AMHERST — After the Amherst Regional football team missed out on the postseason despite a 6-2 record a year ago, Hurricanes head coach Vinnie Guiel loaded up his team’s independent slate with strong teams from all over the Commonwealth in hopes of increasing its chances at grabbing one of the 16 spots in the MIAA Division 4 state tournament.

Amherst played Division 3 Westfield, a team that made it to the Final Four a year ago, and Division 2 Barnstable, which currently sits at No. 5 in the MIAA power rankings. The ‘Canes are currently ranked No. 19 in D4 with a 4-2 record – their losses to those aforementioned teams – and are a perfect 3-0 in the Suburban League South.

And on Friday night, Amherst will welcome undefeated West Springfield (6-0, 3-0 Suburban South) for a clash of two league heavyweights, the winner likely to claim the league crown. The Terriers are ranked No. 6 in Division 3, so a victory would not only put the Hurricanes in the driver’s seat to win the Suburban South, it would also give them a shot at making the postseason (if they win out) for the first time since the format changed to a statewide tourney.

Despite the unblemished record, West Springfield has yet to be challenged. Amherst, on the other hand, faced two difficult opponents early on to prepare it for contests similar to this one.

There’s a lot at stake at Community Field on Friday night.

“I don’t want to disrespect West Side at all, but we’re the best team they’ve played so far, and they’re not the best team we’ve played so far,” Guiel said. “The kids are ready. They’re fired up. They know what’s at stake. They know we have a chance to win a league title.

“West Side is obviously well-regarded for a reason,” Guiel added. “They’ve been doing it at a high level for a long time, and those coaches are some of the best in the area. Everything they do, they have a purpose. We’re looking forward to the challenge.”

The Terriers pose several threats on both sides of the ball, and Amherst is well aware of that. Defensively, West Springfield is one of the most creative teams in the state when it comes to disguising its coverages and schemes. Guiel is prepared for a relentless Terriers pass rush that will disrupt the timing and rhythm of quarterback NeNe Fernandez.

Amherst has had no trouble putting up points on its league foes (averaging 45 points per game), but Fernandez and Co. are going to be facing an entirely different beast on Friday.

“They’re extremely confusing to block up front,” Guiel said. “They do a lot of good things with their linemen and their linebackers. They walk everybody up and they kind of disco, in the sense that you don’t know who’s coming or who’s dropping in coverage. And when they do blitz, they stunt. They’re an extremely hard team to prepare for, which is a battle in and of itself.”

On the other side of the ball, West Springfield is statistically one of the most prolific attacks in western Massachusetts. Quarterback Nate Stone has a strong arm and the ability to make plays from anywhere, whether it’s in the pocket or on the run. Every play is a scoring opportunity for the Terriers offense, no matter the down and distance. They’ve put up over 30 points in every contest, including five straight games of 44 points or more.

A lot of that has to do with wide receivers Johnny Gingeruha and Jaedan Beaumont, fantastic play makers on the outside who make 50-50 balls feel more like 80-20 balls. It seems as if they come down with the pigskin every time. According to Guiel, getting pressure on Stone is essential for Amherst, because if he has time to throw, he will pick apart the Hurricanes’ secondary – just as he’s done to every other team this fall.

“Their quarterback is unreal, Johnny is unreal and their line is good,” Guiel said. “Their offense is a handful. If you watch our games with them the past few years, we’ve had them at third-and-14, and the next play is a touchdown. It’s the most annoying thing as a coach because you need to play perfect defense on all four downs. If you take one play off, you’ll end up giving up six points.”

In past matchups with West Springfield, Guiel has attempted to limit the Terriers’ possessions by bleeding the clock with his double-wing, ground-and-pound offense. But now, Amherst runs basically everything out of the shotgun. The ‘Canes shifted to the spread offense in 2024 because they have the personnel to do so.

Fernandez took a giant leap. The ball jumps out of his hand with speed and accuracy, and his decision-making is sharp. He knows when to throw it, and knows when to tuck it and run. Having Tre Bowman, Ty-Ty Beckett, Raymond Colon and Taylor Alfaro Leiva – a quartet of terrific receivers – also helps, as does power running back Junior Ramsey.

For the first time under Guiel, the game plan against West Springfield may not be to run the clock down. The Hurricanes feel they have the firepower to match the Terriers blow for blow. They won that style of game against East Longmeadow (39-32) a week ago, and feel primed to do so again.

“We honestly believe that whoever has the ball last might win the game,” Guiel said. “So if it turns into a shootout, the kids are prepared and ready. We’ve talked as a team, and if it needs to turn into what it turned into last week versus East Longmeadow, we’re ready. If we can get as little as one stop each half, I think we can win the game.”

Guiel has yet to defeat West Springfield – his alma mater – since taking over as Amherst head coach. Now in his fourth year, this may his best chance of toppling the team he played his high school ball for. Terriers head coach Chad Labonte has been with the program for two decades, and coached Guiel as well as Amherst assistant coach Ty Mann before their graduation in 2012.

Many West Springfield alums and former teammates of Guiel and Mann will be in attendance on Friday, torn between which team to cheer for.

Labonte was Guiel’s mentor and a father figure to him throughout his life. To Guiel, it always means more than football when Amherst matches up with West Springfield.

Friday should be loads of fun for more reasons than one.

“We have so much respect for Chad and the entire staff over there, so much respect,” Guiel said. “They have saved so many lives, including myself and Coach Ty, from going down the wrong path. We love those guys dearly, and they love us. But when the whistle blows and it’s time for kickoff, we know we have a job to do. This one will be sweet if we could get it. It would be weird to beat [Labonte] and it would be strange, but it would also be full-circle.”