthony Williams scored for Comp and Lee Turner for Chicopee and the game remained tied at 13 apiece after one quarter.

Chicopee took its first lead after a minute in the second on a Chad Woodfine put back, but the Colts followed with their best run of the night, 8 points to take a 21-15 lead. Matt Toczek, who would have a big night for the Colts, had 4 of those 8 points. Back came the Pacers to score 6 of the next 7 points and with just over a minute to go in the half, it was a one point game. Cantella scored 4 of those points for the Pacers. When Jesse Warren made the second of two free throws with six seconds to play, it allowed the Colts to go into halftime with a 25-22 lead.

The third quarter was a good one for the Pacers, especially in the final three and half minutes. A Toczek hoop put the Colts up by 5 in the first minute and another at 3:35 made it 31-27, but an 8-2 run by Chicopee High with 5 points by Cantella out them ahead 35-33. The big basket came at 1:39, when scored on a layup and then hit the free throw for a three point play. After Comp regained the lead on a Tyler Midura put back, Woodfine did the same at the other end and Chicopee went into the final quarter with 38-37 lead.

Toczek put the Colts back in front, but then Eddie Green buried a three to give the Pacers a two point advantage once again, at 41-39. Two free throws by Malone and a lay up by Exzavier White put the Colts back in front. Sanchez sandwiched a couple of layins around another basket by White and with 2:11 to go, the game as tied at 45-45. Warren hit on a short pop to give Comp the lead, one they would not relinquish, though the Pacers made it interesting. Toczek made the first of two free throws and then White got two more with 25 seconds to play to put the Colts up by a seemingly safe 5 points. The Pacers rushed down the court and got right back when Asselin made a layup and was fouled on the play. His free throws made it 50-48 with 17.2 remaining. Warren was fouled immediately and hit the first of two and the margin was back to three. Once the Pacer got the ball to midcourt, they called time out to set up one last shot to tie the game. Despite his best efforts, that shot by Sanchez fell short and Chicopee Comp had the win.

“We needed this one,” A relived Dan Franczek said after the game. “A lot of guys really stepped up and had games that would not be reflected on the score sheet. When Ryan (Franczek) and Exzavier (White) fouled out, we needed that.

Sanchez led all scorers with 15 points, while teammate Cantella had 13. On the Colts side, it was Toczek with 13 to lead his team. Malone was next with 9, followed by White and Warren with 8 apiece and Midura with seven. James had four and Williams two to round out the Colts. Woodfine had 8 for Chicopee followed by Asselin with 7. Green scored three points, and Turner two for the Pacers. The Pacers fell to 7-6 and 1-1 with the loss, while the Colts went to 6-6 and 2-0 with the win. In two and half weeks the teams will be back at it at Chicopee High.

The hockey season got underway at Fitzpatrick arena this week, with a treat for Chicopee fans, a rare season opener between the Pacers and Colts. The cross-town rivals meet twice each season, but not usually in the very first game. The intensity of a first game on the ice was matched by that of the fans in the stands.

The subplots for the game itself featured the Pacers, who went to the postseason and made it to the semifinals and are seeking to take it just a little further this go around; the Colts, who missed out on the postseason, but who are bringing back 17 players with a new coach. As expected, the two teams gave it everything they had in what resulted in a 2-2 tie.

The Colts won the opening faceoff, but the Pacers quickly recovered and took control of the early play, keeping the puck in the Comp zone. Within the first couple of minutes, they were able to put some pressure on Comp goalie Eric Presz, as there top line of Pat Strepka, Nick Tougas and Jon Axton buzzed around the net. Axton and Tougas got off some point blank shots in that first minute, but Presz was more than equal to the task.

Once they were able to clear the zone, the Colts were able to do the same at the other end. Three minutes in Chris Kuenzel broke away from the pack and bore down on Chris Hebert ricocheting a shot of his pads from 10 feet out. Two minutes later, later Tyler Houle did the same from the other side.

Midway through the period each of the teams were hit with penalties, first with Chicopee getting a power play and then shortly after, the Colts assumed the man advantage. Both defenses held up well in these situations. As the first period came to ands end, Chicopee once again went on the power play and had some shots on Presz, but the first period came to a close with both teams scoreless. The shots were relatively even, with the Pacers having a slight edge. And while the Colts stayed with them in terms of score, Presz goaltending was keeping Comp in the game.

