Saturday, August 2nd, 2008

Vermont hung with New Hampshire for a half on Saturday, but in the end it was just too much speed and too much talent to contend with as the Green Mountain State fell to the Granite State 42-0 in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl football game on Saturday in Hanover, New Hampshire. Vermont played well for a half, allowing only one Granite State score and twice reaching the red zone. But they didn't come away with any points, and another failed trip deep into New Hampshire territory early in the third quarter seemed to take a lot of life out of the Vermonters and New Hampshire rolled the rest of the way. 

 

 

Saturday, July 13th, 2008

 A great day for Vermont basketball on Saturday as the Green Mountain State swept New Hampshire in the Merchants Bank Rotary All Star Classic at the Patrick Gym ...

 The Vermont women won the first game 65-58 as Burlington's Jasmine Miller scored 14 points and hauled down eight rebounds while Arlington's Ashley Hoyt, on her way to UVM next season, introduced herself to her new home floor by scoring eight and yanking down 14 boards. BFA-St. Albans's Mikaela Berthiaume added nine points and Alison Wettstein of CVU and Kayla Whitman of Mt. Anthony each chipped in eight in the win. Vermont built a nine point half time lead and were never headed.

 In the nightcap Vermont overcame a four point halftime deficit to beat the Granite State 74-65. Vermont shot the ball horribly in the first half, hitting on only 25% from the floor and only two of twenty from the three point line, but they turned it around in the second half, hitting on 41% from the floor including five treys to take the win. Mt. Anthony's Dan Bisaccio scored 13 points including a pair of big three's for Vermont. Kyle McQuarrie of Proctor added nine, all of them coming in the second half. Greg Hughes of West Rutland chipped in eight. Greg Gause of CVU and Ryan Boyle of Brattleboro each scored seven, and Gabe Nicasio of Essex, Kevin Labas of Mt. Abraham and Logan Calkins of Danville each contributed six to the balanced Vermont attack. Every Vermont player scored in the game with the exception of Lyndon's Logan Macomber who sat out the game due to injury. .   

 

 

 

Thursday, July 10th, 2008

 There will not be a change at the top in Bennington after all . Mt. Anthony has announced that John Callahan will remain on as football coach. Callahan had announced last month that he would leave MAU because they could not offer him a fulltime position, making it economically unfeasible for him to continue. But Mt. Anthony has found other things for him to do, eliminating the problem. Callahan led the much improved Patriots to a 5-4 season a year ago.

 Meanwhile a pair of college commitments in the past couple of days for state girl's basketball stars. A day after Lamoille Union's soon to be senior Rachel Wellman announced plans to attend UVM in the fall of 2009, BFA St. Albans senior to be Nicole Lawton says she will attend St. Michael's after her high school career. 

 

 

Sunday, June 29th, 2008

 An exciting come from behind win for Vermont on Sunday in Field Hockey. The Vermont senior all stars came back to beat their New Hampshire counterparts 3-2 in the Twin State All Star Classic at St. Michael's College in Colchester. Kirsten Johannesen of Harwood scored two goals and Stowe's Alana Izzo added one as Vermont came back from a 2-1 halftime deficit to pick up the victory, its fourth in the past eight years in the series.

 Meanwhile in softball the North completed a three game sweep of the South in the annual All Star softball tournament in Lyndonville. The North took the first game of the day, a completion of a weather suspended game from Saturday 10-2 over the South, and then completed the three game sweep with a 5-4 win in the nightcap. Playing on the home field where they never lost in four years as Vikngs, Lyndon stars Trisha Eckhardt, Maegan Whitcomb and Alyssa Davis all had big days at the plate in the first game win, and Davis drove home another Lyndon teammate, Danielle Shufelt in the bottom of the seventh to complete a comeback from a 4-0 deficit in the second game.  

 

 

 Saturday, June 28th, 2008

 The summer All Star season is in full swing with a host of games on Saturday.

 In hockey the Vermont boys dug themselves a hole and could not quite dig their way out of it, falling to New Hampshire 7-6 in the Make A Wish Senior Classic at Gutterson Fieldhouse. New Hampshire built a 5-2 second period lead and had a 7-4 advantage with under six and half minutes remaining before Vermont mounted a late charge that came up a goal short. Milton's Eric Daunais scored two goals, while Joel Martell of Brattleboro, Tim Carpenter and Tyler Peckham of Essex and Joe Rodolfy of Rutland added singles for Vermont. Goaltenders Josh Baillargeon of Lyndon and Eric Godfrey of Burlington combined for 22 saves.

 In the girl's game it took a Vermonter to deprive Vermont of a win. Hanover, New Hampshire High's Josie Foster, who lives in Vermont but goes to school in the Granite State scored the tying goal in the third period as New Hampshire and Vermont battled to a 3-3 overtime tie. Lou Lou Wheeler of Burr and Burton scored two goals and Felicia DeSorcie, who plays prep hockey at Taft School in Connecticut added the other score for Vermont, which got 22 saves from South Burlington's Becca Shaw and Essex's Emily Douillard.

 In basketball they played the first Vermont/Western Massachusetts All Star Event at the College of St. Joseph in Rutland, with the  Bay Staters winning both games.

 In the boy's game Vermont saw a four point halftime lead slip away as they fell 96-80. Massachusetts took advantage of their size and athleticism inside and also took advantage of Vermont fouls, converting on 28 of 40 free throw attempts while rolling up 62 second half points. Essex's Rusmir Dzanko scored a game high 25 points for Vermont while West Rutland's Greg Hughes added 12 and Liam Smith of Harwood chipped in 11.

 In the girl's game Western Mass wore Vermont down in the second half, beating the Green Mountain State 70-60. Arlington's Ashley Hoyt led Vermont with 17 points, while Allison Wettstein of CVU and Meghan Farrell of Green Mountain Union each chipped in 10.

