The new year can be a time of reflection, one where people can look back on the positives that happened over the past 365 days.
Across the Gazette area, there were plenty of major accomplishments in the sports world, from local squads making runs at state championships to individuals doing things that sound nearly impossible.
Here are five of my most notable events that happened in the area during 2023:
The entire South Hadley community probably read countless stories about its two best athletes over the past two school years. But if you went to watch these two compete in their respective sports, you’d understand why.
Emma Sanford (track and field) and Lauren Marjanski (girls soccer) absolutely dominated the spring and fall seasons in 2023.
Sanford won an individual state title in the shot at the MIAA Division 6 Championships, and won all three events she competed in at the Western Mass. Division 2 Championships — the long jump (17-0), 400-meter hurdles (1:07.81) and 100 hurdles (15.23). She then took home first in the pentathlon with 3,130 points and second in the 100 hurdles (14.97) at states before a second-place finish in the pentathlon at the MIAA Meet of Champions.
Sanford went on to earn All-American honors for her terrific day at New Balance Outdoor Nationals.
Fast forward to the fall, and there was another superstar senior captivating crowds with athletic prowess. Lauren Marjanski’s record-breaking season on the pitch brought the South Hadley girls soccer team to the Division 4 state championship game.
Marjanski scored 43 goals and tallied 11 assists, eclipsing both the 100 points and 100 goals marks at separate parts of the season. She would be double teamed – sometimes triple teamed – by opposing defenses, but it didn’t matter.
Eight different games saw Marjanski record hat tricks, as she used her blistering speed to race by defenders and strong upper body to get to any spot on the field she wanted at any time.
Marjanski recorded three or more points in the Tigers’ first four state tournament games this fall before South Hadley fell 2-1 to Sutton in the title-tilt – where she tallied a first-half assist.
The best boys soccer team across western Massachusetts in 2023 had a lot to do with the stellar play of forward Aidan Miklasiewicz. The Hampshire senior notched his third consecutive season of at least 20 goals, totaling 21 scores and 13 assists – leading the team in both categories.
The Raiders made it all the way to the state semifinals in Division 4 before falling 2-1 to Lynnfield. That loss marked their only one of the season after going undefeated the previous 22 games (19-0-3).
Miklasiewicz’s best performance came on Sept. 26 against Mount Greylock, where he recorded five points (three goals, two assists) in a 6-0 win. Hampshire head coach Dan Moynahan praised Miklasiewicz several times, saying he was one of the best to ever play for the program, and his 126 points – the most in Hampshire history – solidify just that.
There were only two things to do in the latter portions of spring 2023 as a resident of Hadley — go to a Hopkins Academy baseball or softball game.
The two Golden Hawks teams upset their way into the MIAA Division 5 Final Fours as lower seeds in their respective tournaments. As a No. 9 seed, the baseball team beat No. 8 Douglas, No. 1 Georgetown, and No. 4 Pioneer in consecutive games to reach the state championship game against No. 2 Bourne – where it ultimately fell 10-5 in a competitive game throughout.
As for softball, the seventh-seeded Golden Hawks clipped No. 10 Maynard in the Round of 16, which set up for a heavyweight battle against No. 2 Mount Greylock on the road. Hopkins saved its best offensive performance of the season for the right time, as it scored 27 runs to upset the second-best team in the state. It then fell just shy of reaching the state final, losing 9-7 to No. 3 Turners Falls.
Those two teams most certainly represented the Hadley community with pride during their runs.
The words dominant and Hampshire softball have gone hand-in-hand for well over a decade, and that served true once again last spring.
Hampshire had its eyes set on its first state championship since it went back-to-back in 2015 and 2016, but came up just short to No. 1 Joseph Case – losing 7-2 in the finals. Even though the result wasn’t what the No. 2 Raiders had hoped for, they continued to prove they aren’t going anywhere.
After a disappointing loss as the No. 1 seed in the 2022 state quarterfinals, Hampshire returned to where it belongs, defeating Wareham and Bay Path Voc by a combined score of 20-1 in its first two tournament bouts. The Raiders then used huge games from Joss Mettey and Ashley Cortis to beat No. 7 Amesbury and get them into the semifinals.
That’s when CC Thayer drove in all three runs against No. 3 Clinton in a 3-1 win before the loss to Joseph Case.
Hampshire County football teams leaned heavy on their tailbacks this fall. Whether it was Amherst’s Jameson Dion running rampant on defenses, Belchertown’s Chris Daskam using his big frame to run through tackles, or South Hadley’s Owen Dawson shaking defenders out of their shoes, the region saw plenty of highlight-reel plays out of the backfield.
Dion nearly totaled 1,000 yards on the ground after four games for the Hurricanes, and was the main reason they finished with their best record (7-2) since its state title run in 2019. The senior put up an other-worldly 935 total yards (rushing and receiving) after six quarters (yes, quarters) of football. He eventually reached the mark against East Longmeadow on Oct. 6. His season is going to be remembered for a long time at Amherst.
Daskam was a touchdown machine at Belchertown. The Orioles’ star senior totaled 24 touchdowns (22 rushing, one passing, one receiving) to go along with 1,579 yards rushing on 189 carries. Belchertown made it to the Division 5 state tournament, riding heavily on the back of Daskam and his physically demanding style of running. He showed his versatility with a passing score against Pathfinder in a 61-14 Thanksgiving Day drubbing in his final game at Belchertown.
Dawson’s incredible 1,000-yard season was capped off during South Hadley’s senior night against Putnam. He eclipsed the mark with a 165-yard, four-TD performance in a 46-2 win over the Beavers. Dawson started the night with a 75-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and never looked back. The Tigers snuck into the Division 7 state tournament in large part because of Dawson, who played quarterback at certain points as well when South Hadley needed a reliable arm.
The three D’s dazzled throughout the fall and will be missed in Hamsphire County.
