It's hard to write about the Bellows Falls field hockey team without dipping into the big bag of superlatives.
However, this is a program that has won 49 straight games, and counting, as well as three straight state championships. This year's team is undefeated and unscored upon in its first nine games, has outscored its opposition by a 65-0 margin, and is intent upon winning a fourth straight title.
And BF coach Bethany Coursen will be happy to tell you the reason why the Terriers are the best in the state.
“We are one big team,” she said on Oct. 5 after steamrolling Brattleboro, 9-0, in a homecoming weekend game in Westminster. “No one person can win a game for us.”
While their teamwork and communication is impressive to watch, it also helps that the Terriers are well-stocked with skilled, versatile, and well-conditioned players.
And while the scorers get all the ink, like Abbe Cravinho, who scored four goals in the first half, Coursen said the nine shutouts are a byproduct of her defense.
The BF offense is hard to ignore, especially when they score eight goals in the first half, with eight penalty corners and 15 shots on goal. Brattleboro did what it could to stop the onslaught of scoring, and great goaltending by Natalya Forkin kept things from being worse.
“It's like playing a college team,” said Colonels coach Sherryl Libardoni. “Our girls put out a good effort, but Bethany's team is playing at a totally different level.”
Sophie Hyslop opened the first-half scoring off a cross from Molly Kelly with 24:51 left. Streeter got an unassisted goal four minutes later with a drive from the middle of the circle. Hyslop scored again with 14:11 to go and Maya Waryas made it 4-0 just 90 seconds later.
Cravinho then killed any hope of a comeback by scoring four straight goals in the last seven minutes - the first and third were unassisted drives from the top of the circle, the second came with help from Streeter, and Megan Banik set up Cravinho's fourth with just 42 seconds left in the half.
The BF reserves played most of the second half, and Brattleboro held them scoreless until Streeter scored the ninth goal with 3:45 left in the game.
Brattleboro, which beat Mount Anthony, 2-0, on Oct. 4, didn't have to wait long to get their mojo back, as they shut out Fair Haven, 3-0, on Oct. 7 at Tenney Field.
Kalin Noble, Lacy Slade, and Katryna Jarvis did the scoring as the Colonels ended the week at 5-3-1. Gracie Frost, Avalon Johnson, Makenna Severance, and Rachael Rooney were credited with assists. Forkin and Kaylyn Bailey spilt time in goal, and combined for five saves.
Football
• A fired-up Hartford team took the field to the roar of an honor guard of 15 motorcycles revving their engines in unison.
The heavy metal thunder of the Vermont Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association was part of the pageantry of the school's annual Patriot Game, which honors those who served in the military.
After an entrance like that, the Hurricanes were primed for a big win, and delivered with a 54-18 pounding of Brattleboro on Oct. 5.
The Colonels did score first, as quarterback Tyler Millerick threw a touchdown pass to Adam Newton. After that, it was all Hartford.
The Hurricanes had three rushers top the 100-yard mark for the game - Zach Burek (208 yards, three TDs), Nick Porter (117 yards, two TDs), and Reece Thompson (107 yards rushing and 20 receiving yards, two TDs). The powerful threesome made it 54-12 by the end of the third quarter.
Hartford, on a quest for a third straight championship appearance, is tied with Rice for second place in Division I at 4-2. Brattleboro, 0-6, hopes to salvage its season when they travel to Bennington this Friday night to play Mount Anthony in the Elwell Trophy game.
• It was a happy afternoon at Hadley Field on Oct. 6 as Bellows Falls cruised to a 46-16 win over Mount Abraham to cap off Homecoming Weekend for the Terriers.
Brady Clark ran for 111 yards and a pair of touchdowns on just seven carries, and Andrew Elliott added 92 yards and a rushing TD for the Terriers. Julian Christiansen (30 yards) and Hunter Smith (17 yards) each scored once on the ground, as BF racked up 332 yards of rushing as a team.
BF quarterback Griffin Waryas threw for 54 yards, as Jed Lober and Dylan Clark each had touchdown catches. The defense also had a good day as Jeffery Rainville and Reno Tuttle combined for 16 tackles.
BF is now 5-1 and hosts Fair Haven this Friday night in a game that could decide who gets the second seed in the Division II playoffs.
Girls' soccer
• Leland & Gray is starting to roll. On Oct. 1, the Rebels beat Otter Valley, 3-2, in overtime in Townshend. Ellie Longo scored twice in regulation time, and Arin Bates got the game-winner in OT.
