The annual Russ Pickering Invitational cross-country meet at Bellows Falls Union High School on Sept. 13 took on a different look, as the Stowe boys' and girls' teams dropped by to compete.
According to Stowe coach Becky McGovern, the teams used to go down to Amherst, Mass., to run in a meet there and make a weekend of it with a campout and other team bonding activities. Now, the Vermont Principals' Association rules bar teams from competing out-of-state during the regular season.
So, Stowe's road trip was cut back approximately 70 miles, and they adapted by winning the boys' event, ahead of five other teams. The Stowe girls finished a distant sixth, mainly because of the usual brilliant performance by the BF girls.
Defending state champion Abby Broadley flashed over her home course in 18 minutes, 58 seconds to win the girls' race, 54 seconds faster than teammate Stephanie Ager, who was second in 19:52.
Rounding out the scoring for the BF girls were Victoria Bassett (fourth, 21:03), Ashlin Boucher (10th, 22:20), and Ashley Bartlett (12th, 23:07).
Bellows Falls won the girls' meet with 29 points, followed by Burr & Burton (51), Green Mountain (97), Rutland (102), Brattleboro (105), and Stowe (120).
In the boys' race, Rutland's Brady Geisler won in 17 minutes, 28 seconds, but Stowe had four top 10 finishers to edge Brattleboro, 46 to 49, for first place. BF was not far behind in third with 50 points, followed by Rutland (80), Burr & Burton (121) and Springfield (182).
BF had three runners in the top 10 - Tim Salter-Roy (second, 17:36), Justice Bassette (fifth, 18:01), and Stone Bradburn (ninth in 18:59).
Brattleboro saw two of its runners in the top 10 - Brian Tabachnick (third, 17:52) and Finn Lamorder (sixth, 18:22).
Field hockey
• After seeing their 58-game victory streak snapped with back-to-back losses to Windsor and Hartford, Bellows Falls got back into the win column on Sept. 9 with a 4-0 home win over Springfield.
Maya Waryas led the way with a pair of goals. Meagan Kelly and Grace Wilkinson also scored for the Terriers. BF goalies Abby Joslyn, Jaia Caron, and Mary Wallace combined on the shutout.
The Terriers faced Brattleboro on Sept. 12 at Tenney Field and eked out a 1-0 win. BF controlled the flow of play in the first half, but didn't cash in until there were two minutes left to halftime.
In what turned out to be the only goal of the game, Halle Dickerson got a pass from Wayras and smacked the ball past Colonels goalie Kaylin Bailey.
BF also dominated play in the second half as the Terriers finished with a 23-0 advantage in penalty corners and outshot the Colonels, 7-0.
With 15 new players, this year's Terriers squad is still trying to put it together to add their chapter to the legacy built in the previous three championship seasons. At 3-2, they don't have to carry the weight of keeping a long winning streak going. All they'll need to do is concentrate on getting better with each game.
• Brattleboro bounced back from the BF loss with a 4-0 win at Fair Haven on Sept. 14. Katryna Jarvis scored two goals and Rachael Rooney and Edie Kay also scored for the Colonels, who ended up with a 13-0 advantage in shots on goal. Rosie Carignan and Rooney each had two assists.
Goalies Kaylyn Bailey and Brittney Wright teamed up for the shutout for the first win of the season for the 1-3 Colonels.
Football
• Two of the highest-scoring teams in Division II so far this season clashed at Natowich Field on Sept. 13, but it was Brattleboro that had all the firepower in a 34-0 win over U-32 in the Colonels' home opener.
Brattleboro put up 49 points against Bellows Falls and 61 points against Windsor, while U-32 scored 49 points against Mill River and 60 points against North Country.
Against the Colonels, U-32 could not muster any points. Meanwhile, the dynamic duo of quarterback Tyler Millerick and running back Chris Frost helped the Colonels roar out to a 28-0 lead by halftime.
Each of U-32's first two drives ended with a fumble. The Colonels' defense recovered them both, and turned them into scores as Millerick and Frost each ran for a touchdown.
Millerick ran for another score, then connected with wide receiver Aaron Petrie with a throw that Petrie caught in stride and in traffic at the goal line for a 37-yard touchdown.
Brattleboro started the second half with its final scoring drive of the night, capped off by a 41-yard touchdown run by Millerick.
The Colonels finished with 374 yards of rushing. Millerick had 14 carries for 169 yards and Frost had 13 carries for 167 yards. Millerick was 3-for-7 throwing the ball for 56 yards.
After winning only one game in each of the last two seasons, Brattleboro is now 3-0 and in first place in Division II. The Colonels host North Country on Friday at 7 p.m.
• Bellows Falls traveled to Fair Haven on Sept. 13 to take on the Slaters in a battle between two perennial Division II powerhouses.
Watching the Terriers lose big to Brattleboro on opening night might have led some to believe that this wasn't going to be BF's year. They had too many players, 19 to be exact, gone from last year's Division II semifinalists and BF had trouble establishing the thing that has long been the trademark of Terrier Football, -a clock-eating, ground-pounding, will-sapping running game.
The doubters forget who is coaching the Terriers. Of the coaches I've written about over the years, few can get more out of the talent they have available than Bob Lockerby, and that Lockerby would quickly get his guys to bounce back and play Terrier-style football.
BF shut out the Slaters, 26-0, with a classically BF kind of game. They had 357 yards of rushing, led by junior running back Jed Lober, who had 18 carries for 175 yards and one touchdown. Sophomore back Jeb Monier ran for 149 yards on 17 carries and three touchdowns, plus kicked two extra points.
