UMass football: Offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery settling in to new role with Minutemen

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — Wednesday marked the fifth practice of the summer for the UMass football team, and also stood as practice No. 5 for new offensive coordinator Shane Montgomery – who stepped in to fill Steve Casula’s role after Casula took a tight...

Legion baseball: Belchertown Post 239 reflects on outstanding summer campaign

By GARRETT COTE

BELCHERTOWN — When the Belchertown Post 239 Senior American Legion coaching staff put together its roster for the 2024 summer season, head coach Todd McDonald couldn’t stop thinking about the potential his group had. The talent was undeniably there to...

Florence’s Gabby Thomas cruises to gold medal in 200 meters at 2024 Paris Olympics

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Gabby Thomas is golden.After winning a silver medal in the 4x100 meter relay and a bronze in the 200 meters at the Tokyo Olympics, the former Florence resident cleared the field in the 200 on Tuesday to claim the gold medal with a time of 21.83...

UMass football: “I think there’s just a lot more leadership in the locker room”: Minutemen defensive coordinator Keith Dudzinski talks growth in Year 3 of the Don Brown era

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

AMHERST — Don Brown and his coaching staff are heading into their third season in Amherst, and defensive coordinator Keith Dudzinski said on Monday that the Minutemen have experienced a culture change since he came to Amherst in the winter of 2021.“If...

106th Massachusetts Junior Amateur Championship: Belchertown’s Michael Murray again in the mix after opening round 72

After a runner-up finish at the Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship last week in South Hadley, Michael Murray continued his strong run of play on Monday.The Belchertown High School student who plays out of Westover Golf Course shot an...

UMass football: Minutemen defense will be tested with 3 SEC opponents on the schedule

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — The UMass football team traveled to Auburn and Penn State in 2023, losing both by a combined score of 122-14, and in 2024, the Minutemen’s schedule features three more big-time opponents in Missouri, Mississippi State and Georgia. Those...

Florence’s Gabby Thomas easily through to 200-meter final at Paris Olympics

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Florence’s Gabby Thomas breezed through her semifinal round in the 200 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday, winning her heat with a time of 21.86 seconds.She opened her 2024 Olympics on Sunday, easily winning her first-round heat with a time...

The Olympic Report with Jim Johnson: Stick the Landing

Gymnastics is finally over and the U.S. men’s and women’s teams were fantastic. Gymnastics is not for the faint of heart, taking endless hours of training, putting a great toll on the body. Many gymnasts train as much as six hours a day. Imagine the...

Florence’s Gabby Thomas easily through to 200-meter final at Paris Olympics

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Florence’s Gabby Thomas breezed through her semifinal round in the 200 meters at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Monday, winning her heat with a time of 21.86 seconds.She opened her 2024 Olympics on Sunday, easily winning her first-round heat with a time...

How training with 3-time Olympian Tonja Buford-Bailey has helped shape Gabby Thomas ahead of 2024 Olympics

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Gabby Thomas rolled through the finish line in the biggest race of her life and claimed a bronze medal she didn’t think she’d win. It was the greatest moment of her career, and she beamed as she clutched the American flag. But there were no fans in...

NECBL: Valley Blue Sox eliminated from playoffs by Newport Gulls

It took 11 innings, but the Valley Blue Sox saw their 2024 season come to an end on Saturday afternoon.The second-seeded Newport Gulls scored four times in the top of the 11th inning, and held No. 7 Valley off the board in the home half to capture a...

UMass football: Minutemen quarterback Taisun Phommachanh healthy heading into preseason camp

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — After UMass football coach Don Brown, the Minutemen’s training staff and starting quarterback Taisun Phommachanh mutually agreed on the decision to shut Phommachanh down for the spring season, the Bridgeport, Conn. native went right to work...

‘She’s that fast:’ Williston teammates, coaches recount Olympian Gabby Thomas’ athletic excellence

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

Of all the stories of Olympian Gabby Thomas’ athletic prowess during her six years at the Williston Northampton School in Easthampton, possibly the most revealing came in cross country, a sport the sprinter competed in for just one season.Thomas chose...

NECBL: Valley Blue Sox playoff game against Newport postponed due to weather, now Saturday at 1 p.m.

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

The second game of the Valley Blue Sox’s first round NECBL playoff series against the Newport Gulls was postponed Friday due to weather. The game is now Saturday at 1:05 p.m. Gates at MacKenzie Stadium open at noon and admission is free.No. 7 Valley...

Hampshire County’s toughest golf holes: Orchards Golf Club, South Hadley

By GARRETT COTE

(NOTE: This is the fifth installment in a weekly series featuring some of the toughest golf holes across Hampshire County. The series will run each Saturday in print throughout the summer.)SOUTH HADLEY — Donald Ross is generally regarded as one of the...

UMass football: Minutemen open fall camp, four weeks until opener against Eastern Michigan

By CONNOR PIGNATELLO

AMHERST — The UMass football team held its first camp practice ahead of the 2024 season on Friday on a 90-degree day at McGuirk Stadium.The Minutemen open their season with a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on Saturday, Aug. 31 at home against future MAC opponent...

On The Run with John Stifler: How should we run in the extreme heat?

Running in the kind of hot weather we’re having these days can be fun. It can also be uncomfortable, exhausting, depleting. In extreme cases it’s even dangerous. Seriously, how do you exercise in the heat?Part of the answer is obvious. Dress lightly....

NECBL: Newport rallies past Valley Blue Sox in Game 1 of best-of-three quarterfinal playoff series

The No. 7 Valley Blue Sox couldn’t have asked for a better start to their NEBCL first round postseason series against No. 2 Newport on the road Thursday night.Behind Anthony Scarabino’s two-run double and an RBI single from Granby’s Michael Toth,...

Youth softball: Southampton 10U Little League drops pair at Northeast Regional in Staten Island

The Southampton 10U softball team stormed out to a 6-0 first-inning lead in its third game (and second of the day) at the 10U Little League Northeast Regional tournament on Thursday afternoon, but it couldn’t generate enough offense to keep pace with...

43rd Massachusetts Amateur Public Links Championship: Ledges Golf Club passes the test of hosting major Mass Golf tourney

By GARRETT COTE

SOUTH HADLEY — Ledges Golf Club hosted a Mass Golf championship tournament event this week for the first time in its history. The course has hosted other qualifying events in the past, but never a championship proper until Tuesday and Wednesday’s 43rd...