 In baseball the North came away with a convincing 15-3 win over the South in the Annual senior All Star game played in Middlebury. South Burlington's Brandon Fay went four for five, scored four runs and drove in two in the win. He also had a homer and a double in the second game which was washed out in the fourth inning with the North holding a 6-3 lead. In the first game AJ Dusablon of Burlington drilled a pair of doubles and South Burlington's Jason McMahon added two hits and drove in two runs. Greg Lutton of Mt. Abraham worked five innings of four hit ball to get the win. Corey Haight of Vergennes and Will Manley of Mt. Abe finished up for the victorious North.

 In softball in Lyndonville Ellen Lussier of Enosburg and Hallie Grennon of Missisquoi combined on a two hitter and Brittany Wells of Essex drove in a pair of runs with a single as the North edged the South 2-1. The second game was postponed and will be played as part of doubleheader on Sunday.   

 

 

 Saturday, June 21st, 2008

 The New Hampshire senior All Stars exploded for seven straight second half goals to break open a close game and beat Vermont 26-16 in the Annual Girl's Twin State Lacrosse matchup on Saturday in Hanover, New Hampshire. Vermont trailed 12-9 at the half and hung around, getting to within two thirteen minutes into the second half, but New Hampshire called time out and came out on fire, running the seven straight goals to secure the win. Mt. Mansfield teammates Laura Till and Saryn Campbell scored four goals each and Rutland star Leah Houston added three for Vermont in the loss, which drops the Green Mountain State to 3-10 all-time in the series.

 The Granite Staters then completed the sweep, winning the boy's game 14-9. Vermont appeared to be in great shape, leading 9-5 at the half, but New Hampshire turned it around in the second half, outscoring Vermont 9-0 to come away with their fourteenth win in sixteen series games. Lance Robinson of Middlebury, Alex Brands of Woodstock and Sam Bailey of Hartford each scored twice in the loss for Vermont.   

 

 

 Thursday, June 19th, 2008

  The state decathlon and heptathlon championships got underway on Thursday in Chester. In the boy's decathlon Thetford's Jesse Chapman has the lead after the first five events with 2,833 point. Tim Lens of Windsor is second with 2,784 and Burlington's Min-Jon Lu is third with 2,702. In the girl's heptathlon Alex Purdy of Essex has the lead with 2,149 points, ahead of Angie Moreau of Lamoille at 2,054 and Essex teammate Antonia Armstrong-Laird at 2,052.

 

 

 

 Tuesday, June 17th, 2008

 The man who seemed to be turning around the Mt. Anthony Union High School football program has announced he has resigned from the head coaching job. John Callahan, who came to Mt. Anthony from MSJ last fall and turned in the school's first winning season in twelve years, said Monday he has resigned. The reason is becoming a more and more familiar one in Vermont coaching circles. The Mt. Anthony school system has be unable to find him a fulltime teaching position. Callahan who lives in Castleton and worked last year as a part-time physical education teacher, but he says now withe the high price of gas it is not practical to do the 140 mile per day round trip required to continue, and without a fulltime job in Bennington it is not practical for him to move his family south. So unless a position can be found at the last moment to allow him to change his mind, Callahan is out. Tom Otero, a head coach of the Patriots in the 90's and the defensive coordinator of the semi-pro Southern Vermont Storm might be the top candidate if indeed Callahan has coached his last game at MAU.

 

 

 Monday, June 16th, 2008

 The curtain came down on the 2008 spring sports season on Monday with three state championship games and the completion of another title game.

 The completion came in Clarendon where Leland and Gray completed what they started on Saturday night at Burlington's Centennial Field. The Rebels beat Poultney in the Division Three baseball championship game 11-3. That was the score when the game was suspended by lightning on Saturday night. It only took a few minutes on Monday afternoon for the 18-2 Rebels to clinch their first ever state title in baseball.

 Meanwhile in Burlington it took a little longer, but the result was the same as Black River nailed down their first ever baseball title, beating Arlington 15-1 at Centennial Field to claim the Division Four crown. The Presidents jumped out quickly, scoring five runs in the first inning, and were never headed. Black River bats pounded out nineteen hits, all of them singles. Anthony Simms and Bobby Rohrig each banged out three hits and drove in four runs, Kyle Ellers added three hits and three RBI's and David O'Neil chipped in three hits for the winners. On the hill Ian Rebhan tossed a complete game three hitter and struck out seven. The Presidents end their championship season at 17-2.

 In softball Enosburg successfully defended their Division Three championship, topping People's Academy in Poultney 4-0. Ellen Lussier spun a five hit shutout striking out four in the win. The champion Hornets end their season at 18-1.

 It was a great spring for the Hornets from Essex as well. After winning softball and baseball titles over the weekend the Essex boy's lacrosse team rounded out the spring with their second straight state title, besting CVU 7-4 in the Division One championship game at Burlington High's Buck Hard Field. Andrew Fournier scored three goals and Mitch Panton added a pair for the winning Hornets while Jared Boudreau scored twice in the loss for the Redhawks. The game was tied 4-4 at the break, but the Hornets scored the only three goals of the second half to top CVU in the title game for the second straight year. Essex ends the season at 16-3. CVU finishes 15-4.  

 

 Sunday, June 15th, 2008

 The Essex Hornets are the 2008 Vermont Division One Baseball Champions. The third seeded Hornets topped number five Hartford 7-4 on Sunday night at Centennial Field.  Sophomore Adam Picard tossed six innings of two hit baseball and delivered three hits at the plate to lead the Hornets to the win. Steve Jurnak helped the cause by rocking a long homerun over the fence in left field.

 

 

 Saturday, June 14th, 2008

 Three state championship games were scheduled on a quieter than normal Saturday of spring sports championship weekend across Vermont. They almost got all three done.

