The Stowe dynasty rolls on.
The Twin Valley boys' soccer team played fast and furious soccer but, as it always seems to happen, the second-seeded Stowe Raiders came out on top, winning their seventh straight Division III state championship with a 1-0 victory over the top-seeded Wildcats on Nov. 7 at Castleton University's David Wolk Stadium.
This was a match worth the wait. It was to have been played on Nov. 3 at Randolph Union High School, but heavy rains left the field unplayable, forcing the change of venue and giving both teams a bit more time to prepare.
Stowe's lone goal came in the 32nd minute as Jack Seivwright passed the ball forward to Jace Boerger, who beat a Twin Valley defender and found himself one-on-one against Wildcats goalkeeper Logan Boyd and whistled home a shot to give the Raiders all the scoring they needed.
That one goal was enough, thanks to great goalkeeping by Stowe's Sam Schoepke and solid defensive work by back Jules Gershman, Noal Lepikko, Mike Pelletier, and Alex Tilgner.
Boyd, who compiled 13 shutouts this season, turned in an equally strong match in goal, other than Boerger's first-half goal.
On offense, the Wildcats did not lack for chances as Owen Grinold, Gunnar Nilsen, Colin McHale, Taylor Howe, and Jack Kehow all had chances, especially in the second half.
Unfortunately, the match was marred by a ugly incident involving Nilsen late in the second half.
After Nilsen received a red card and an immediate ejection from the referee, Nilsen lost his cool and attempted to punch the red card out the referee's hand.
Nilsen had to be restrained by teammates and escorted to the bench, but not before he made an obscene gesture as he left the field. The result was that the Wildcats had to play a man down against the defending champs for the final 12 minutes of the match, which made a difficult comeback even more difficult.
It was the only loss of the season for the 16-1 Wildcats. And it was the 12th state title overall for Stowe boys' soccer, which has a 12-2 record in championship games.
Football champions crowned
• It was fitting that the only two teams that could beat Bellows Falls this season - the Burr & Burton Bulldogs and the Fair Haven Slaters- faced each other in the Division II state championship game in Rutland on Nov. 10.
It has been those three teams that been atop Division II over the past few seasons. Burr & Burton won the title in 2015. Bellows Falls upset the Bulldogs in 2016 for the title, and BF topped the Bulldogs in the semifinals in 2017, which opened the door for Fair Haven to win the championship.
This year, the Bulldogs left no doubt who was the best, trouncing the Slaters, 63-14, and setting a state record for most points scored in a championship game.
Burr & Burton scored on six of their first seven possessions and led 43-0 at the half. Quarterback Joey McCoy ran for 127 yards and passed for 236 yards as the Bulldogs racked up 502 yards from scrimmage.
The Bulldog defense turned in an outstanding performance. They shut down the Slaters and kept quarterback Cam Coloutti in check, despite the Slaters finishing with 286 yards of total offense.
• In Division I, the Mount Mansfield Cougars beat the Rutland Raiders, 38-27, to give the Cougars their first-ever state football title.
This game had five lead changes and also had plenty of offense as the two top running backs in the state - Rutland's Dakota Peters and Mount Mansfield's Jehric Hackney - put on a show.
Peters ran for 185 yards and two touchdowns on 31 carries and Hackney had 278 yards and three touchdowns on 38 carries. Peters finished his senior season with 1,748 yards of rushing, while Hackney ended up with 1,792 yards for the season.
The Cougars finished with 560 yards of total offense to 418 for Rutland. Raiders quarterback Ryan Moore completed 12 of 30 passes for 208 yards with an interception.
• In the Division III title game, Woodstock beat Poultney, 28-21.
Four area players selected to play in North-South game
• Four local senior football players - Kris Carroll and Malick Mane of Brattleboro and Reno Tuttle and Braden Maxfield of Bellows Falls - will play in the 18th annual North-South Senior All-Star Football Game on Saturday, Nov. 17 at Castleton University's David Wolk Stadium.
Besides bringing the best seniors in Vermont together on the gridiron one last game, the North-South Game also serves as an informal audition for the Vermont squad in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl next August.
Carroll, a wide receiver and defensive back, and Mane, a tight end and linebacker, provide Brattleboro with the offensive spark it needed to beat Mount Anthony, 10-7, in the annual Elwell Trophy game.
Tuttle and Maxfield play on both sides of the line for BF. On defense, Tuttle was the Terriers' leading tackler and run stopper, while Maxfield had a knack for coming up with big plays, such as in the Division II quarterfinal win against U-32 when he had a sack, a fumble recovery, and an interception.
