This Saturday is the 59th Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl and, for the first time since 2008, the game is back at Dartmouth College's Alumni Field.
The annual match-up between the top high school graduates of Vermont and New Hampshire starts at 2:30 p.m. in Hanover, N.H., site of 48 previous Shrine games. Renovations to Alumni Field forced the game to McLeay-Royce Field in Windsor for the past three years.
There's only one local representative on the Vermont squad this year, Brattleboro wide receiver and kick returner Soren Pelz-Walsh.
Pelz-Walsh, who lives in Dummerston, was a standout wide receiver and team captain for the Colonels in 2011. He was a first-team selection on the Vermont Division I All-Star team as he helped lead the Colonels to a 5-4 record.
A three-sport star, he was also captain of the basketball and baseball teams in the 2011-12 school year. He'll be going to the University of Vermont this fall.
The Vermont squad is coached by Rutland's Mike Norman. Mike Beliveau of Souhegan High School leads the New Hampshire team.
New Hampshire leads the all-time series, 43-13-2, and has won the last 11 Shrine games.
Quick exit for Post 5 in Legion tourney
• Brattleboro Post 5 didn't stay long in the Vermont American Legion Baseball Tournament in Rutland and Castleton.
In the opening game last Thursday, Post 5 lost to Addison County, 8-2. Charlie Stapleford threw a complete-game one-hitter with 11 strikeouts to get the win. Addison County pounded Brattleboro's pitchers for 16 hits.
The next day, Brattleboro was knocked out of the double-elimination tournament with a 7-5 loss to Lakes Region.
The two best baseball teams in the state, Bennington and Essex, reached the state finals, and it was Essex that prevailed with a 11-10 win on Monday. Essex now advances to the regional tournament at Old Orchard Beach, Maine next weekend.
Softball roundup
As the regular season of the Brattleboro Area Men's Softball League nears its conclusion, the races for the top spots in the four divisions are getting close at the end of last week's games.
The Brattleboro Elks (12-4) remain in first place in Division 1, but the Moose (11-5) are only one game back and Fletcher's Auto (10-5) are not far behind. Sportsmen's Lounge/Hotel Pharmacy (2-12) trails the field.
Roadhouse Bar & Billiards and In Pursuit 365 are tied atop Division 2 at 10-7, with Zooters/Green Mountain Creamery in third place at 8-8. Westmoreland Auto remains in the basement at 2-15.
In Division 3, Hescock Lawn Care (12-5) remains in first, but three teams - Newton Business, Aerodyne, and GSP Coatings - are all tied for second at 11-6. Marina/DMI (10-7) is two games back in fifth, followed by VFW (9-7) MT3/DJ's/Goodenough (6-9), W & B Maintenance (5-10) , GS Precision (5-12) and Stark Outdoors (2-14).
Falvey Pools is cruising atop Division 4 with a 16-1 record, while Mocha Joe's (11-5) is in second. Twin State Auto (10-6) is third, followed by Frankie's Pizza/McNeill's Brewery (9-6), Chelsea Royal (7-8), the Firefighters (7-9), Tony Farnum Construction (5-10), UNFI (5-12), and Brattleboro Family Health Care (2-15).
CRVBL roundup
• With two weeks left in the Connecticut River Valley Baseball League's regular season, the Chester Crush is still in first place with an 11-3 record, but the Claremont Cardinals are just a game back at 10-4.
Claremont kept pace with a 13-4 win over the Saxtons River Pirates on Sunday, while Chester split a doubleheader with the Ludlow Athletics, winning the first game, 8-5, and losing the second game, 3-2.
The Keene Black Dawgs and Walpole Wild Blue are tied for third at 7-6. In Sunday's rain-shortened game between these teams, Keene won, 6-5.
The Newport Polar Bears are hanging with those two teams at 7-7. They split a doubleheader with the Brattleboro River Rats, winning the first game, 5-1, and losing the second game, 6-2.
Ludlow now has a 6-7 record, followed by Brattleboro (5-9), Saxtons River (5-10), and the Putney Fossils (4-10).
HCRS hosts fifth annual Golf Tournament for Autism
• Health Care and Rehabilitation Services (HCRS) will host its fifth annual Golf Tournament for Autism on Friday, Aug. 17, at Tater Hill Golf Club in Windham.
The tournament has a shotgun start at 1 p.m. and will be a mixed-scramble based on best ball. Players will have an opportunity to compete for some hole-in-one prizes, as well as prizes for longest drive and closest to the pins. In addition, a silent auction will be held throughout the day and an awards banquet will be held following the tournament.
The entry fee is $130, and all proceeds will be used to help support area individuals and families living with the ongoing challenges of Autism. For more information, contact Alice Bradeen at HCRS at 802-886-4567, ext. 2191.
Youth Services' Golf Tournament nets more than $22,000
• Ninety-two area golfers participated in Youth Services' 27th annual Golf Tournament at the Brattleboro Country Club on July 25. The event generated over $22,000 to help underwrite the agency's programs.
The team of Jeff Morse, Tammy Morse, Barb Henry, and Hugh Barber won First Gross, with the team of Ken Whitworth, David Ross, Eric Carpenter, and Brian Baker finishing First Net, for the second year in a row.
The team of Elizabeth Walker, Eileen Ranslow, Dough Dannemiller, and Toby Munsill took Second Gross and Steve Hellus, Chip Hellus, Dan Harrison, and Henry Scott took Second Net.
Barb Henry won the prize for the Women's Longest Drive. Sabine Rhyne won the prize for Women's Closest to the Pin while Iedje Hornsby won Closest to the Line.
In the Men's Division, Ward Dannemiller took the prize for Longest Drive. Steven Sayer took Closest to the Line with Joe Bartlett winning Closest to Pin.
Green Mountain Club releases new hiking trail map
• The Green Mountain Club (GMC) recently put out the first edition of the Manchester Area Hiking Trail Map, featuring hiking trails in southern Vermont.
The Manchester Section, one of the 14 chapters of the GMC, maintains the hiking trails in the Manchester, Stratton, and Bromley area. They helped put together this pocket-sized, waterproof map which includes hiking trails on Bromley, Stratton, Equinox, and White Rocks mountains. It is the fifth in the club's series of regional maps that also include Camels Hump, Mount Mansfield, the Northeast Kingdom, and Killington areas.
In addition to regional maps, the GMC offers a number of comprehensive hiking trail publications including the Long Trail Map, the Day Hiker's Guide to Vermont, and the classic Long Trail Guide. To learn more, visit www.greenmountainclub.org, or stop by local outdoor gear and bookstores around the state to pick up your map.