It was more of the same in the early going of the second period, with both teams moving up and down the ice. Then with just over 11 minutes to go, Joe St. Jean grabbed the puck along the boards from a Chicopee defender and spotted Kuenzel free just outside the blue line. Kuenzel beat his man and wristed a shot from 6 feet out that Hebert could not handle. Comp took a 1-0 lead. After the score, they seemed invigorated and put a lot of pressure on Hebert, getting a few point blank shots, which the Pacer goalie knocked aside.

Then just as the clock passed the two minute mark, Chicopee took off on a rush with Strepka and Axton leading the way. Axton sent the puck toward the goal from the left circle, and Strepka standing 3 feet in front to the goal was able to deflect it in to tie the game at 1-1. This period, though was dominated by the Colts especially over the final ten minutes.

The Pacers came out of the second period break more aggressive than they had been all night, with Tougas getting a shot on goal right off the face off. But it was the Colts who made good on their first shot before less than a minute had passed. There was a scramble in front of Hebert and Kyle Eckert made good on his shot from the pack. Jacob Derosia and Zak McCullough were credited with assists, while Comp was again had the lead.

But that would not last for long as the Pacers came right back. They quickly got the puck up ice and Tougas spotted Strepka in the circle to Presz left. Strepka let loose with a slap shot from 15 feet out and got past Presz in hurry and just 45 seconds after Comp had taken the lead, the Pacers were even again. There was still more than 13 minutes to go in the game.

Then came barrage of penalties. With 11 minutes to play, Chicopee went on a power, but that advantage lasted less than a minute as a Chicopee player was called for a penalty. A minute later Chicopee was back on the power play for the better part of another minute, but when all was said and done, the game was still deadlocked.

Chicopee took charge in terms of puck control when they went on a power play with just under 5 minutes to go. Tougas and Strepka both had shots kicked away by Presz, Tougas’ shot being a slapper from 20 feet. In the final minute, it was Strepka win two big shots in his bid for a hat trick. But when the horn finally sounded, the game ended in a 2-2 tie. With Chicopee outshooting Comp 45-20, it was a clear indication as to what Eric Presz meant to his team in this game.

There were playoff implications for both teams. South Hadley, with the win, leapt past SciTech for the fourth and final spot in the Division II tournament, giving them a date with top seeded Hoosac Valley. Comp had already qualified, but the loss dropped them into the fourth spot in Division I, pitting them up to play number one ranked Longmeadow. A win would have set them up for a rematch with cross town rival, Chicopee.

Thought they may have won by way of the air, the Tigers are primarily a running team and they came out doing just that on the game’s opening series. When they ran, they moved the ball, attested by gains of 11 yards by Conor Doran, pickups of 7, 13, 5 and 1 by Sean Mulveyhill and 5 by Bourque. With that, the Tigers moved the ball from their 28 downfield, finally stalling at the Comp 35, after two incomplete passes. That drive alone, consumed just over half of the first quarter. The teams traded possessions after that with Comp punting after a short series and the Tigers going three and out. The first break of the game came on the next play, when Mulveyhill recovered a fumble near midfield as time expired in the first quarter.

This time the Tigers would not be denied. Mark Dubois carried for 4; Sean Bouthiller picked up 15 for a first down; Mulveyhill gained 5; Bouthiller ran around the Colt defense for 23 and touchdown. The kick was blocked, but South Hadley had drawn first blood at 6-0.

It was three and out for Comp again and a punt to the South Hadley 25 yard line. Once again the running moved them downfield for the most part. After a 10 yard completion from Bourque to Connor Fenton, it was all on the ground until the Tigers found the end zone. Mulveyhill had four carries of, 1, 5, 2 and 4 yards; Dubois went for 11 and 3; Bourque for 8; Bouthiller ran for 13 early in the drive and then mirrored his first score with another 23 yard reverse and a 12-0 lead for the Tigers.