Usually, when BF has a good night running the ball, they'll also have a good night preventing their opponent from doing the same. Against Fair Haven, they held the Slaters to just 65 yards of rushing and sacked quarterback Evan Reed three times and intercepted two of his passes.
Monier opened the scoring with a 66-yard touchdown run. He would score again just before halftime with a seven-yard run. Lober scored at the end of the third quarter with a 39-yard TD run, and Monier got his third score with a 16-yard ramble to the end zone.
Now 2-1, the Terriers travel to Bennington on Friday to face Mount Anthony in a 7 p.m. game.
Girls' soccer
• After a pair of ties, Bellows Falls got its first win of the season with a 3-1 victory over Long Trail on Sept. 9.
The Terriers trailed 1-0 at halftime, and rallied for three goals in the second half. Hannah Dupuis got the equalizer in the 50th minute, Emma Graham got the go-ahead goal, and Breanna Stockman got an insurance goal.
BF lost at Springfield, 7-0, on Sept. 12 as the Terriers finished the week at 1-1-2.
• Brattleboro also got its first win of the season last week, as the Colonels beat Hartford, 4-1, at Tenney Field on Sept. 11, but dropped a 1-0 decision at home to St. Johnsbury on Sept. 14 to finish the week at 1-3.
• After two straight wins at home to open the season, Leland & Gray lost two road games last week. They were beaten by Burr & Burton, 6-2, on Sept. 11 and by Thetford Academy, 5-0, on Sept. 14.
• Twin Valley finished the week with a 1-2-1 record after losing at Arlington, 1-0, on Sept. 9 and losing at home to Stratton Mountain School, 2-0, on Sept. 12.
Boys' soccer
• Brattleboro, the defending champs of the John James Tournament, began their title defense on Sept. 12 in Bennington with a 6-3 victory over Burr & Burton.
Luke Williams and Damian Dierkes each scored a pair of goals for the Colonels, while Alex Lier and Nick Bingham each added a goal.
In the championship game against Arlington on Sept. 14, the Colonels won their fourth John James Tournament title in 51 years by beating the Eagles, 6-1.
Brattleboro imposed its will early and often. Freshman Ayoub Lajhar got the first goal just 40 seconds into the match. Lier added another goal in the 16th minute. Arlington was charged with an own goal 65 seconds later, and Zinabu Mcneice followed that two minutes later with another goal.
Lajhar scored off a corner kick in the 38th minute to make it 5-0. Arlington spoiled the shut out bid with a goal in the final minute of the game.
This is the second time in the past decade that the 3-1 Colonels have won back-to-back James titles; they also won it in 2009 and 2010. Lajhar was named the Best Offensive Player and Brattleboro freshman goalie Paul McGillion was named the Best Defensive Player.
• Bellows Falls fell to 1-2 after a 7-2 home loss to Proctor on Sept. 11.
• Leland & Gray got its first win on Sept. 13 with a 2-1 road win over Windsor, but lost the next day to Green Mountain, 4-1, to finish the week at 1-3.
• Twin Valley stayed undefeated with a 4-2 victory over White River Valley on Sept. 10.
West Hill Shop, Pinnacle Association partner to sponsor benefit bike ride
• On Sunday, Sept. 22, Putney's West Hill Shop is partnering with Windmill Hill Pinnacle Association to sponsor the West Hill Grinder as a thank-you benefit to WHPA for its 26-mile trail system.
The Grinder is a gritty exploration over mountain ridges, across Vermont paved roads, down hiking trails, and along smooth packed dirt roads. There is something different around every corner. There are two technically challenging routes, and one new smooth gravel endurance route, to choose from.
The ride will begin and end at Howard and Lisa Prussack's High Meadows Farm in Westminster West, where there will be shelter in one of their barns if the weather gets wet or cold. There's on-site parking, drinking water, and a porta-potty.
Lunch will be catered by the Putney Food Co-op and is included in the entry fees, which range from $30-$60, depending on a rider's category and choice of route. Same-day registration starts at 8:30 a.m. (cash or check only). Since this item is appearing after the advance registration period, email [email protected] so you can get counted for food on the 22nd.
Hungry Lion Bike Tour set for Sept. 28
• The Hungry Lion Bike Tour returns to the Deerfield Valley on Saturday, Sept. 28. Registration is now open for all rides on this annual fall foliage tour.
Cyclists can select from a range of rides, including a family-friendly 5-miler, several intermediate-level tours, and a 75-mile pro tour - plus a challenging gravel grinder. All rides take cyclists through beautiful country roads in Southern Vermont; some rides dip into Western Massachusetts.
The Hungry Lion features “sag wagon” support plus rest stops stocked with fruit, snacks and water. At the finish, riders will enjoy a barbecue picnic with live music, and great prizes. Rides begin and end at Town Hill in Whitingham, and on-site registration is available the day of the event.
Sponsored by the Whitingham-Halifax Lions Club, the Hungry Lion Bike Tour donates all proceeds locally to help end hunger, fund programs for seniors, and provide free vision screening in schools. Every cyclist who raises more than $275 will receive a custom artist-designed cycling jersey.
Non-riders can also help the cause, either by sponsoring a rider or donating directly to the Whitingham-Halifax Lions Club. Visit www.hungrylionbiketour.com to register, watch the video, and for more information.