 At Centennial Field Leland and Gray appeared well on their way to their first ever state baseball championship, but now they will have to wait until at least Monday to nail it down. The second seeded Rebels held an 11-3 lead on Poultney when lightning stopped the game, and after over an hour wait the game was suspended and scheduled for resumption on Monday at a yet to be decided location. On Saturday evening the Rebels allowed an unearned run in the first inning but then scored three in the second to take a 3-1 lead. The Blue Devils tied the game on a two out, two run third inning double by Nate Loomis, but the Rebels struck for three more in the fourth with left fielder Chris Marcucci delivering the big hit, a two run double. The Rebels were in the midst of a five run sixth inning rally when lightning stopped the game. Marcucci was three for four with four RBI's at that points and shortstop Alex Symanski had a pair of hits and two RBI's.

 Earlier in the day they were able to complete two Division Two lacrosse championship games at Burlington High's Buck Hard Field. In the girl's final the third seeded defending state champion Burr and Burton Bulldogs won their second straight title and ruined the bid of top seeded Chelsea for an undefeated season by beating the Red Devils in a see saw affair 11-10. Kristen Palmer scored three goals and Jenny Coppin, Emma Provenzano, Tess Montague and Sarah Shehadi each popped in a pair for the winners. Hillary Bonasera scored three times and Grace Amber and Althea Spencer added two each in the heartbreaking loss for the Red Devils.

 Later in the boy's final second seed Burr and Burton topped Rice 7-4. Ben Brownlee scored four goals in the win for the Bulldogs. Zack Vit led the losing Green Knights with three scores.    

 

 

 Friday, June 13th, 2008

 Championship weekend got off to a bang up start with five titles on the line on Friday ... here are the highlights:

 In baseball third seeded Mt. Abraham captured their fourth Division Two title of the decade, topping top seeded Lyndon in the championship game at Centennial Field 2-0. The winning Eagles pushed across a pair of unearned runs in the top of the seventh inning to earn the win and ruin a superb pitching performance by Lyndon junior Buddy Lamothe. Lamothe allowed only two hits and struck out fifteen Mt. Abe hitters, but his throwing error on a bunt allowed the first Mt. Abe run to score. They added a second run on another throwing error later in the inning. Mt Abe kept pressure on the Viking defense by going seven for seven in stolen base attempts and stole four of those in the deciding seventh inning. Ben Orvis scattered three hits and struckout seven over six innings to earn the win while Will Manley worked the seventh for the save. Mt. Abe ends the year at 15-5. The Vikings finish up at 16-3.

 In softball at Recreation Field in Poultney  second seeded defending champion Essex won the Division One state title, shutting out number eight Rutland 3-0. Stephanie Frank spun a two hitter and doubled home the game's first run in a three run Essex fifth inning. Frank finished with a pair of doubles and her sister Tonya added a pair of singles for the Hornets, who also got an RBI single from Stephanie Eide in running their record to 18-2. The win completed a three sport sweep for Essex coach Bill O'Neil whose girl's soccer team took the title in the fall and whose boy's hockey team earned the honor over the winter. Going back to last year O'Neil's teams have now won five straight state titles.

 Meanwhile in Division Two softball the streak will live into 2009. The top seeded Lyndon Institute Vikings won their 73rd straight game, and with it their fourth straight state Division Two state championship, squeezing past Harwood in nine innings 2-1. Danielle Shufelt laid down a perfect suicide squeeze bunt in the bottom of the ninth inning to score the game winning run for the Vikings. The play made a winner of pitcher Elizabeth Hamel who tossed a five hitter in the win. Ashley Sweet tossed a four hitter for the Highlanders in suffering the heartbreaking defeat. Each team had scored on an error in the fifth inning and the game stayed tied at one until the bunt play in the ninth. Lyndon end their fourth straight unbeaten season at 18-0. Sixth seeded Harwood ends the year at 13-7.

 In Division Four Black River completed an undefeated softball season of their own. The Presidents got a two run homer from Courtney Rohrig and a two run double from Ashley Billings in a 8-2 championship game win over third seeded Rochester.

 In girl's lacrosse Middlebury has now won eight state championships in the past ten years. The third seeded Tigers earned the 2008 state Division One crown on Friday afternoon, knocking off top seeded Mt. Mansfield 10-5 at Burlington High's Buck Hard Field. Katie Ritter scored three goals and goaltender Laura Barber made 14 saves for the winning Tigers. Laura Till scored three times in the loss for the Cougars. Middlebury ends their season at 15-4, while MMU finishes at 17-2.   

 

 

Thursday, June 12th, 2008

 The Rice Green Knights are the 2008 Division One girls tennis champions. Rice edged arch-rival Burlington 4-3 on Thursday afternoon at Leddy Park in Burlington to claim their first ever D-1 girls tennis title.

 Meanwhile sites and times have been set by the Vermont Principals for this weekend's state championships in baseball, softball and lacrosse.

 Action will begin on Friday. The Division Two baseball championship game at 7:30 at Centennial Field in Burlington will feature top seeded Lyndon against number three Mt. Abraham ... There will be three softball championship games at Recreation Field in Poultney. At 3:30 top seeded Lyndon will put their 72 game winning streak on the line against Harwood in the Division Two title game. At 6:00 pm second seed Essex will take on number eight Rutland for the D-1 title. Then at 8:30 it will be unbeaten top seed Black River going after the Division Four title against Rochester ... in lacrosse they will play the girl's Division One Championship Game at 4:30 at Burlington High's Buck Hard Field as top seeded Mt. Mansfield takes on number three Middlebury.

 On Saturday the D-3 baseball title will be up for grabs as Leland and Gray matches up with Poultney in a 6:30 starter at Centennial Field ... in lacrosse on Saturday they will play the two Division Two title games at Buck Hard Field. In the boy's game at 1;00 pm top seeded Rice hosts number two Burr and Burton. Then in the girl's game at four it will be top seed Chelsea against number three Burr and Burton.

 On Sunday evening at Centennial Field third seeded Essex will matchup with number five Hartford for the D-1 baseball crown.

 Then on Monday afternoon it will be number one Black River against number seven Arlington for the D-4 baseball title in a 4:00 pm starter at Centennial while at 4:30 at Buck Hard Field Essex and CVU will meet for the D-1 lacrosse title.

