The third annual Western Mass. Football Senior Bowl kicks off at Springfield College’s Stagg Field at 7 p.m. Friday.
The event has taken the reigns for the old Shrine Chowder Bowl All-Star Classic, which ran from 2001 until 2013 as a fundraiser for the Shriners Hospital for Children. That event folded following the 2013 edition due to a decrease in interest and lack of agreement in future plans. The latest iteration got the top high school seniors back in an all-star game beginning in 2017.
The game pits players from The Hills against The Valley. The Hills, coached by Wahconah’s Gary Campbell and Hoosac Valley’s Dayne Poirot, is seeking its third win in a row in the series. In last year’s game, the team withstood a goal-line stand in the waning seconds to hold off The Valley, 10-6, at American International College’s Abdow Field.
Local players on The Hills are: Liam Dawson, of South Hadley; Isaiah Moyston, of Amherst Regional; Joel Wyzik, of Belchertown; Nick Pellegrini, Quintin Baker-Cisero and Ben Landry, all of Easthampton; and Matt Hildreth, of Frontier Regional.
The Valley, coached by Chicopee Comp’s Evan Berneche, will look to win the event for the first time in its three-year history. The roster is comprised of players from Holyoke, Longmeadow, Chicopee Comp, Putnam, East Longmeadow, Central, Minnechaug, Commerce and Westfield.
The Bianchi-Barbarotta Foundation, rooted in Berkshire County, is sponsoring the event.
Tickets are $10 and can be purchased at the gate.