But there would be more excitement before halftime. After Cody Richards took the kickoff to the 37 yard line, the quick strike Chicopee Comp offense went into high gear. They took over with 1:40 left on the clock. Two incompletions later, they faced 2nd and ten. Then Jesse Warren hit Roberto Carrasquillo on the left sideline for a 38 yard gain to put the ball at the South Hadley 15 yard line. An 8 yard strike to Richards and a 4 yard run by Trent Schieb, gave Comp a first and goal at the 3 with half a minute still to go. Warren took it in himself of the next play. When he found Matt Toczek in the end zone for the two point conversion, it was a 12-8 game.

Despite a time of possession difference of two to one and a total yardage gap of the same, the Colts were back in this one and they would be receiving to open the second half.

Chicopee Comp would make the most of that first series after the break, once again doing that they do best, through the air. After a touchback on the kick, they got the ball at their 20 yard line and looked, at first, as if this would be a continuation of the inconsistencies of the first half. A loss of a yard on first down and false start had them at 2nd and 15 and buried at their own 14 yard line. Then Warren found Richard for 38 yards and suddenly the ball was past midfield. A 16 yard pass to Sam Majeran gave them another first down and then it was Warren to Toczek for 31 yards and a touchdown. Chicopee Comp took the lead and with the point after, it was 15-12.

The momentum seemed to have turned, as South Hadley went three and out, but then Chicopee Comp did the same. In the exchange, the Tigers won the battle of field position, as the Comp punt went just 10 yards to their 30 yard line. South Hadley took advantage of that in just one play, as Mulveyhill ran through the Comp defense for the score and now an 18-12 Tigers’ lead.

Back came Comp, or so it seemed. Warren hit Toczek for 40 and Carrasquillo for 20 to get the ball to the ten yard line. But a personal foul set them back to the 25 and the drive stalled right there. After South Hadley went three and out, the Colts once again moved downfield from their 27 to the South Hadley 24. Passes of 19 yards to Richards and 30 to Carrasquillo got them there. But back to back sacks ended the drive and forced a Comp punt with just five and half minutes to go.

Comp would have to stop the Tigers and get the ball back quickly, which is exactly what happened. Two minutes and three plays later, South Hadley punted the ball to Comp and in the exchange, the Colts took over at the South Hadley 35.

Starting with a short field, it took Comp little time to get back the lead. Warren hit Richards for9 yards and Toczek for 10. When they were set back after offensive pass interference to the 35, it looked like a repeat of their last two possessions that came up short. This time, Warren found Toczek in the end zone and with the extra point, Comp took a 22-18 lead.

The kickoff was retuned to the 20 yard line and with 1:21 to play, the Tigers would have to go 80 yards to win the game. Mulveyhill ran for 9 and 3 yards, but the clock kept moving. Bourque went to the air and hit Roy for 2, 22 and 5, putting the ball at midfield with less than a minute to play. After an incompletion, making it 3rd and 5, the key play of the game came next. Looking as though he would be sacked, Bourque somehow broke free and let the ball fly. Bouthiller came down with it at the Comp 8 yard line with 5 seconds left. Bourque’s sideline end zone pass was out of the reach of his receiver, but the play took just four second and left one on the clock, time for one more play. That would be the game winner caught by Roy.

“I knew if I could get the ball in the right spot, he would catch it,” Bourque said. Added Coach Ray Ferro, “We had the right people in the right places and they did what they do best.”

The statistics were skewed towards the team’s relative strengths. Warren had a banner day going 16-24 and passing for 339 yards. Toczek caught 5 for 120; Richards had 6 for 99 and Carrasquillo 3 for 88. On the South Hadley side they ran for 249, behind 92 from Mulveyhill and 87 from Bouthiller. While Bourque’s overall passing numbers were just 7 for 16 and 73 yards, he was near perfect when he had to be, as attested by going 5 for 6 and 69 yards in that final drive.

WESTFIELD – Some things never change and in the gymnastics world, that means that Westfield would be crowned Western Mass Champion for the third straight year. In this decade, the Bombers have now won six times and finished second on three other occasions.

