WESTFIELD – Although it has been a long, long, loooooooong offseason, it appears that the Saint Mary’s Saints winter sports program is finally about to tip off after much delay due to the coronavirus.
Even that statement may not be an accurate account as there are no tip-offs this basketball season as one of several modifications made to the sport to adhere to PVIAC and MIAA guidelines and restrictions put in place to fight COVID-19.
St. Mary’s will field a boys and girls basketball team, as well as a girls and boys ski team.
“We are prepared to go forward with a season,” St. Mary’s High School athletic director Matt Collins said. “It will all depend on who we will be able to play, which city is in in the red or who is paused when it comes to game time.”
St. Mary’s actually has more basketball players signed up this year than in years past. A total of 23 student-athletes make up the girls program while the boys currently field 19. To meet Covid restrictions, those numbers will have to be adjusted to trim the numbers back for varsity squads.
“It’s just nice getting back to some type of normalcy,” said Collins, whose students have been in the classroom since Aug. 31. “Kids need an outlet. If I didn’t truly believe it was safe, I would make the decision not to participate. I think the kids will benefit from interscholastic athletics, the chance to play and compete. The lifelong skills that they will learn through sports with all of the guidelines in the place will still be a big benefit to the kids.”
The St. Mary’s ski team is set to hit the slopes at Berkshire East in Charlemont on Thurs., Jan. 21 at 5 p.m. The Saints boys and girls hoops teams’ openers against Smith Voke have been postponed by the City of Northampton due to high numbers of COVID cases in the Northampton area.
St. Mary’s first basketball games are likely to come against Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School with the girls playing on the 25th and 26th, and the boys on the 26th.
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ST. MARY’S SAINTS – 2021 WINTER SPORTS SCHEDULE
Jan. 21
St. Mary’s skiing @ Berkshire East, Charlemont, 5 p.m.
St. Mary’s boys basketball vs. Smith Vocational, 5 p.m. (PPD)
St. Mary’s girls basketball @ Smith Vocational, 5 p.m. (PPD)
Jan. 22
St. Mary’s boys basketball @ Smith Vocational, 5 p.m. (PPD)
Jan. 25
St. Mary’s girls basketball @ Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, noon
Jan. 26
St. Mary’s boys basketball @ Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, 5 p.m.
St. Mary’s girls basketball vs. Pioneer Valley Chintest Immersion Charter School, 5 p.m.
Jan. 28
St. Mary’s skiing @ Berkshire East, Charlemont, 5 p.m.
Jan. 29
St. Mary’s boys basketball vs. Pioneer Valley Chinese Immersion Charter School, Westfield Intermediate School, 5 p.m.
St. Mary’s girls basketball @ Gateway Regional HS, 5 p.m.
Feb. 1
St. Mary’s boys basketball @ Gateway Regional HS, 5 p.m.
St. Mary’s girls basketball vs. Gateway, Westfield Intermediate School, 5 p.m.
Feb. 2
St. Mary’s boys basketball vs. Gateway, Westfield Intermediate School, 5 p.m.
Feb. 4
St. Mary’s skiing @ Berkshire East, Charlemont, 5 p.m.
Feb. 9
St. Mary’s girls basketball vs. Westfield Technical Academy, Westfield Intermediate School, 5 p.m.
Feb. 11
St. Mary’s skiing @ Berkshire East, Charlemont, 5 p.m.
St. Mary’s boys basketball vs. Westfield Technical Academy, 5 p.m.
St. Mary’s girls basketball @ Westfield Technical Academy, 5 p.m.
Feb. 12
St. Mary’s boys basketball @ Westfield Technical Academy HS, 5 p.m.
Feb. 16
St. Mary’s boys basketball @ Pioneer Valley Christian Academy, 5 p.m.
Feb. 18
St. Mary’s girls basketball vs. Pioneer Valley Christian Academy, Westfield Intermediate School, 5 p.m.
Feb. 19
St. Mary’s boys basketball vs. Pioneer Valley Christian Academy, Westfield Intermediate School, 5 p.m.
Feb. 22
St. Mary’s boys basketball vs. Southwick Regional, Westfield Intermediate School, 5 p.m.
Feb. 23
St. Mary’s girls basketball vs. Southwick, Westfield Intermeidate School, 5 p.m.
Feb. 25
St. Mary’s skiing @ Berkshire East, Charlemont, 5 p.m.
St. Mary’s boys basketball @ Southwick Regional School, 5 p.m.
Feb. 26
St. Mary’s girls basketball @ Southwick Regional School, 5 p.m.
