WOODBURY — The Berkshire League All-Star Banquet: that highly anticipated event where athletes are celebrated for being at the top of their game. Many athletes become recognized on a league-wide scale for their hard work and dedication throughout each and every practice and game.

Not only is it memorable to be awarded at the banquet, but it’s a type of recognition “that a lot of conferences do not do,” says Declan Curtin, Nonnewaug athletic director. “We were talking to a few [Connecticut] athletic directors, and they don’t have a league-wide celebration like the Berkshire League, and I’m pretty proud of that. A lot of that also has to do with our size. We are small [enough] so that we can do it, but what’s becoming more interesting with it is the fact that all these co-ops and also schools from outside are now involved with the BL.”

Athletes, too, recognize the uniqueness of this banquet. Lincoln Nichols, a junior and BL All-Star in soccer, says it is “an honor to be chosen, and everyone should be proud and humble of themselves.”

This recognition is one that also influences the head space of many athletes like Nichols, who also added “it will benefit me by giving me the confidence to know that I’m among the best players and that I can compete with anyone.”

Another soccer all-star, senior girls tennis captain Skylar Chung, also emphasized the importance behind this accolade.

“It means a lot,” said Chung. “It’s an amazing recognition to show off all your hard work and dedication to your sport.”

As a current senior, with the University of Georgia looming large on the horizon as her school of choice for the next four years, Chung added that the accolade “is important to me because it’s my senior year and I think the banquet is a great way to close out my high school athletics career.”

Juliette Nichols, a senior BL All-Star in girls basketball and track, echoed these sentiments. For Nichols, the value of being honored at the BL banquet is even more important as she will be pursuing both sports at Ave Maria University in Florida.

“It feels so good [to be honored] — definitely one of my top goals since freshman year,” she added. “It gave me something to work towards; I knew I wanted to be on the 1st team by senior year, and that’s what I was able to do. It was also important to have this accolade when talking to potential college coaches, as it helped my profile stand out.”

The Berkshire League All-Star Banquet not only allows athletes to be honored for their unique athletic performance and capability, but the banquet itself is also unique and evolving by the year.

Schools “from outside that are now involved with the BL” are beginning to find recognition at the banquet as well, according to Curtin. “For instance, Watertown has a field hockey team now that participates in the BL, and wrestling is basically a combination of the BL and the NVL [Naugatuck Valley League], so we are honoring non-Berkshire League athletes at the BL banquet,” says Curtin. “So that would be the most unique thing this year compared to other years; for instance young men from Torrington won the BL-NVL wrestling tournament, so now they’re the BL champions.”

Seeing the many faces of student athletes from across the league — and beyond — being honored at the banquet is a sure indicator that the future of the Berkshire League looks bright. This is especially true for younger athletes who will be awarded at this year’s BL banquet; they have something to live up to for the next few years that they will continue to build off of.

“It shows that I have a bright future ahead of me,” says freshman Scarlett Ivey, a BL All-Star in cross country, “and that hopefully we will win BLs again and do really well in states.”

Nonnewaug All-Berkshire League First Team Athletes

• R.J. Barksdale
• Julianna Bellagamba
• Jackson Brent
• Thatcher Budris
• Jake Cenatiempo
• Luke Cenatiempo
• Macey Chmiel
• Skylar Chung
• Layla Coppola
• Tyler DiElsi
• Samantha Duncan
• Kelly Farrell
• Sophia Garguilo
• Scarlett Ivey
• Emma Jackson
• Maddie Keane
• Jackson Krajeski
• Gianna Lodice
• Ellie McDonald
• Juliette Nichols
• Lincoln Nichols
• Landon Parks
• Anthony Perez
• Maddox Poythress
• Luke Primini
• Ben Roden
• Grace Rubacha
• Hannah Searles
• Matthew Shupenis
• Noah Spagnola
• Kiley Stampp
• Durkin Stankevich
• Emily Stewart
• Kyle Viveros
• Devon Zapatka