But the road to victory for Westfield was not easy, as they just beat out Chicopee Comprehensive 135.500 to 132.825. It was the second year in a row that the Colts were second. Following the top two were: Hampshire, 126.925; Minnechaug, 124.375; Agawam, 120.475; Gateway. 115.650.

While depth is what won it all for the Bombers, Chicopee Comp’s Allie O’Shea was the winner of the all around, edging out a pair of Bombers for the top spot. O’Shea totaled 35.250, with wins in three of the four events. The runner up was Jennifer Balukonis with 34.550, just ahead of teammate Rachel Midwood at 34.150.

Chicopee Comp took the early lead with a strong vaulting performance. O’Shea and teammate Cassie May tied for the top spot, with 8.600 apiece. Teammate Maggie Tzivanis made it one, two, three as she edged out Minnechaug’s Emily Murphy for second, 8.475 to 8.450. The Bombers’ Balukonis, 8.350 and Midwood, 8.300 were fourth and fifth. Tying m Midwood was Sawyer Thompson of Hampshire and in sixth was Ashley Bates, 8.250, of Westfield. The run at the top gave the Colts the edge in the event 33.625 to 33.050.

The Bombers closed the gap with the balance beam, where they outpointed the Colts 33.450 to 32.800. After that event, Chicopee Comp still led in the meet, but by a mere .250 points. O’Shea was the winner in this event with 8.750 to edge out Bates, 8.700 and Balukonis, 8.650. Agawam’s Stefanie Littlefield took fourth with 8.450, while Midwood and Tzivanis tied for fifth, each scoring 8.400. Jessie Healy of Hampshire scored 8.300 for sixth.

The Bombers then won the uneven parallel bars, 33.850 to 32.950, which would give them a solid .875 lead after three events. Hampshire and Minnechaug were well behind in third and fourth, leaving the ultimate championship, between Westfield and Comp. O’Shea won this event as well, her third in as many tries in the meet. Her score of 9.050 was well ahead of Midwood’s 8.750 and this left her in a commanding position for the all around. May was third in this event at 8.650, just beating out Balukonis, who got 8.600. Murphy followed in fifth at 8.450, with Bates, sixth at 8.300. Westfield may not have had the top finisher, but 2nd, 4th, 6th and 7th garnered the points for them to win the event as a team.

As they had all evening, the two teams faced off against one another on the floor exercise, with the overall championship at take. Murphy won the event with a 9.000 and Balukonis came in second at 8.950. And while this was the only event, that O’Shea did not win, her 8.850 got her to third, along with Bates, Dmitri Kalaitzidis of Agawam and Michelle Turner of Hampshire. Fourth went to Littlefield, 8.800; Fifth to Kayla Perry of Minnechaug, 8.750; sixth was a tie between Midwood and Tzivanis, each with 8.700. Westfield took the event with 35.150, while it was Hampshire in second with 34.250. Chicopee Comp fell to third with a score of 33.450, 1.700 points behind Westfield.

The Bombers were champions again, but Chicopee Comp gave them all they could handle.

CHICOPEE – They gathered from all around the country to be in Chicopee this past weekend. This was the return home for many of the prodigal sons and daughters that graced the fields, arenas, gymnasiums and other sports’ venues, while representing the high schools of their beloved Chicopee.

The first class of the Chicopee Sports Hall of Fame, sixty strong, was inducted on Friday, November 13th at the Castle of Knights. A crowd of 530 people witnessed this historic event.

As of late, many cities have created their own halls of fame, but the committee in Chicopee, led by the energetic athletic director, James Blain, had a different twist on their hall. Because of the unique nature of the schools in the city, the committee created three distinct groups from which the inductees would be chosen. The first group came from Chicopee High, pre 1963. This was a time, when they were the “only game in town.” Chicopee Comprehensive High came into existence in 1964 and thus created its own pool of athletes and coaches. The third group is Chicopee High, post 1963, separate and distinct from the original Chicopee High and thus worthy of its own recognition.

The vast majority of honorees have been and will continue to be the athletes themselves, with a number of coaches also making the cut. The committee wanted to ensure that others who may not have been on the field or courts as either a player of coach were represented, so they created a designation for contributors. Those were the people whom through supreme efforts played a role in the advancement of some aspect of Chicopee sports.

