It's been a long time since Bellows Falls beat Brattleboro in football. BF coach Bob Lockerby certainly can't remember, and that's taking into account his years as a player and as an assistant coach to his predecessor Bis Bisbee.
Suffice to say that the Terriers are very, very happy with their 25-7 win over the Colonels in the season opener for both teams at Hadley Field last Saturday.
The Terriers, who lost in the Division II semifinals to Rice last season, are well stocked with juniors and seniors this season. It is a typical BF team with power at running back in seniors Carson Fullam and Austin Stack and a steady hand at quarterback in senior Ethan Illingworth.
Add to that a mean, hard-hitting offensive line that created the space for Fullam (12 carries for 149 yards) and Stack (14 carries for 76 yards) to rack up the yardage against the Colonels, and you have the makings of a team that fully expects to return to the playoffs this season.
“We got a great line this year,” said Lockerby. “They executed really well, and with an experienced backfield, we're going to gain a lot of yards. They opened up holes today that even I could run through.”
BF set the tone early when Fullam ran for a 50-yard touchdown with 11:32 left in the first quarter. On that one play, he surpassed the total yardage (49) he had in last year's disappointing 14-8 loss to the Colonels.
“Momentum and setting the tone is important in football,” said Lockerby, “so getting that first score was huge for us, especially after last year's game.”
Brattleboro, to its credit, didn't back down, responding with a 16 play, 67-yard drive that ended with sophomore quarterback Tony Martinez connecting with Zeb Lesure on a 16-yard screen pass for a touchdown. Lesure kicked the extra point for a 7-6 lead with 1:22 left in the first quarter.
That was the high-water mark for the Colonels. Strong defense by the Terriers and ill-timed penalties by the Colonels kept Brattleboro scoreless for the rest of the game. Brian McAnuff pulled down an interception and D.J. Snide recovered a fumble for the Terriers.
Fullam started the second quarter with a 35-yard touchdown run, and Stack added another on a 13-yard run later in the quarter as BF took an 18-7 lead at the half. After a scoreless third quarter, BF closed out the scoring in the fourth with a three-yard touchdown run by Stack. Brendan Kelly kicked the extra point to make 25-7 with 4:19 left in the game.
Brattleboro running backs Aleks Harrison and Taylor King finished with 52 yards and 35 yards, respectively, to lead the Colonels. Martinez had a 4-for-8 passing day for 30 yards with a touchdown and an interception, while Illingworth was 2-for-3 for 29 yards.
Lockerby said his team was as well prepared for an opener as any team he has ever coached, despite its making what he called “dumb mistakes.”
Colonels coach John Callahan, who has 35 sophomores and juniors on his team and only seven seniors, said his team needed to play better on defense. “We don't want to get into situations where we have to throw,” he said. “We're not really a passing team.”
Both teams are back in action this Friday night at 7 as Brattleboro hosts Burlington and Bellows Falls travels to Milton.
Field hockey
• Having a good feeder system to develop players and excite them about their sport has become a crucial element for success in high school sports.
This is especially true in a skill sport such as field hockey, where learning the fundamentals early pays big dividends. That was what Bellows Falls coach Bethany Coursen had in mind when she started a youth field hockey program a few years ago.
“By the time a freshman or sophomore comes to my team, they already have had five or six years of experience,” Coursen said. “And the seniors and juniors are the ones teaching the little ones. The youth program is really starting to kick in now.”
The proof of that was the 8-0 demolition of the Springfield Cosmos in the Terriers' season opener last Friday. Despite losing several key players from last year's squad who'd made it to the state finals, Coursen was able to plug in the complementary new players to go with the returning players and scarcely miss a beat.
BF scored four goals in the first eight minutes to put the game away early. The speedy front line of Sarah Wells, Anna Clark, and Cassidy Santorelli accounted for all the goals.
Wells scored all three of her goals in the first half, while Clark scored twice in the first half and once in the second. Santorelli got one goal in each half as the Terriers outshot Springfield, 25-1, and had a 17-4 advantage in penalty corners.
“They communicated well and they passed well,” said Coursen. “There still is lot we need to work on in practice, but it was exciting to finally get out on the field and play.”
• Brattleboro opened its season with a 1-1 tie at Fair Haven last Saturday. After a scoreless first half, Brattleboro's Kate Damian tipped in a long shot from Meg Powell for a 1-0 lead. Fair Haven's Emily Maynard tied the game three minutes later.
The goalies kept the game scoreless from there as Fair Haven's Elly Maynard (10 saves) and Brattleboro's Hannah Wilson (seven saves) both made clutch stops late in regulation and in the 10-minute overtime. Brattleboro had a 12-9 advantage in shots on goal and a 7-4 edge in penalty corners.
