Game of the Week: Rematch Highlights Championship Weekend
If the Game of the Week in Berkshire County high school football is anything like the Game of the Year in Berkshire County high school football, this could be one of the few times the MIAA is undercharging fans.
The state athletic association, which makes 75 percent of its income from tournaments (and 20 percent from schools’ dues) gets the gate from Saturday’s Western Massachusetts Division 5 championship game between Hoosac Valley and Pittsfield.
The last time these two teams got together, it was a game for the ages. The Hurricanes (8-1) drove 60 yards in the last three minutes to tie the game and scored on their first possession in overtime to take a 33-27 win.
"We're excited to get the opportunity," Pittsfield coach Brian Jezewski said after the Generals beat Easthampton in the semi-finals last week. "We had a really good football game a couple of weeks back against Hoosac. It's a great opportunity for both of us to represent Berkshire County and do what we do."
No guarantees of OT when the two get together on Saturday at Hoosac Valley High School. But one thing is guaranteed: the county will have at least one Western Mass champion going on to the state semi-finals.
Berkshire County could have as many as three teams advancing -- one for each division in which the league plays football.
Western Mass championship weekend gets started on Friday night in Dalton where Wahconah (9-0) hosts Agawam (7-2) for the Division 4 title in a rematch of last year’s regional final, a 20-0 Wahconah win.
You have to go all the way back to 2012 to find the last time Wahconah lost to a team from Western Mass. Two years ago, it won the last Western Mass Super Bowl; last year, it went 10-0 before losing by six points to Central Mass champion Doherty in the first true state playoff.
On Saturday afternoon, the county’s other unbeaten football team, McCann Tech, will look to win the first sectional title in program history. The Hornets (9-0) already have the first perfect regular season in school history to their credit, but their opponent, Turners Falls (9-0) also is unbeaten and -- like Wahconah -- has been among the best in Western Mass at its level the last two years.
In 2012, Turners Falls lost, 12-8, to Pathfinder in the Division 4 Western Mass Super Bowl. Last year, Turners won the sectional final, 36-22, over Mohawk Trail.