Athletes of the Week: Smith & Peplowski

Margo Smith
Mount Greylock

Mount Greylock freshman Margo Smith, who finished second at the recent Berkshire County Championships, was named the league's MVP by the Berkshire County coaches after powering the Mounties to second place behind league champion Lenox this fall.

Smith is used to being among the leaders. Last fall, she was Mount Greylock's second finisher at the Western Mass championship as an eighth-grader.

Mount Greylock coach Larry Bell has called Smith the "gold standard" for her team, a measuring stick by which the other Mounties measure their improvement throughout the season.

Smith has standards she is trying to reach as well.

Earlier this fall at the Queensbury (N.Y.) Invitational, she saw some of the stiffest competition of her young career, running against nationally-ranked runners in a field drawn from the Capital District and beyond.

"They have what they call National Elite Standards, and the top 13 [at Queensbury] made it," Bell said."Margo and the girl who nipped her at the line were the next two kids in.

"To be fair, they both have to improve by 25 seconds to be at the National Elite level, but she's a ninth-grader, and she got a taste of it."

Smith has a history of achieving her personal goals.

"Last year, she finished the season, and I said, 'What's your goal?' " Bell said. "She said, "I want to beat everyone in the league.' I know what she's going to say this year. She's going to want to be on that list."

The next test for Smith and the rest of the Berkshire County League is next week's Western Mass Championships at Stanley Park in Wesfield.



Mike Peplowski
St. Joseph

It was no surprise Mike Peplowski had a goal and three assists in the St. Joseph boys soccer team's 5-0 win to open the Western Mass tournament.

The St. Joe senior has been the driving force behind the Crusaders' offense all season. After St. Joe bowed to Westfield Tech in the quarterfinals, he finished the year with 21 goals and 14 assists.

"Mike's just a top-notch player," Taconic coach Mark Wasnewsky said after a recent game against St. Joe. "I'd take him on my team in a heartbeat.

"He's skilled, he's quick, he plays the game hard, he plays it right. He's just endless energy out there. He's hard to contain. When he has the ball on his foot ... You saw him in the first half. He dribbled through four of my defenders and got a shot.

"He's just one of those special players."

The Crusaders (11-1-5) have not lost since the second game of the season, a 3-1 loss to Mount Everett.

St. Joe has scored at least three goals in each of its last seven games, and the Crusaders have had five goals three times during that stretch.,