Longo stepped up her scoring pace against Windsor, scoring three goals as the Rebels rolled to a 6-1 road win on Oct. 3.
Bates had a goal and four assists, Emma O'Brien got her first varsity goal, and Hannah Landers also scored for Leland & Gray. Goalkeeper Sydney Hescock made five saves.
• Brattleboro is in danger of missing the playoffs again this year. On Oct. 3 in Manchester, they lost to Burr & Burton, 5-0, to drop the Colonels' record to 1-7-1.
• Bellows Falls lost at home to Windsor, 6-1, on Oct. 5. Hannah Dupuis got the only goal for the 1-9 Terriers.
Cross-country
• Bellows Falls looked good in a multi-team meet in Windsor on Oct. 2, as the Terrier Harriers won both the boys' and girls' races.
BF's Ian Wallace won the boys race in 19 minutes, 42 seconds, while Tim Salter-Roy was second in 20:02, Stone Bradbury came in fourth in 21:34, Gabe Hakimoglu took fifth in 23:04, and Isaac Wilkinson ended up sixth in 23:13.
It was a walkover for the Terrier boys, as Windsor, Springfield, and Sharon all did not have enough runners for a team score.
The BF girls stayed in their winning groove as Stephanie Ager won her race in a time of 22:17. Abby Dearborn was third in 24:40, Jasmine Boucher took fourth in 25:03, Haley Covillion was seventh in 26:09, and Molly Hodsden came in eighth in 26:15 as the Terrier girls finished ahead of Windsor.
• The upper section of the Brattleboro home course on East Orchard Street was a sea of mud on Oct. 2, and coaches decided to run the girls' and boys' together in one race during a five-team meet that was more about braving bad conditions than logging a fast time.
The Colonel girls finished first, ahead of Burr & Burton, Mount Anthony, and Rutland. Stratton Mountain School's Anna Lehmann finished one second ahead of Brattleboro's Sarah Gallagher to win the girls' race. Also scoring for Brattleboro were Bella Takacs (sixth), Liz Morse (10th), Alexandra Miskovich (14th) and Ellery Loggia (18th).
Stratton didn't have enough girls for a team score, but the school had a full complement of boys and they edged Brattleboro to win the boys' meet. Mount Anthony was third, followed by Rutland and Burr & Burton.
Connor Munns of Stratton came in first, but the Colonels had four runners in the top 10 - Trevor Kipp (third), Finn LaMorder (fifth), Evan Koch (7th), and Bram Tabachnik (10th). Nolan Holmes came in 21st.
Boys' soccer
• Jackson Buettner scored the first two goals in the first 17 minutes of the match and Brattleboro made them stand up in a 4-1 win over Rutland on Oct. 4 at Tenney Field.
Rutland tried to rally after Buettner's goals, but Nate Lewis added another tally to give the Colonels a 3-0 lead at halftime. After Rutland's Jacob Henderson converted a penalty kick in the 57th minute, Lewis got his second goal of the match to maintain the Colonels' big lead.
Brattleboro finished the week at 6-3 and still has a shot of winning the Marble Valley League title.
• Leland & Gray fell out of the ranks of the unbeaten with a 3-0 loss to Mill River in Townshend on Oct. 5. Mill River goalkeeper Tyler Regula earned the shutout.
Earlier in the week, on Oct. 3 at Woodstock, the Rebels edged the Wasps, 2-1. Jordan Persson and Riley Burton were the goal-scorers for Leland & Gray. The Rebels ended the week at 7-1.
• Twin Valley is still undefeated. On Oct. 6, Owen Grinold scored three goals as the Wildcats beat Stratton Mountain School, 6-2.
Dylan Howe, Jack Kehoe, and Colin McHale also scored for the 9-0 Wildcats, with assists going to Lucas Messing and McHale. Goalkeeper Logan Boyd made four saves.
Rec. Dept. holds signups for basketball
• The Brattleboro Recreation & Parks Department will be offering youth basketball leagues this winter. Registration for these programs will be held at the Gibson Aiken Center, 207 Main St., on Tuesday and Wednesday, Oct. 16 and 17, from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Here is what is being offered:
• Boys' Youth Basketball League for boys in grades 3 through 6. There will be two divisions: Sr. Division for boys in grades 5 and 6, and Jr. Division for boys in grades 3 and 4. The fee for the program is $40 for residents and $55 for non-residents. T-shirts are included in the fee. The season runs from November through March. There will be one practice and one game per week. Games will be held on Saturday mornings.
