HAMPSHIRE COUNTY — Last week marked the halfway point of the regular season for high school football teams across Hampshire County. With four games down and four remaining until postseason play, there has been a bit of everything between the county’s eight teams.

Whether it be teams exceeding expectations like Northampton, teams taking a step back after making the state tournament a year ago like Belchertown and South Hadley, or teams with their eyes set on league titles like Amherst and Smith Vocational, each one is playing for something. Some of the squads in the Valley are in rebuilding phases, leaning on young players to carry the load with only a handful of seniors at their disposal.

Here’s a closer look at each team as we head into the final stretch of the regular season.

Amherst (2-2)

Next game: Friday, Oct. 11 vs. Northampton, 7 p.m.

After missing the state tournament despite starting the season 6-0 in 2023, ‘Canes head coach Vincent Guiel made it a priority to strengthen his team’s non-conference schedule this fall. That said, it’s not a shock that Amherst only sits at 2-2 as league play begins this week.

The Hurricanes lost to Division 3 powerhouse and state semifinalist Westfield in a game where they trailed only 25-20 at one point in the second half. They also dropped a game to Barnstable, a Division 2 school currently 6-0 this year. The losses are only going to bode well for Amherst’s playoff ranking, and they also are going to assist the ‘Canes when playing league opponents considering they likely won’t face teams as good as those two.

Quarterback NeNe Fernandez wasn’t asked to throw much a year ago, but he has stepped up in a big way now a senior. He, running back Junior Ramsey and a host of playmakers on the outside have helped Amherst average 23 points per game.

Belchertown (0-4)

Next game: Thursday, Oct. 10 at Easthampton, 7 p.m.

As expected, the Orioles have gone through some growing pains following the departure of the majority of their production from 2023. An entire new group of skill position players have stepped into the spotlight, including Coleman Longley, Adam O’Rourke, Jack Beals and a plethora of others.

First-year head coach Keith LeBeau, who was the defensive coordinator for Belchertown in previous seasons, is still in search of his first win. That could come against Hampshire County foe Easthampton on Thursday, but the Orioles are going to need to play better defense – as they’ve allowed 40 points or more in three straight contests.

Easthampton (0-4)

Next game: Thursday, Oct. 10 vs. Belchertown, 7 p.m.

Something has got to give on Thursday. One of the two teams competing will earn its first win of 2024.

For the Eagles, they feel they’ve played well enough to perhaps win three games, yet still have nothing to show for it. Easthampton lost its season opener 14-12 against Ware in a barn-burner at home, then went on the road to Monument Mountain and hung tough before the Spartans pulled away in the second half. Last week, the Eagles lost 36-30 at Palmer in another one possession bout.

Quarterback Colin Hogan and wideout Trevor Canon-Smith have been a pair of offensive standouts for second-year head coach Kyle Dragon midway through the 2024 campaign.

Frontier (1-3)

Next game: Friday, Oct. 11 vs. Hoosac Valley, 7 p.m.

The Redhawks are another roster that experienced quite a bit of roster turnover, and they may have started the season slow, but they bounced back with a dominant 24-6 win over Commerce last week.

Frontier’s offense only scored a combined 13 points through the first three weeks before nearly doubling that in Week 4. The defense is what head coach Scott Dredge expected to lean on this season, and that’s certainly been the case thus far. Kaden James, Konnor James, Julian Adams and Max Hunter combine to carry the Redhawks defense.

Holyoke (1-3)

Next game: Thursday, Oct. 10 vs. Minnechaug, 7 p.m.

Outside of a 35-6 defeat to Longmeadow last week, the Purple Knights have been competitive in every game this fall. Holyoke’s signature game so far was a 51-12 drubbing of Taconic on the road, and it also came up just shy against a solid Agawam squad, falling 21-14.

Outside of the six spot put up against the Lancers, Holyoke’s offense has averaged 26 points a game. The Knights struggled to take care of the ball early on in the season, but if they clean that up and continue to lean on the athleticism of their skill position guys (Jayderson Lugo, Devin Velez and Jayden Guzman to name a few), head coach David Guzman’s offense can be taken to an even higher level.

Northampton (3-1)

Next game: Friday, Oct. 11 at Amherst, 7 p.m.

Perhaps nobody outside of head coach Joe Kocot expected the Blue Devils to have the early-season success they’ve had. Before the year began, Kocot had an itch this year’s group had the chemistry and determination to bounce back from 2023’s one-win campaign.

Northampton is going to have to bounce back again this week, as it heads to Amherst for the Battle of the Bridge following its first loss of the year. Quarterback Dion Cadiz and running back Jacoby Allard are a strong one-two punch for the Blue Devils, a team that’s found a way to get it done on both sides of the ball at different points this year.

South Hadley (1-3)

Next game: Friday, Oct. 11 at Ludlow, 6:30 p.m.

Similar to Belchertown, head coach Brian Couture and his Tigers also are welcoming a completely new backfield after saying goodbye to several senior playmakers a season ago. South Hadley defeated Greenfield two weeks ago for its lone win of the year where it scored a season-high 27 points. The Tigers have failed to reach double digits in their other three contests.

Outside of last week’s 46-6 loss to Pittsfield, South Hadley’s defense has produced, led by senior captain and lineman Jayden McMains. Quarterback Griffin Soderbaum is still settling in to his new role, and this week’s game with Ludlow is a terrific opportunity for him and the Tigers offense to right the ship.

Smith Vocational (2-1)

Next game: Saturday, Oct. 12 at Drury, noon

The Vikings have one of the deepest teams in Hampshire County, and that was on full display during last week’s 54-6 dismantling of McCann Tech on their home field, the last contest they will play there this year. Head coach Alex Subocz had to move on from Alex Martinez (graduation), who was Smith Vocational’s all-time leader in wins at the quarterback position, but senior Ty Chapdelaine has had no problem stepping up.

Chapdelaine also has a bunch of weapons to lean on, including John Majewski, Jared Baer, Trenton Clark and many others. Smith Voc has the potential to match its record-setting season from last year if this team continues to stay disciplined on both sides of the ball as it has thus far.