The BF du0 be more likely starting on the offensive line, where they will be protecting South quarterbacks Cam Coloutti (Fair Haven) and Ryan Moore (Rutland).
Kickoff for the North-South showdown is slated for 12:30 p.m. Tickets are $10 for adults and $7 for students, and will be available at the gate starting an hour prior to game time. All proceeds will benefit the scholarship and grant programs of the Vermont Chapter of the National Football Foundation.
All 31 of the state's high school football programs from all three divisions are represented on the rosters, which are subject to change prior to the game. Windsor's Greg Balch will coach the South team, assisted by Chad and Todd Pacheco of the Colonels along with BF's Mike Empey and Frank Brown.
Also on the South roster are: Burr and Burton - Jake Baker, Oliver Cazaudumec, Will Frank, Owen King and Jake Nicholson; Fair Haven - Gabe Ellis, Jake Grenier, Parker Morse, Aaron Szabo and Jesse Tucker; Hartford - Nick Cameron, Nick Porter, Riley Packard, Colton Schall and Reece Thompson; Middlebury - Spencer Cadoret, Wyatt Cameron, Simon Fischer and Josh Kerr; Mill River - Marcus Rockwell; MAU - Ty Evans and Caden Watson; MSJ - Roahan Magee; Otter Valley - Dillion Mackey and Tyler Rowe; Oxbow - Zachary Koslowsky; Poultney - Jacob Allen and Cameron Wescott; Rutland - Noah Crossman, Willy Roulette, Lucas Hubbard, Jacob Lorman, Dakota Peters and Griffin Plante; Springfield - Deacon Watson; Windsor - Robert Slocum and Gavin Harriman; and Woodstock - Gabriel Marsicovetere and Caden White.
Girls on the Run Vermont hires new staffers
• Girls on the Run Vermont has added three new staff members: Richele Young, Jessica Lubas and Callie Ginter.
Young, of Winooski, is their new communications and development specialist. She has a background in graphic design, marketing, and communications and earned her B.A. from The College of St. Rose in Albany, N.Y.
Lubas, of Burlington, is their new Northern Vermont program coordinator. She is studied infrastructure design and public health at Ithaca College, coached Girls on the Run for three years and is a road cycling instructor who has facilitated workshops for thousands of children and adults.
Ginter, of Brattleboro, is their new Southern and Central Vermont program coordinator. She studied at Castleton University, where she earned her degree in journalism. She has coached youth sports and volunteered helping the homeless in her home state of New Hampshire.
Girls on the Run Vermont is an independent and 501(c)(3) recognized council of Girls on the Run International, which has a network of over 220 councils across the United States.
For 20 years, Girls on the Run Vermont has empowered more than 45,000 Vermont girls in grades 3-8 to develop physical, emotional and social well-being through a 10-week after school program held at over 160 sites statewide and encouraged by more than 800 volunteer coaches.
Using a research-based curriculum that addresses developmentally appropriate life skills and creatively integrates running, stretching, and strengthening exercises, Girls on the Run's mission is to inspire girls to be joyful, healthy, and confident. Find out more at gotrvt.org.
Senior bowling roundup
• Team 2 (36-14) remains in first place after Week 10 of the fall season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl. Team 5 (34-16) had a 5-0 week to move into second, while Team 4 (32-18) is third. Team 7 (31-19) is in fourth place, followed by Team 8 (30-20), Team 1 (28-22), Team 9 (27-23), Team 10 (24-36), Team 11 (21-29), Team 3 (19-31), and Team 6 (16-34).
Pat Bentrup had the women's high handicap game (240) and series (685), while Robert Rigby had the men's high handicap game (289) and series (714). Team 5 had the high team handicap game (898) and series (2,583).
In scratch scoring, Josie (498) and Robert (714) Rigby had the women's and men's high series. Jerry Dunham (601) rolled a 600-plus series, while Gary Montgomery (564), Warren Corriveau Sr. (557), and Marty Adams (553) each had a 500-plus series.
Dunham (649), Warren Corriveau Sr. (614), and Robert Rigby (610) all Greenblott (513) was the lone woman in the 500-plus club. Also with a 500-plus series were and Duane Schillemat (569).
Robert Rigby (289, 247), and Dunham (215) were the only male bowlers to top 200 for a single game, while the women were led by Debbie Kolpa (188), Pat Bentrup (169), and Josie Rigby (169).