 

 

 Wednesday, June 11th, 2008

 The field's are set for this weekend's state championship games in the Vermont Principals Association's baseball, softball and lacrosse tournaments ... that after semi-final action on Wednesday.

 In Division One baseball the fifth seeded Hartford Hurricanes advanced to the finals with a convincing 9-2 win over top seeded Mt. Mansfield. Nick Avery tossed a four hitter on the hill and ripped a key three run triple at the plate to lead the Hurricanes. Sean Stone, Matt Pause and A.J. Hamel each added two hits for the winners, who are going after their first state title in baseball since 1973 ... Hartford will meet Essex in the championship game. The third seeded Hornets pushed across the winning run in the top of the tenth inning to eliminate defending state champion South Burlington 8-7. Adam Picard had three hits including a homer and drove in three runs for the Hornets. he scored the winning run on a Rebel throwing error. Picard also pitched the first five innings allowing just four hits for the winners and left with a 5-2 lead. But for the second straight game the Hornets saw their opponent put together a big late inning rally, as the Rebels scored four runs with two out in the seventh to force extra innings. Jason McMahon's two run single tied the game for SB.

 In Division Two baseball top seeded Lyndon moved into the title game with a 4-2 win over Harwood. The Vikings pushed across four runs in the first inning and held on for the win. Buddy Lamothe had a pair of hits and a pair of RBI's and Robert Trucott added a two run double for the winners while Patrick Hilton and Lamothe teamed up to pitch the win ... Lyndon will meet Mt. Abraham in the finals. The third seeded Eagles got and four hit/seven strikeout pitching performance from Greg Lutton in a 2-0 win over Milton. Kyle Kayhart ripped a single and a homer for the winning Eagles who survived a bases loaded seventh inning threat from the losing Yellow Jackets.

 In Division Four baseball top seeded Black River continued their push toward the first baseball title in school history by blasting Whitcomb High of Bethel 16-1. Anthony Simms had a pair of doubles and drove in a pair of runs to key the President's offense. John Durgin scored five times for the winners and combined with David O'Neil on a two hitter .... the Presidents will take on Arlington in the title game. The Eagles rallied from a 3-2 deficit to top Twinfield 6-4. John Cusick had four hits, including the big hit, a two run sixth inning single and Dan Zakrzewski struck out eleven in a complete game pitching performance for the winning Eagles.

 In softball second seeded Essex moved into the Division One title game with a 1-0 win over number three Missisquoi. Steph Frank singled home the winning run in the bottom of the eighth inning for the winning Hornets. Frank also pitched the win, scattering three hits and striking out five. Hallie Grennon took the hard luck loss, allowing four hits and fanning six ... the Hornets will meet eighth seed Rutland in the title game. The Raiders won another pitcher's duel, edging number four St. Johnsbury 1-0. Katherine Cohen pitched a one hitter for the winners. Rachel Bridges tossed a five hitter in the loss. Rutland scored the game's only run on a fourth inning groundout.

 In Division Two softball top seeded Lyndon moved into the championship game with their 72nd straight win, a 4-1 win over Lamoille. Elizabeth Hamel pitched a five hitter and the Vikings backed her up with a four run fourth inning rally keyed by a Lauren Wallace home run ... the Vikings will meet Harwood in the finals. The sixth seeded Highlanders knocked off number seven Bellows Falls 4-2 behind Ashley Sweet's three hitter. Sam Sandretto homered and Hannah Lovely had a big two run double for the winning Highlanders.

 In Division Three softball top seeded Enosburg rallied for six runs in the sixth inning to get by Hazen Union 10-7. Maria Lovelette and Katja Langmaid had three hits each for the winning Hornets ... the other D-3 finalist is People's Academy. Fifteenth seed PA pulled another upset. taking out number six Oxbow 5-3. Samantha Paine won the game with a two run seventh inning double.

 In D-4 softball top seeded Black River rolled into the finals with a 9-4 win over Blue Mountain. Katie O'Neil had a pair of hits and Ashley Billings homered for the winners. But the game was not without controversy ... that after losing Blue Mountain coach Rodney Rood protested the game, saying the distances to the fences at Black River's field were too short. The protest is pending.

 In boy's lacrosse Essex and CVU moved into the Division One title game with wins. The Hornets beat BFA-St. Albans 12-4. Marty Vanzo scored four times for the winning Hornets ...  the Redhawks ousted Middlebury 9-7. Sam Spencer netted three goals and Tim Reichert and Nick Hart each scored twice for the winning Redhawks ...  Rice advanced to the D-2 title game with a 16-7 win over Hartford. Drew Kaigle and Zach Vit each fired home four goals for the victorious Green Knights.

 In girl's lax Mt. Mansfield moved into the D-1 finals with a 12-7 win over South Burlington. Lauren Butkus scored SEVEN goals for the winning Cougars ... and in D-2 Chelsea moved into the finals with a 10-4 win over BFA-St. Albans. Kim Upham led the Red Devils with three scores.

 You can find all of the scores on our Scoreboard page.

 Meanwhile in tennis South Burlington took home the state boy's Division One championship with a 4-3 win at top seeded Brattleboro.

 

 Tuesday, June 10th, 2008

 The violent thunderstorms that raced across Vermont on Tuesday did a number on state tournament action, but a few games did get played.

  In baseball they did complete the Division Three semi-finals. In Townsend second seeded Leland and Gray advanced to the title game with a hard fought 7-6 win over BFA-Fairfax. Corey Bills line a two run walkoff homer in the bottom of the seventh inning to give the Rebels the win and their first ever visit to the state finals. The home team trailed 6-3 going to the bottom of the sixth inning, but Alex Symanski's two run single cut the lead to one, setting the stage for Bills' dramatics. Kevin Wehner had three hits in the season ending loss for the Bullets ... Leland and Gray will meet Marble Valley League rival Poultney in the title game. The eighth seeded Blue Devils got a complete game five hitter striking out nine from Kurt Hewes to beat Stowe 4-3. Hewes also hit a two run homer for the Blue Devils, who scored the winning run on a sixth inning passed ball.

