The Amherst Regional football team snapped a playoff drought last season that stretched back to 1999.
The Hurricanes are now making up for lost time.
On Sunday, Amherst was officially awarded the fourth seed in the Western Massachusetts Division 5 playoffs.
It’s the first time since 1972 that Amherst made the postseason in back-to-back years.
“Everybody is buying in on the dedication and the discipline it takes to be a good team,” Amherst coach Chris Ehorn Jr. said. “There was a lot of that the first year with some of those senior leaders. It’s become ‘this is how we do things.’ With our team leaders it’s ‘this is how Amherst football does things.’”
Amherst made the postseason in 1975, when it beat Lunenberg for the Central-Western Division 3 Super Bowl. Amherst beat Southbridge in the 1999 Central-Western Division 2 Super Bowl.
Last season, the Hurricanes lost 49-0 to West Springfield in the Western Massachusetts Division 5 semifinals.
Amherst (6-2) will visit top seed East Longmeadow (6-2) at 7 p.m. Friday.
Amherst went 1-2 against Division 5 teams, 1-0 against Division 7 and 3-0 against Division 8 teams. East Longmeadow went 0-2 vs. Division 3, 3-0 against Division 5 and 3-0 vs. Division 7, including a win over No. 1 Wahconah.
“I believe we’re better prepared, but we have a full week of preparation,” Ehorn said. “There is a difference (between divisions). I’m not oblivious to that fact. We play treams in lower divisions. This will be much faster. East Longmeadow plays at a faster pace and the playoffs are played at a faster face.”
The Spartans had won four straight prior to Friday’s 34-21 loss at Minnechaug.
Both teams played Northampton. East Longmeadow rallied from a 22-2 deficit to beat Northampton, 23-22 on Oct. 19. Northampton beat Amherst, 28-14 on Sept. 7.
The other Division 5 semifinal features No. 3 Ludlow (6-2) at No. 2 Longmeadow (5-3), which upset Division 3 No. 3 Westfield on Friday to qualify.
South Hadley (6-2) earned the second seed and will host No. 3 Frontier Regional (5-3), Friday at 7 p.m.
It is a rematch of the 2017 semifinals, won by Frontier, 28-21, in South Deerfield.
The winner will play either No. 4 Taconic (4-4) or No. 1 Wahconah (7-1).
The Tigers have won six straight entering the playoffs.
Frontier stumbled a bit down the stretch after a 4-1 start. The Red Hawks lost two straight to Turners Falls and Easthampton, before beating Athol, 60-26, on Friday.
Non-playoff schedule
Northampton and Belchertown earned home games for the first round of non-playoff games. Agawam heads to Northampton, while Commerce visits Belchertown.
Easthampton plays at Pittsfield, while Smith Vocational travels to Athol.