SOUTH DEERFIELD – There were a few moments of apprehension for the Frontier Regional field hockey team when the fifth-ranked Red Hawks gave up a second quarter goal to visiting Stoneham in the Division 4 statewide tournament Round of 32 on Saturday.

The goal tied the game for the 28th-ranked Spartans. The team had life, the visiting fans cheered their team excitedly.

Frontier then came out of the intermission and brought an immediate end to the momentum, advancing with a 4-1 victory.

Frontier controlled play throughout most of the first half, but a momentary lapse allowed the visitors from Eastern Mass. to score on the Red Hawks.

“We talked about it at halftime,” Frontier coach Missy Mahar said. “We were dominating down at this end. [Stoneham] came down got a corner and one shot, one goal. We can’t allow that to happen going into a state tournament game. You have to play through every call, you can’t have any lull. That’s when another team capitalizes.”

Frontier put the game out of reach in the third quarter with three goals. Ashlie Galenski scored twice and had an assist in the frame for the Red Hawks.

“I just knew we needed to come together as a team,” Galenski said. “We were a little sloppy in the first half. Then we really came together with our passes. We played like we’ve been playing in the second half.”

Frontier Regional’s Haly Doucette-Kaplan, controls the ball against Stoneham’s Amanda DiPlacido during the first half of their field hockey game in Deerfield on Saturday, November 1, 2025. CHRISTOPHER EVANS/For the Gazette

Frontier advances to the Round 16 and will await the winner of No.12 Seekonk and No. 21 Carver. The game will be played in South Deerfield. Neutral locations begin in the Round of 8 of the tournament.

Macy DeMaio opened the scoring in the first quarter for Frontier. Elsa Brown assisted on the goal. Frontier has not won a state championship during Mahar’s tenure with the team.

“We need to play as a team and together,” DeMaio said. “It’s a passing game.”

The third quarter provided a blueprint for how to play for the remainder of state tournament play. The thought of a possible defeat ignited the team after halftime.

“We definitely came together,” DeMaio said. “We were fired up. We were not losing. Our season would have ended if we lost. We were definitely stepping to the 50-50 balls. We put in the effort.”

One area of concern for the Red Hawks might be the execution of the penalty corner. The Red Hawks forced 12 penalty corners. Frontier was 1-for-8 converting the chances in the first half.

“We always talk about the battery of people in the corner,” Mahar said. “You have your inserter, the stop and the hit. We said that those people need to take ownership for their role. We need to make it happen. It’s not just a gimme that the ball is going to go on net. Things need to happen and occur before. Obviously, it’s something we can work on. I think this was our worst game yet for corner execution.”

Addie Harrington added a goal a goal an assist for the Red Hawks. On Frontier’s first goal, a loose ball after a penalty corner found the stick of Brown. After Brown pushed it near net, DeMaio swiped it past the Stoneham goaltender for a 1-0 lead.

The second goal came when Harrington sent the ball in front of the net. After the pass passed through some traffic, Galenski was there to put the ball away to give Frontier a 2-1 lead.

The third goal occurred after a scrum following a penalty corner. Harrington collected the ball and gave Frontier a 3-1 lead. Galenski’s second goal came off a rebound in the third quarter.

Frontier Regional’s Nora Sloan, left, controls the ball against Stoneham during their field hockey game in Deerfield on Saturday, November 1, 2025. CHRISTOPHER EVANS/For the Gazette

Football results (Oct. 30)

The Franklin Tech football team defeated Mahar 65-0 at the Woodward Complex in Orange on Thursday night.

The victory marked the 100th win of Joe Gamache’s tenure with the program. Gamache is in his 24th season for the Eagles.

“When I first started our roster sizes were pretty low,” Gamache said. “We certainly had some lean years, but we’ve always had dedicated kids.”

The first 10 years with the team did not produce a lot of wins for the team, but things have certainly improved in recent years. This year’s team is 6-2 and won a share of the Intercounty North league championship. The Eagles have a chance at a state playoff spot. Franklin Tech was 18th in the latest power rankings.

“It took a little while for kids to buy into my coaching,” Gamache said. “The things we were trying to do. I would say over time I grew into my own skin as a coach. Once you got a little bit of longevity in one place and there’s some consistency there, people start to buy in.”

Max Brunette eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing for the Eagles on the season. Brunette had 14 carries for 243 yards. The running back also returned the opening kickoff 72 yards for a touchdown. He scored five rushing touchdowns on the night. Brady Gancarz added four carries for 90 yards with two touchdowns. Hunter Donahue had an 11-yard touchdown reception from Mason Bassett.

Franklin Tech led 52-0 at halftime.

MIAA Volleyball

Thirteenth-ranked Franklin County Tech advanced in Division 5 with a 3-2 win over No. 20 Holbrook at home.

Set scores were 25-13, 12-25, 25-21, 11-25 and 16-14. The Panthers will clash with No. 4 Lenox on the road in the Round of 16.

Madison Pettengill had 10 kills and 14 digs for the Panthers. Sarah Beckwith chipped in with six kills and 16 digs.

Lily Baldwin contributed 11 digs and led the Panthers with 20 assists. Emma Petersen added two aces, seven kills, six digs and a block.

What to Read Next