WESTFIELD – For some, this season’s jam may have been rapper Drake’s “Summer ‘16”.
Play time for area kids is over though now, sort of, as hot, sandy beaches give way to football, soccer, and hockey fields; volleyball courts; and, golf and cross country courses in a serious schedule jam-packed with local high school sporting events.
The first official day of high school sports kicks off Tuesday with a wave of events, highlighted by a highly anticipated rematch of Western Massachusetts boys’ soccer semifinalists, Westfield Technical and Lenox, at Jachym Field at 4 p.m.
Lenox, which handed Westfield Tech its only loss of the 2016 regular season, knocked off the Tigers in the west sectional semifinals in overtime. The Tigers will be seeking to avenge those two losses.
Also, on Tuesday, in boys’ soccer, Westfield hosts Holyoke (4:30 p.m.), Southwick travels to Belchertown to take on the Orioles (4 p.m.), and Gateway hosts Northampton in Huntington (6 p.m.).
That is not all though.
The Westfield and Westfield Technical Academy cross country teams participate in a tri-meet with Longmeadow at Stanley Park, shortly after 4 p.m. A short jaunt down the road will find St. Mary at Southwick. Gateway travels to Whiting Street Reservoir in Holyoke to compete against Pope Francis.
In other events, the Westfield golf team battles Pope Francis at Franconia Golf Course in Longmeadow. Westfield Tech hosts Easthampton at East Mountain Country Club. Both matches begin at 3 p.m.
The area’s lone field hockey and girls’ volleyball games find Southwick (f.h.) and Westfield (vball) traveling to Frontier. The Rams take the field at 4 p.m., and the Bombers begin at 6.
