WOODBURY — It’s not often any team wins a state championship — it’s even less frequent that a Berkshire League team wins a title.

Despite this, the Shepaug Spartans took home two Class S trophies this November.

Their winning saga started with Shepaug field hockey’s 1-0 win over Sacred Heart Academy on Nov. 16, followed by a Shepaug boys soccer 4-0 win over another BL team, the Northwestern Highlanders, on Nov. 17.

The last time a BL team took home a state championship was the 2023 Class M baseball tournament, when Nonnewaug beat Wolcott, 10-8.

But what do Shepaug’s wins mean for the BL?

The BL often receives backlash from fans of other leagues. Mostly made up of small schools in Litchfield County, competition within the league is strong during the regular season, but in typical years, many BL teams are eliminated by teams from larger conferences.

Shepaug senior field hockey player Claire Moore feels that the BL sometimes gets downplayed compared to other leagues. This allowed the Spartans to play as underdogs throughout the tournament.

“I do believe that teams outside of the BL underestimated us,” says Moore. “Going in as the underdogs a lot of teams took us lightly and didn’t bring their A game.”

Moore’s older brother, Shepaug field hockey coach Owen Moore, agrees with his sister.

“I think that is often a common misconception of any Berkshire League team, no matter what the sport is,” says Owen Moore. “For field hockey specifically, the Berkshire League is traditionally a grass league with a few teams having the opportunity to play on turf. Non-league opponents may look at this as an advantage.”

As the coach says, the BL is a “small but mighty [league],” and the two state title wins give the BL the credit it deserves. Shepaug boys soccer coach Jim Stinson agrees with his colleague.

“I think that a big win like this does affect the BL because it is the league that provided the competition that prepared us for the title,” Stimson said. “We were able to be tested every game this soccer season and use that to face other teams in the state in a very prepared fashion. I also think that it speaks volumes of the level of soccer that we play in the BL that five teams qualified [for states], and that the final was between two BL teams.”

Shepaug athletic director Matt Perachi believes that their BL competition led them to victory.

“Some of Shepaug’s most competitive games in both field hockey and soccer came in Berkshire League regular season and tournament games this season,” says Perachi. “We knew that on any given day, any one of our opponents could beat us, and our teams had to be prepared both mentally and physically for that challenge all throughout the regular season. After having that mindset from the beginning of the year, it did not require a big adjustment in our approach once we got to the CIAC tournament, and the preparation our teams received in the regular season absolutely was a major factor in our state tournament success.”

Another factor to Shepaug’s success this year was the first year BL field hockey had its own league tournament. Players believe the tournament prepared them mentally for the state postseason.

“With the addition of the BL field hockey tournament, I feel that has better prepared us for the win-or-go-home mentality that state tournament brings,” says Claire Moore. “I also think it kept us game-ready and in shape. It also gave us momentum going into the state tournament.”

Owen Moore believes that the BL prepared the Spartans to be successful because of its competitive spirit.

“If you look across the board at the box scores from each game played, many are decided by one-goal differentials, which is a testament to the competitive nature of our league,” says Owen Moore. “These high-stakes games and moments prepared my team to embrace the challenge and always remain composed and poised.”

Shepaug players attended each other’s championship games, cheering on their classmates and teammates.

“Having members of both teams go to each other’s game to cheer was what you want to see at a school,” says Stinson. “You want everyone involved.”

Claire Moore says the feeling of hoisting a state championship trophy is hard to compare to anything else.

“Winning the state championship feels amazing and is so special,” says Claire Moore. “We etched ourselves in Shepaug history and we will forever remember this moment. We are a small league, but this shows the BL that any one of our teams can have a deep state tournament run and be a state championship team.”

But these feelings of joy aren’t just from the Spartans. Nonnewaug athletes say that it’s nice to see another BL team succeed.

“It’s really great to see someone from our league playing in the state tournament and being so successful,” says Nonnewaug field hockey player Fiona Scozzafava, “especially since I already know a lot of the girls who are there. It’s really nice to see the Berkshire League represented in bigger state tournaments. It’s nice to see people that we’ve played with throughout the season doing great in things like the state tournament.”

Another Nonnewaug athlete, goalie Matt Shupenis, agrees with Scozzafava.

“It feels pretty good to have competed with a state champion-caliber team,” says Shupenis.

But in the end, Owen Moore thinks Shepaug’s field hockey success hopefully will shift momentum in the BL.

“This win is a huge momentum shifter for Berkshire League field hockey,” says Moore. “You look at other teams that put up incredible games in the first round of the state tournament. Nonnewaug fell to defending three-time Class S state champions North Branford [in overtime] and Watertown fell to defending Class M state champions Daniel Hand. These are momentous achievements for our league, and is a testament to the quality of teams that Berkshire League field hockey produces. My hope for our state title win is to inspire other BL teams to believe in the power of themselves and each other and that the highest achievement in high school field hockey is possible.”