Hoosac Valley's Hall, Lee's Finnegan Recognized

Good things came in threes for this week's iBerkshires.com/Bedard Bros. Athletes of the Week as they drove their respective teams' offenses right into the second week of the Western Massachusetts tournament season.

 

Hoosac Valley senior Matt Hall lit up Renfew Field in Friday's Division 8 semi-final win for the Hurricanes.

 

His second-quarter touchdown runs of 46 and 40 yards came a little more than three minutes apart and broke open a game that was tied 8-8, giving Hoosac Valley a 22-8 lead on its way to a 55-14 win.

 

Hall finished with more than 100 yards rushing and three touchdwons for the Hurricanes, who will play for a Western Mass title on Saturday afternoon in Holyoke.

 

Lee senior Shannon Finnegan also scored three times this weekend, and her goals led the Wildcats to a 4-1 win in their tournament opener.

 

She actually was shaken up briefly in the second half with her team already comfortably ahead, 3-0, but the Lee striker lobbied her coach to get back in the game.

 

"Usually, when get hurt, I just sit on the bench and think abou the game," Finnegan said. "But I remembered that I had two goals, and I thought, 'I really want this hat trick,' so I ran right back in there."

 

Lee's next tournament stop is a tough one, Tuesday at top-seeded Granby in the sectional quarter-finals.

 

iBerkshires.com's Athlete of the Week is sponsored by Bedard Bros. Auto of Cheshire.