• Girls' Youth Basketball League for girls in grades 3 through 6. There will be two divisions: Sr. Division for girls in grades 5 and 6, and Jr. Division for girls in grades 3 and 4. The fee for the program is $40 for residents and $55 for non-residents. T-shirts are included in the fee. The season runs from November through February. Players will have one practice and one game a week.
• Instructional Coed Basketball: This program is for children in grades 1 and 2. The fee for the program is $30 for residents and $45 for non-residents. T-shirts are included in the fee. The season runs from November through February. Players will have a practice once a week and all games are on Friday evenings.
In all three leagues, the emphasis is on getting exercise, instruction and having loads of fun. Also, all three leagues are looking for volunteer coaches.
• Kindergarten Basketball: For children currently enrolled in Kindergarten who are looking to learn the fundamentals of basketball. Skills will be taught in a fun and exciting way to the children. This is a five-week program. The cost for this program is $20 for residents and $35 for non-residents. Please wear sneakers and bring a water bottle.
If there are special needs required for this program or more information required, call 802-254-5808. If you are interested in coaching, contact Program Coordinator Adam Middleton at [email protected].
Time to Dash to the Dam
• On Saturday, Oct. 20, West River Valley Thrives (wrvthrives.com), a substance-use education and prevention organization focusing primarily on youth, will host their third annual costumed 5k run/walk along the West River Trail in Townshend, with registration starting at 9 a.m.
At 10 a.m., runners will race from the “Old Route 30” trailhead to the Townshend Dam Rec Area. At the finish, there will be food, drinks, prizes and activities for everyone.
Adults pay $20 to race and kids under 15 pay $15. Children under 5 run for free. Wear a costume, runner or not, and you might win a prize.
For more information and to register, visit West River Valley Thrives website, scroll down and click on the registration button. You may also call Nick Plante at 802-365-4700.
BCC women win VSWGA State Day Championship Trophy for seventh year
• The Brattleboro Country Club Women's Golf Association recently celebrated a successful 2018 season at their fall dinner meeting.
Outgoing President, Pat Shoemaker, handed the reins to Helen Merena. Marilyn Scholl was welcomed as newly-elected VP. Barb Henry, having served the Association for more than 30 years, continues as Secretary, and Kate Clark was re-elected Treasurer for her 16th year.
For the seventh year in a row, the BCC women won the VSWGA State Day Championship Trophy for having accumulated the most Vermont State Day Tournament points. Twenty-one different golfers won points during the season, six of them placing in the top 10 for the entire state.
BCC Women's Club Championship trophies were awarded: Club Champion, Tracy Sloan; Net Club Champ, Alicia Field; Sr. Club Champ, Barb Henry; Sr. Net Champ, Judy Manley; Scotch Champions, Sherryl Libardoni and Tracy Sloan; Scotch Net Champs, Judy Manley and Alicia Field.
Earlier this summer, the BCC Women's Invitational Tournament hosted 72 competitors and raised $7,500 to be divided between Brattleboro Memorial Hospital's Belcher-Timme Fund and Grace Cottage Hospital's Hospice Suite, bringing their lifetime donations to various oncology funds to more than $100,000.
Women golfers of all abilities are warmly encouraged to join the Women's Association. For information, contact Helen at [email protected].
Senior bowling roundup
• Team 5 (19-6) has a narrow lead over Team 4 (18-7) after Week 5 of the fall season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl. Team 7, Team 2, and Team 10 (all 15-10) are tied for third place, while Team 1 and Team 9 (both 13-12) are tied for fourth, followed by Team 8 (12-13), Team 3 and Team 11 (both 11-14), and Team 6 (7-18).
Doris Lake had the women's high handicap game (252) and Josie Rigby rolled the women's high handicap series (513). Marty Adams had the men's high handicap game (287) and Robert Rigby had the men's high handicap series (633). Team 9 had the high team handicap game (947), and series (2,563).
In scratch scoring, Robert Rigby (633) and Marty Adams (613) each had a 600-plus series. Rigby had games of 216 and 200, while Adams had a 253 game. Warren Corriveau Jr. (542) and Jon Peters (532) each had 500-plus series. Jerry Dunham rolled games of 220 and 213.
Josie Rigby (513) was the only woman with a 500-plus series. High scores for the women included Sonia Shippee (189), Shirley Aiken (188), and Bunny Fogg (179).