Thanksgiving football: Easthampton snaps 9-year drought, beats Northampton for first time ever on Thanksgiving 18-8 (PHOTOS)

By GARRETT COTE

NORTHAMPTON — The past decade has felt like an entire lifetime for the Easthampton football team, each crushing Thanksgiving Day loss to rival Northampton making the food slowly lose its appeal.But after nine straight losses to the Blue Devils in the...

UMass hockey: Minutemen welcome Army for Black Friday matinee

By RYAN AMES

The UMass hockey team only has one game on the docket this week as it’ll welcome Army to the Mullins Center for a Black Friday matinee.The Minutemen (6-6-2) are coming off an up-and-down weekend – first with a win against Harvard before a loss to...

Thanksgiving football: Smith Vocational knocks off Franklin Tech for the first time since 2018 following 16-8 OT win

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

EASTHAMPTON — It was true late November football in New England at Mountain View School on Thursday. Smith Vocational hosted Franklin Tech for the sixth Turkey Day showdown between the two rivals, and with driving rain coming down throughout the...

Thanksgiving football: Fourth-quarter TD lifts Pathfinder past Belchertown, 20-14

By JEFF LAJOIE

PALMER – A season of close calls and near-misses thwarted the Belchertown football team.Thursday’s Thanksgiving game against Pathfinder was essentially a microcosm of the Orioles’ 2024 campaign.The host Pioneers completed just two passes all day, but...

UMass basketball: Second half spurt helps Minutemen take down Harvard, halt 5-game losing streak

By GARRETT COTE

It may not have been the prettiest of games by the UMass men’s basketball team, which headed into halftime tied with Harvard 24-24 as neither team playing exactly inspired. But the Minutemen woke up in the second half and dominated the glass en route...

Thanksgiving football: Northampton looks to extend unbeaten Turkey Day streak against hungry Easthampton

By GARRETT COTE

NORTHAMPTON — There wasn’t a more thrilling Thanksgiving Day game across western Massachusetts in 2023 than the battle between Northampton and Easthampton at Mountain View School in Easthampton.The Blue Devils entered winless on the season, and the...

Thanksgiving Football: South Hadley, Holyoke renew their own ‘Battle of the Bridge’ rivalry

By RYAN AMES

The seventh installment of Thanksgiving-Day football between South Hadley and Holyoke has arrived.The Tigers and Purple Knights will square off in their own ‘Battle of the Bridge’ on Turkey Day at South Hadley’s Turf Field at 10 a.m.South Hadley has...

Thanksgiving football: Belchertown looks to put winless season in the rearview with rivalry game against Pathfinder

By GARRETT COTE

A season ago, the Belchertown football team was 8-3 and earned a spot in the MIAA Division 5 state tournament. The Orioles crushed rival Pathfinder in their annual Thanksgiving Day game, 61-14, to cap off one of their better seasons in recent...

Thanksgiving Football: Rising programs Franklin Tech, Smith Vocational gear up for 6th Turkey Day showdown

By THOMAS JOHNSTON

While Thanksgiving football games are largely diminishing around the state, there’s one new Turkey Day rivalry that’s growing each year. Franklin Tech and Smith Vocational began playing on Thanksgiving in 2018 and since that time, both programs are on...

UMass AD Ryan Bamford speaks on football coach Don Brown’s firing: “We just didn’t feel like we were able to turn the corner competitively”

By GARRETT COTE

AMHERST — Perhaps the passionate followers of the UMass football team weren’t necessarily surprised when news hit last week that Director of Athletics Ryan Bamford had fired former Minutemen head coach Don Brown after a 6-28 record with the team; it...

College soccer: Alec Hughes, Alex Geczy power UMass men past Penn, into Sweet 16

Hanging on for dear life with a one-goal lead in the second round of the NCAA Division I men’s soccer tournament, UMass turned to senior goalie Alex Geczy to make clutch save after clutch save against Penn, the sixth-ranked team in the country.Each...

UMass hockey: Vermont continues to be a thorn as Catamounts edge Minutemen 3-2

By RYAN AMES

AMHERST – The No. 20 UMass hockey team dropped its third and final game against Vermont this season, falling  3-2 on Sunday afternoon at Mullins Center.Nick VanTassell put the Minutemen ahead halfway through the first period, 1-0, but the Catamounts...

UMass basketball: Minutemen dominated by Florida State at Mohegan Sun for 5th straight loss

By GARRETT COTE

It certainly was a weekend to forget at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn. for the UMass men’s basketball team.The Minutemen suffered two losses at the Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off Tournament – the latter a 92-59 blowout at the hands of Florida State...

UMass football: Minutemen impressive early against SEC power Georgia, ultimately falling 59-21

By GARRETT COTE

ATHENS, Ga. — Nobody would have blamed the UMass football team if it rolled into Sanford Stadium and played an uninspired brand of football against No. 8 Georgia given its tumultuous week – headlined by the firing of head coach Don Brown.But the...

UMass hockey: Cole O’Hara continues hot stretch with 4-point night in Minutemen’s 5-3 win over Harvard

By RYAN AMES

AMHERST – Cole O'Hara's four points powered the No. 20 UMass hockey team to a 5-3 win over Harvard on Friday night at the Mullins Center.O'Hara had two goals and two assists – the junior forward's first career four-point night – in the Minutemen's...

UMass field hockey: Late goal halts Minutewomen in 1-0 Final Four loss to Northwestern

By RYAN AMES

The UMass field hockey team’s magical postseason run came to an end on Friday.The Minutewomen suffered a 1-0 loss to No. 2 Northwestern in the national semifinal of the 2024 NCAA Final Four in Ann Arbor, Michigan.The Wildcats punched in the game’s...

UMass football: Off the field questions dominating conversation as Minutemen head to No. 8 Georgia

By JEFF LAJOIE

It’s certainly been one of the more chaotic weeks in UMass football history.Less than a week removed from the firing of former head coach Don Brown, the Minutemen will somehow try and turn the page to play against one of the top programs in the...

UMass field hockey: Can Minutewomen continue ‘revenge tour’ against No. 2 Northwestern in Final Four?

By RYAN AMES

The redemption arc rolls on for the UMass field hockey team as the Minutewomen advanced to the NCAA Division I Final Four after beating UConn and Harvard during regional play last weekend – two teams they lost to during the regular season. Now, UMass...

UMass soccer: Minutemen take down Evansville for first NCAA tourney win since 2007

By RYAN AMES

AMHERST – The UMass men’s soccer team took care of business during its NCAA tournament first-round game against Evansville on Thursday.The Minutemen notched a 2-1 victory on a rain-soaked Rudd Field.Alec Hughes and Andrew Ortiz netted goals for UMass...

UMass hockey: Harvard, Vermont come to Mullins Center for weekend games with the Minutemen

By RYAN AMES

The No. 20 UMass hockey team will look to build upon its definitive win against Providence last weekend when it hosts Harvard and Vermont this Friday and Sunday at the Mullins Center.The Minutemen downed the 10th-ranked Friars, 5-1, after failing to...