The evening got underway with a cocktail party, a chance for the honorees to mingle and take in the enormity of the evening ahead. Alex Vyce (1963) would be inducted as a basketball and baseball player for Chicopee High and a basketball coach for Chicopee Comp. He had this to say, “It is such an honor just to be in the same room with people that I looked up to when I was playing and then seeing people who are the reasons that I made it as a coach. I was just fortunate to be in that position.”

Then there was Al Levakis (1979), who was a baseball and soccer player at Comp. In the 30 years since he left, many of his records are still standing. “I can’t believe, I’m being mentioned in the same breath as some of these people.”

Mary Hill was inducted as a contributor. Instrumental in the formation of girls’ sports at Chicopee High, she did her share of coaching, but it was her continuous work since 1985, after her coaching days that is being recognized. “I am pleased that this all came together, but one must give credit to the parents of the athletes, who were supportive of these programs over the years.”

Another unique set of inductions were those of Richard Kagan (1955) and Harley Kagan (1988), as a father and son. Richard was recognized for his exploits in football, baseball and basketball. “I thank all of the coaches who taught me so much, my teammates that I played with and city that supported us. Son, Harley was a baseball and football player for Chicopee Comp. “To get into any hall of fame is an honor and to do so with my dad is special.”

After a fine dinner, the ceremonies began. Roland Joyal, the Chicopee High principal was the master of ceremonies and he introduced the other speakers, starting with Chicopee Comprehensive principal, Derek Morrison. The keynote address was given by local sportswriter Ron Chimelis, who is a Chicopee Comp graduate. He poked fun at himself for his non-athletic career, and then set the tone of the evening with a history of sports in Chicopee. He brought it up to the present, with an acknowledgment of the Sword game this week that will pit the two high schools against one another with a league championship at stake. Chimelis was followed by news man Dave Madsen, who after a few words introduced the inductees.

The ceremony began with first introduction, that of Bronislaw Stepczyk (1935). This Chicopee High athlete starred in baseball, basketball and football and set the standards for sports in the city. Killed in action during World War II, he was represented by Wayne Stec. Soon after, Richard Kagan, the first inductee to represent himself, was called up. The pre-1963 Chicopee High inductions ended with William Moge, legendary football coach, who was represented by his son, Bill and that of Henry Fay, well known educator who went in as a contributor. His son Jason picked up his father’s plaque and then later returned to get one of his own.

Before the latter day Chicopee High people were introduced, Superintendent Richard Rege had some words of inspiration for all. Sonny Hansley (1965), a football, basketball and baseball star was the first of the post 1963 Chicopee High people. He was also the first inductee, who had won a Stepczyk Award. Hansley came up from Ft. Lauderdale to be a part of the evening. Laura Boutin Hunt (1981) was the first woman inducted. She starred in basketball, scoring 1000 points, but also soccer and softball. Several others followed. In this grouping, Jason Fay (1996) returned to the podium as the youngest of the Chicopee High inductees.

Between this group and the Chicopee Comp group, Joyal introduced Jim Blain and praised him for all of his hard work. Blain, in turn, deflected that praise to his committee, who he asked to stand and be recognized.

The Chicopee Comp inductions got underway with John Graham (1965), who appeared in person. He was a star on the basketball courts and baseball fields. He was followed by brothers Steve Jasinski (1969) and Richard Jasinski (1974). Both played basketball and baseball. Steve went for football in the fall, while brother Richard played soccer.

The biggest hand of the evening went to Dan Dulchinos, who is still coaching the Comp baseball team after 47 years. When he came out to get his award, he was given a standing ovation. “This night has been a thrill for me, being able to see all of these people together. It is like a reunion. To have coached so many of them and to see them recognized is some I will cherish always.”

Winding up the Comp induction for the athletes was Amanda Salacinski (1996), a gymnast. Along with Jason Fay, she shared being the youngest of the inductees. She wanted to know how her team was doing in that evenings championship meet. Ending it all was Mary Hill and Joan Boratis, the latter of whom was the longtime girls’ basketball coach at Comp and predecessor to Alex Vyce. Hill added, “This night brings back great memories and a chance to reflect on how far we have come.”