 In softball Desiree Bourassa lined a pair of hits and Bennett McPhetres turned in a strong relief job for Rochester as the third seeded Rockets advanced to the Division Four final with an 8-3 win over Canaan.

 In lacrosse both the Burr and Burton boys and girls advanced to the Division Two finals. The second seeded boy's edged Lamoille 9-7. Ben Brownlee, Trevor Pollock, Chris Murray and Sterling Cobb each scored twice for the winning Bulldogs. Spencer Hunt, Tyler Donze and Mike Kochalk each netted a pair for the losing Lancers ... on the girl's side number three Burr and Burton went to Randolph and blasted the second seeded Galloping Ghosts 19-7. Kristen Palmer scored five goals and Jenny Coppin, Sarah Shehadi and Sarah DeVries added three each for the Bulldogs.

 In tennis the state Division One girls semi-finals were moved indoors due to the weather and arch-rivals Burlington and Rice advanced to a championship showdown. The Seahorses beat South Burlington 5-2, while the Green Knights topped Brattleboro 5-1.

 

 

 Monday, June 9th, 2008

 Middlebury has become the first team to advance to the finals of the Vermont Principals Association's state lacrosse tournaments. The third seeded Tiger girls rallied from a 7-5 fourth quarter deficit to edge second seed Rutland 9-8 in their Division One semi-final on Monday afternoon. Joey Kelley scored four goals for the winners, including a pair less than a minute apart that tied the game in the fourth quarter. Lauren Brady then scored to put the Tigers up by a goal, and after Hannah Wright quickly answered with the tying goal for the Raiders, Katie Ritter score the winning goal for the Tigers with under two minutes remaining. The Tigers advance to this weekend's championship game against the winner of Tuesday's semi-final between Mt. Mansfield and South Burlington. Rutland, led by Ashley Boucher's five goal day, end their season at 16-2.

 Meanwhile Stowe rules Division Two tennis ... AGAIN. The Raider boys and girls won state final matches on Monday. In Stowe the boys rolled over Woodstock 7-0 in the finals ... in Manchester the girl's avenged their loss in last year's final with a 6-1 win over Burr and Burton.

 Meanwhile in Division One South Burlington and Brattleboro moved into the boy's finals. The Rebels edged Burlington 4-3 while the Colonels topped Colchester 6-1.

 

 Saturday, June 7th, 2008

 A summer like day in early June brought out athletes all over the state for a very busy day of tournament action ... here are the highlights:

 In Division One baseball quarterfinal round action top seeded Mt. Mansfield advanced to the semi-finals with a 7-3 win over the Mounties of MSJ. It was not a pretty game, as pitchers for the two teams combined to issue twenty walks, but MMU's Teddy Kusiak weathered the storm tossing a three hitter and walking seven to get the win. Will Godek and Nate Dolan each backed him up with two RBI's ... elsewhere second seeded South Burlington got five two hit/nine strikeout innings from Brandon Fay, three hits from Andrew Tranmer and three RBI's from Ethan Martin in a 9-2 win over CVU ... third seeded Essex built a 10-0 lead and then survived as Brattleboro rallied for eight runs in the top of the seventh inning before Essex escaped with a 10-8 win. Dylan Begin started and pitched six shutout innings, but the Essex bullpen and defense fell apart in the seventh, forcing the right hander to come back into the game to save his own win. The Hornets built their lead on three hits including a homer and two RBI's from Gabe Nicasio and two hits and three ribbies from Adam Picard ... and Pat Reilly pitched a complete game four hitter and launched a pair of homers including a grand slam and drove in six runs as number five Hartford blew past number four Rutland 13-3. A.J. Hamel added three hits and three RBI's for the winning Hurricanes .

 In Division Two baseball top seed Lyndon rallied from a 3-0 deficit to advance to the semi-finals with a 4-3 win over Fair Haven. Robert Trucott drove in the winning run with a seventh inning single ... elsewhere seventh seeded Milton took out Lamoille 6-2. Matt Goulet spun a six hitter and Brian Geary backed him up with a single and a grand slam ... third seed Mt. Abraham got three hits each from Greg Lutton, Chad Estey and Kevin Labas in ripping Mill River 15-0. Will Manley added a pair of hits including a homer and drove in three runs for the victorious Eagles ... and Nate Vasseur had a huge day, erupting for five hits as number twelve Harwood pulled their second straight tournament upset, beating number four Randolph 13-5.

 In Division Three baseball top seeded South Royalton is out. The Royals were beaten by eighth seed Poultney 12-4. Down  2-0 the Blue Devils tied the game with two runs in the fourth then added six in the fifth and four more in the sixth to win going away. Scottie Williams had three hits and drove in two runs in the Poultney win ... meanwhile second seeded Leland and Gray, looking for its first ever baseball championship, got a big scare from the multi-time tournament tested defending champions from Northfield before finally beating the Marauders in eight innings 7-6. Leland and Gray led 4-2 going to the seventh before the Marauders rallied for four runs to take a 6-4 lead. But the Rebels rebounded with two runs in the last of the seventh to force extra innings and then won the game on a Tyler Chapin sacrifice fly. Tyler Russell drove in three runs and Chris Marcucci had a pair of hits and two RBI's in the Rebel win ... and third seeded BFA-Fairfax moved on to the semi-finals with a hard fought 2-1 win over Lake Region. Two out RBI singles from Andrew Duprat and Zach Ladersack in the bottom of the seventh inning gave the Bullets the come from behind win.

 In Division Four baseball top seed Black River got two homers and four RBI's from Anthony Simms, three hits each from Kyle Ehlers and David O'Neil and a homer and three RBI's from Jake Covell in a 15-0 five inning win over West Rutland ... elsewhere second seed Blue Mountain was knocked out of the tournament by number seven Arlington 8-5. John Cusick pitched six and a third innings of six hit baseball in earning the win ... and sixth seed Twinfield took another step toward what it hopes will be its first ever baseball championship. The Trojans pushed across the winning run in the top of the seventh to eliminate third seed Rochester 6-5. Ryan Copping singled home the winning run in the seventh.   