Girls' soccer
• Leland & Gray got its season going with a 4-1 win over BFA-Fairfax last Saturday in Townshend. Jessie Stockwell, Ashley Bates, Charly Sperling, and Giannina Gasparo-Beckstrom all scored for the Rebels, while goalkeeper Jordan Gouger made five saves.
• Brattleboro was to have played St. Johnsbury last Saturday but the game was postponed. Instead, the Colonels will start the season on Thursday in the John James Tournament in Bennington.
Good summer for Barber, Field at BCC
• A week after winning the regular club championships, Hugh Barber and Alicia Field went out and did it again at the Brattleboro Country Club, winning their respective senior club championships in two-day medal play tournaments held Aug. 23 and 24.
Barber shot 71-74/145 to hold off Wayne Wright (77-77/154) to win the Senior Club Championship for male members over 55. Peter Zachary took third (81-79/160), and Bruce Fenn was fourth (80-85/165).
On the net side, Lloyd Dakin's 142 (70 -72) held off Dick Noel by three strokes (72-73/145). Andrew Wisniewski finished third (67-79/146), and Doug Fiske was fourth (78-69/147).
In the Agnes Huestis Seniors Club Championship, Field won by a five-stroke margin (84-94/178) over Judy Manley (92-91/183). The net winner was Becky Day (66-70/136) over Sujin Dakin (70-70/140).
• The senior wins for Barber and Field came one week after they both won their respective club championships on Aug. 17.
Barber won his 13th BCC Men's Championship, defeating Jeff Houle 5 and 4 in the 36-hole final. Beginning as the No. 1 seed, Barber defeated Greg Montgomery in the quarterfinals and Steve Hiner in the Saturday semifinals. Houle, the No. 2 seed, had beaten Matt Fletcher in the quarterfinals and Rick Wisell in the semi-finals.
Barber jumped to an early lead in the championship match with birdies on the third and fourth holes, and never trailed the rest of the way.
Houle began the afternoon round down 4, which Barber quickly increased to 5. Houle battled back with a birdie on the 21st hole, but a Barber birdie on the 27th hole put the match virtually out of reach.
In the women's two-day, 36-hole medal play tournament, Field won her first Club Championship, prevailing over former club champion Tracy Sloan by one stroke.
Field posted an opening-day 87 and followed that with a 91 on Sunday. Sloan had opened with a 90 and couldn't quite make up the deficit with an 89 on Sunday.
In the net division, Cyd Strand took top honors with a 146 total. Barb Oles was runner-up, with 147, and Sujin Dakin third, with 148.
In the Men's First Flight, George Roberge toppled Gary Sanderson in the quarterfinal and Bradley Poster in the semi-final. He secured a 1-up victory over Keith Strand, who must have been weary, having taken both his quarterfinal match (over Dick Virkstis) and his semi-final match (over Jason Kelley) to the 19th hole.
• The Men's Member Guest Invitational took place Aug. 1-3 at the BCC. Seven flights of four teams played six round-robin matches. Two teams in each flight were awarded prizes, but the seven flight winners played off in The Grand March.
George Roberge and John Wong put a quick end to The Grand March with a net 3 on the first contested hole.
Teams also competed for closest to the pin awards, skins games, and two tantalizing contests: a $2,500 putting contest and a $10,000 Hole-in-One contest sponsored by G. Housen and Harpoon Brewery.
Here are the flight winners:
First flight: first Hugh Barber, Joe Bartlett, 30 points (won on first playoff hole); second Jeff Houle, Jared Barber; second flight: first John Wong, George Roberge, 33; second Bruce Fenn, Jay Eschelman, 26.5; third flight: first Rick Wisell, Greg Tewksbury, 33; second Tony Zumbruski, Josh Marcel, 30; fourth flight: first Les Eustace, Jim Deyo, 32.5; second Dave Henry, Bob Houle, 28; fifth flight: first Doug Kroc, Dana Zelenakas, 30; second Dan Zumbruski, Jeremy Zumbruski, 27.5; sixth flight: first Steve Holley, Peter Diemer, 32.5; second Doug Wisse, Wes Wisse, 28; seventh flight: first Henry Diemer, Howard Lane, 32; second Dennis Mayotte, Arnie Williams, 26.
• The BCC Husband & Wife Championship was contested June 28, with four couples competing in an alternate-shot format. Peter and Jill Zachary won low-gross with a 77, while David and Barb Henry took the net honors with 71.
• Six teams competed in the Mixed Scotch Championship on July 20, another alternate-shot format: each player tees off, hits the partner's ball, and then one ball is selected to finish the hole.
Sheryl Libardoni and Jeff Houle won the low-gross with 77. Marilyn and Larry Cassidy posted a 69 in the net division, edging Jill and Pete Zachary by two strokes.