SOUTH DEERFIELD, MA (FRANKLIN COUNTY NOW) — The 2025 High School Football season kicks off locally on Friday, with three area teams in action, two of them facing each other:

 

• The Frontier Redhawks host the Athol Bears in South Deerfield. Kickoff is at 7:00. The Redhawks have underperformed to a degree in recent seasons, but all the elements are there for a much-improved season this year. Senior captains Garrett Dredge and Julian Adams are back for one more go-round with the ‘Hawks. They will try to fend off the challenge of a very young Athol squad which is coming off a pair of winning seasons. Virtually every skill position player was lost to graduation last spring, but linemen like Mat Gould and Nick LeBlanc are back to provide some stability while the new players develop. You can listen to tonight’s game on Bear Country 95.3, or stream it live at bear953.com.

 

• The Mahar Senators open their 2025 season at home in Orange at 7:00 against the Monument Mountain Spartans. The Senators went 3-8 last year, but with the return of talented running back Ronnie Stone, who’s been sidetracked by injury the last season and a half, has boosted hopes. Kickoff is set for 7:00.