 In Division One softball the upset of the tournament so far came in St. Albans where eighth seeded Rutland got just one hit, but still managed to oust top seeded BFA-St. Albans 2-1. A walk, an error and a little ten foot dribbler up the third base line that went for a base hit gave the Raiders two runs in the fourth inning. That was all they got off Comet starter Hilary Berno but it was enough as Rutland's Katherine Cohen pitched a complete game four hitter striking out five for the win ... elsewhere the second seeded defending champion Essex Hornets blasted their way into the semi-finals, crushing CVU 15-0. Steph Eide doubled, homered and drove in four runs for the Hornets while winning pitcher Steph Frank retired the first nineteen hitters she faced in the circle and delivered a pair of hits and drove in a pair of runs at the plate ... third seeded Missisquoi rallied for a pair of runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to edge Brattleboro 2-1. Ashton Hubbard's two run single provided the margin of victory for Carly Gagne who tossed a complete game four hitter striking out thirteen ... and fourth seed St. Johnsbury got three hits from Kassandra Locke and a three run triple from Sonya Bridges in a 13-2 romp over Colchester.

 In Division Two softball top seeded Lyndon won their 71st straight game, advancing to the semi-finals with an 8-1 win over U-32. Elizabeth Hamel spun a four hitter striking out ten and Maeghan Whitcomb and Trisha Eckhardt backed her up with two hits and two RBI's each ... the Vikings now match up with Lamoille in the semi-finals. The 17-1 Lancers advanced with a 5-0 win over Milton. Kylie Pratt worked a three hitter striking out nine and Melissa Morin had two hits for the winning Lancers ... meanwhile number two seed Otter Valley is out of the tournament. The Otters were ousted by Bellows Falls 7-1 as Sami Hodgkins had the big hit, a three run fourth inning triple ... and number six Harwood went to North Clarendon and took out third seed Mill River 4-3. Ashley Sweet spun a six hitter striking out eight and Kim Martin got her the win with a sixth inning RBI triple. 

 In Division Three softball top seeded Enosburg got a scare before taming number eight Green Mountain 7-5. Ashley Lockerby had three hits and winning pitcher Ellen Lussier drove in a pair of runs for the winning Hornets ... elsewhere third seeded BFA-Fairfax was upset by number six Oxbow 1-0. Kayla Musty's seventh inning single made a winner of Hayle Lund who tossed a complete game two hitter ... Jessica Brochu had a pair of hits and drove in a run and Jennel Molleur homered to back the seven hit pitching of Desiree Lacasse as fifth seeded Hazen Union beat Stowe 3-1 ... and Jillian Stein tossed a three hitter and fanned eight as number fifteen People's Academy stayed alive with a 2-0 win at Rivendell, New Hampshire.  

 In D-4 softball topped seeded Black River got six innings of two hit/twelve strikeout pitching from Amanda Chambers in dispatching West Rutland 8-1. On offense Chambers homered, Courtney Rohrig added a double and a homer and Zoe Tromboli had two hits and three RBI's for the winning Presidents.

 In boy's Division One lacrosse top seeded Essex used a balanced attack to crush South Burlington 14-2. Andrew Fournier scored three goals and Marty Vanzo, Evan McCrea and Mike McIntyre each added a pair for the winning Hornets ... elsewhere second seed CVU got three goals each from Sam Spencer and Jared Boudreau to edge Mt. Mansfield 10-9. Neal Danis led the losing Cougars, scoring four goals on the day ... and in Middlebury Lance Robinson and Asa Sargent each scored five goals and Zach Robinson added four as number three Middlebury rolled over Woodstock 18-6.

 In boy's Division Two lax Zoomer Berger, Zach Vit, Drew Kaigle and Billy Gerke each had a hat Trick as top seeded Rice rolled into the semi-finals with a 15-4 win over U-32 ... and Kevin McCarthy and Spencer Hunt combined for seven goals as third seeded Lamoille eliminated Randolph 10-6.

 In girl's D-1 lacrosse Laura Till exploded for six goals and Lauren Butkus and Lauren Bowie scored four each, carrying top seeded Mt. Mansfield past CVU 16-12. Shawn Logan and Amanda Kinneston each scored three times in the loss for the Redhawks.   

 In girl's Division Two lax top seeded and undefeated Chelsea rolled past Sharon Academy 16-3. Jasmine Braman and Hillary Bonasera each scored three times for the winning Red Devils ... elsewhere Abbie Pelitier ripped home four goals and teammates Erika Smith and Lacey Dezan each chipped in three as second seed Randolph topped U-32 12-10. Lauren Pettinato and Alice Churchin each scored three times for the losing Raiders ... Tess Montague, Kristen Palmer and Sawyer DeVries combined for ten goals in third seeded Burr and Burton's 17-6 win over Hartford ... and Danielle Roberts scored four goals and Kelley Match added three for BFA-St. Albans as the Comets whipped Montpelier 21-9. Steph Whalen and Alyssa Turley each scored four times in the loss for the Solons.

 You can find all of the scores on our Scoreboard page.

 In track the St. Johnsbury boy's and the Essex girl's came away with the Division One State Championships on Saturday at Burlington High School. St. J. finished with 112 points to 78 for second place Essex. Host Burlington was third followed by Mt. Mansfield and Colchester. The Essex girls dominated, rolling up 191 points to 95 for second place St. Johnsbury. Again Burlington was third, followed by Spaulding, CVU, and BFA-St. Albans ... at the Division Two meet in Windsor it was the Fair Haven girls and the host Windsor boy's taking titles. Led by Ashley Brown's four event wins the Slater girls rolled up 131 points to 97 for second place Harwood. Bellows Falls was third followed by Rice and Lamoille. The Windsor boys won a squeaker over their rivals from Bellows Falls 105-94. Harwood was third, followed by Lyndon and U-32 ... at the Division Three meet in Chester the South Royalton boys AND girls both took home state titles. The boy's beat out Thetford, Springfield, Burr and Burton, Lake Region and Woodstock. The girls finished ahead of People's Academy, Thetford, Springfield and host Green Mountain.

 

 

 Friday, June 6th, 2008

 In baseball on Friday afternoon fourth seeded Whitcomb High of Bethel became the first team to advance into the state semi-finals, with a 5-2 Division Four win over Canaan.

 In softball on Friday afternoon seventh seeded Canaan advanced to the Division Four semi-finals, upsetting second seeded Twinfield 9-6. Paige Marchand led the winning Eagles with three hits ... meanwhile in a Division Four playdown round game sixth seeded Danville advanced with a 12-0 blowout win over Cabot. Sierra Howard tossed a no hitter striking out thirteen while contributing a pair of hits to the Indian offense. Hannah Lazerick led the winners with three hits on the day. 

 In boy's lacrosse fifth seeded BFA-St. Albans moved into the semi-finals, rolling over number four Spaulding 11-2. Kyle Marlow, Kris Sabourin and Chris Gratton combined to score eight goals for the Bobwhites ... and in Division Four Corey Simonds scored three times as fourth seeded Hartford moved on with a 7-5 quarterfinal win over Harwood.

 There were three games in the girl's Division One quarterfinals. Second seeded Rutland pounded on Burlington 15-4. Leah Houston led the winning Raiders with four goals and Marisa Kiefaber added three ... number three Middlebury eliminated Woodstock 12-8. Lauren Brady scored four times and Liza Perrin chipped in three for the winning Tigers. Callie Bellimer notched three for the losing Wasps  ... and fourth seeded South Burlington topped Mt. Anthony 13-8. Michelle Handy, Annie Rendall and Crystal King teamed up to score ten of the thirteen goals for the winning Rebels.

 In the girl's tennis tournaments Burlington, South Burlington, Rice and Brattleboro advanced into the Division One semi-finals with quarterfinal wins ... while Stowe and Burr and Burton moved into the Division Two championship game with semi-final victories.

 

 

 Thursday, June 5th, 2008

 The busiest day of the spring with a full schedule of baseball and softball playdowns, along with lacrosse and tennis on Thursday. Here are the highlights:

 In the Division One baseball playdowns top seeded Mt. Mansfield used three pitchers and the trio of Justin Raymond, Brian Wilcox and Tedddy Kuziak not only pitched the win, but also combined for six hits, five runs, three stolen bases and a pair of RBI's as the top seeded Cougars opened with an 11-4 win over North Country ... elsewhere Jason Blow ripped a pair of singles and a triple and drove in two runs to back the two hit/seven strikeout pitching of Dylan McLean as number two South Burlington dispatched St. Johnsbury 11-1 ... Adam Picard pitched a complete game, scattering eight hits and striking out eight while banging out a pair of hits and driving in three runs as number three Essex beat Rice 7-5 ... Joe Rodolfy pitched an eight inning five hitter and Jeff Perry singles home the winning run in number four Rutland's 2-1 win over Spaulding ... Pat Riley singled home the winning run in the bottom of the seventh as number five Hartford edged Mt. Anthony 7-6. Nick Avery added a pair of hits and drove in a pair of runs for the winning Hurricanes while Dan Krebs, Corey Armstrong and Taylor Burke all homered for the losing Patriots ... Colay Kenylow, Kyle Whitworth and winning pitcher Ryan Smith each lined a pair of hits as number eleven Brattleboro knocked off number six Colchester 6-3. Smith tossed a three hitter for the winning Colonels ... seventh seed CVU saw a 3-0 lead slip away before Mike Porzucek tripled home the winning run in the last of the eighth, giving the Redhawks a 4-3 win over Burlington. Joe Myers singled home a pair of runs for the winners. Tyler Wark had a pair of hits in the loss for the Seahorses ... and number eight MSJ had to go nine innings, but the Mounties edged BFA-St. Albans 5-4. Will Hadeka lined three hits for the winning Mounties and BFA pitchers struggled, issuing fourteen walks in the contest.

 In Division Two topped seeded Lyndon rolled over Springfield 13-2. Kyle Greenwood and Patrick Hilton each drilled three hits and Patrick Conly drove in four runs for the Vikings while pitchers Brendan Davis, Hilton and Buddy Lamothe combined on a five hitter ... elsewhere number two Bellows Falls was knocked out of the tournament by number fifteen Lamoille in nine innings 7-6. Britten Branon, Shaun Herman and Jameson Beattie each ripped a pair of hits and Branon drove in the winning run in the ninth for the Lancers ... Greg Lutton, Kyle Kaynard and Will Manley combined on a two hitter as number three Mt. Abraham whipped U-32 9-1. Lutton added three hits and drove in three runs and Rob Kelley chipped in three hits for the Eagles ... Damon Dyer and Jon White each drilled three hits and White pitched a five hitter as number four Randolph advanced with an 8-0 win over Montpelier ... twelfth seeded Harwood built a 6-2 lead and held on to oust number five Middlebury 6-5. Greg Mehuron and Tyler Hoare each had two hits for the winning Highlanders who overcame a sixteen hit Middlebury attack ... Justin Wood doubled home the tying run then scored the winner on a Shawn Mandolare single as number six Mill River rallied past Burr and Burton 6-5 ... Bryan Geary spun a five hitter striking out nine and Mike Mullins back him up with a long homer as seventh seeded Milton took out Windsor 5-3 ... and Sam Macomber tossed  five and a third innings of two hit baseball, striking out eleven, leading number eight Fair Haven past Vergennes 2-0.

 In Division Three Devin Cilley and Dustin Parker combined to drive in seven runs and top seeded South Royalton won their fifteenth straight, beating Twin Valley 12-0 ... elsewhere second seed Leland and Gray got three hits at the plate and six two hit/nine strike out innings on the hill from Tyler Chapin in their 8-1 win over Rivendell, New Hampshire ... Kevin Wehner  tossed a three hitter striking out thirteen as number three BFA-Fairfax beat Winooski 7-2 ... Winning pitcher Travis Godfrey drove in three runs, leading number four Thetford past Hazen Union 9-4 ... number twelve Stowe rallied for four runs in the seventh inning to eliminate number five Enosburg 7-6. Jon Smith had three hits, Mike Wood launched a two run homer and Jack Sobasic knocked in the winning run with a double for the Raiders ... Dan Cruickshank tossed a seven hitter striking out ten and banged out a big two run double as number seven Northfield beat Oxbow 3-1 ... and Kurt Hewes spun five innings of two hit baseball striking out eight and ripped three hits including a homer and knocked in four runs as eight seeded Poultney dispatched People's Academy 10-2.

 In Division Four sixth seed Twinfield opened with a 5-2 win over Richford. Shane Fleury tossed six innings of four hits ball and struck out thirteen in the win ... Matt Belnap lined three hits and drove in two runs as number seven Arlington eliminated three time defending champion Danville 9-5 ... and Greg Hughes pitched a two hitter striking out ten as ninth seed West Rutland took out number eight Chelsea 5-3.

 In Division One softball second seed Essex rode the three hit/thirteen strikeout pitching of Steph Frank to an 8-0 win over North Country ... Hallie Grennon tossed a two hitter striking out twelve and Riley Fontaine backed her up with three hits as number three Missisquoi beat Spaulding 7-0 ... Rachel Bridges tossed a four hitter and struck out seven while Sonya Bridges doubled home a run in fourth seed St. Johnsbury's 5-0 win over Mt. Mansfield ... Mallory James had three hits and Colchester rallied for three runs in the seventh inning as the fifth seeded Lakers topped Middlebury 9-8 ... Ashley Kane ripped two hits and drove in four runs and Ariel Kane added two hits and drove in another as number eleven Brattleboro knocked off number six Burlington 10-7. Kiah Powell-Francis had three hits and Krista Goddard drove in three runs in the loss for the Seahorses ... Chelsea Trombly pitched a twelve strikeout two hitter as tenth seed CVU eliminated number seven Hartford 3-0. Katrina Guevara doubled home two runs and Trombly singled home the other in a three run fifth inning for the Redhawks ... and eighth seed Rutland rolled into the quarterfinals with a 17-4 blowout win over Mt. Anthony. Karen Waterman had four hits and knocked in four runs for the winning Raiders.

 In Division Two number four Lamoille rode the two hit/thirteen strikeout pitching of Kylie Pratt to a 3-0 win over Burr and Burton. Amber Osgood had a pair of hits in the win for the Lancers ... Danielle Hurley pitched a four hitter, Kari Frederick added a pair of hits and twelfth seeded Milton took advantage of five Randolph errors to eliminate the fifth seeded Galloping Ghosts 3-2 ... Randi Lowe had two hits and drove in two runs to back the five hit pitching of Ashley Sweet as number six Harwood beat Fair Haven 3-0 ... number seven Bellows Falls advanced into the quarterfinals with a hard fought 5-4 win over Springfield ... and Julie Bigelow pitched a six hitter striking out twelve and rocked a two run homer in number nine                  U-32's 3-2 win over Mt. Abraham.

 In Division Three top seed Enosburg got a pair of hits and four RBI's from Alyssa Couture and three hits and two ribbies from winning pitcher Ellen Lussier in a 12-2 win over Twin Valley ... Jillian Stein pitched a thirteen inning complete game three hit shutout striking out ten as fifteenth seed People's Academy shocked number two South Royalton 1-0. Tiffany Buckaleau drove in the games only run with a two out single in the thirteenth ... Casey Baczewski had a pair of hits and drove in five runs, Sam Naylor added three hits and drove in three, and Olivia Root added two more hits and three more RBI's as number three BFA-Fairfax trounced Leland and Gray 17-2 ... Casey Sherwin had a pair of hits including a homer and drove in three runs to back the two hit pitching of Syd Purnell as number thirteen Stowe surprised Poultney 10-4 ... number five Hazen Union rallied for three runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to edge Thetford 10-9. Jen Molleur's third hit of the game, a two run double, tied the game and Cortney Colbeth then won it with an RBI single ... Hayley Lund pitched a three hitter striking out eight in the circle and drilled a pair of hits at the plate, leading sixth seeded Oxbow to a 15-1 romp over Windsor ... Rivendell, New Hampshire rallied with a run in the seventh to tie the game,  then added the game winner in the eighth to eliminate Winooski 3-2 ... and number eight Green Mountain scored early and often in a 15-0 blowout of Arlington.

 In Division Four Annicka Marquis pitched a three hitter and fanned fourteen, leading number seven Canaan past Long Trail 15-0. Marquis chipped in a pair of hits and drove in three runs while Nicole Flagg homered and knocked in four in the win ... and number eight West Rutland scored three times in the last of the seventh inning to eliminate Concord 7-6.

 In lacrosse on Thursday in boy's Division Two number six Randolph whipped Milton 11-1. Alex Green scored five goals for the Galloping Ghosts ... meanwhile number seven Vergennes advanced with a 14-5 win over Otter Valley. Elias Galien fired home four goals and Silas Larsen added three for the winning Commodores ... in girl's Division One number nine CVU rolled over number eight Brattleboro 14-6. Kendra Wilkins scored four times for the winning Redhawks ... and in Division Two number six Hartford won, topping Oxbow 14-6. Meghan O'Neil had five goals and Allie Schellong added three for the winning Hurricanes.

 In tennis Brattleboro, Burlington, South Burlington and Colchester advanced to the boy's Division One semi-finals with quarterfinal wins while the South Burlington girls moved into the Division One quarters and the Montpelier ladies moved into the D-2 quarters with playdown round wins.

 And Arne McMullen has been named the new football coach at Montpelier High School. McMullen, a former assistant and head coach at Spaulding, replaces Doug Belisle, who stepped down after last season.         &nbs