They're going to have to make some room in Holland Gymnasium, for the Bellows Falls Terriers have two more state championship banners to hang.
Last Saturday at Green Mountain Union High School, the Bellows Falls girls and boys teams swept the Division III track and field state meet. It was the fourth straight title for the boys, and a big step up from last year's third place finish for the girls.
Depth helped the BF girls edge Oxbow, 111-108, to win the title. The Terriers got wins from Savannah Bradbury in the discus (86 feet, 8 inches) Keri Ticino in the pole vault (8 feet), Michelle Marchica in the triple jump (32-9), and from the 4x800 relay team of Reaghan Baldasaro, Faith Byfield, Sophia Hyslop, and Alice Salter-Roy (10 minutes, 43.51 seconds).
Brigid Hodsden was second in the 100 hurdles in 16.99. Baldasaro also had a third in the 800 (2:30.49), while Salter-Roy was fifth in the 3,000 (12:23.75), Marchica was fifth in the 100 hurdles (18:00) and third in the 300 hurdles (52:13), and Ticino was third in the javelin (94-07.50). The 4x100 team posted a third place time of 54:49, while the 4x400 team was second in 4:32.38.
Other BF girls placing in the top six included Jasmine Boucher (fourth in the 400 in 64.32), Megan Banik (sixth in the 1,500 in 5:28.21), and Molly Kelley (fourth in the high jump in 4-6). Dani Marchica was fourth in the long jump (14-06.75 ) and sixth in the triple jump (29-5.25), while Brianna Donahue was sixth in the javelin (81 feet).
The BF boys piled up 148 points to win the championship, while Thetford was second with 127 points.
DJ Snide took first place in the 110 hurdles (15.37), 300 hurdles (41.65) and the triple jump (40-1) for Bellows Falls, while the 4x100 meter relay team (Chris McKeen, Connor Smith, Cameron Joy, and Sawyer Reis) finished first in 46.64. Chris Doucet won the high jump (6-2), while Reno Tuttle was first in the discus (136-5) and Shane Clark took first in the javelin (149-9).
Snide added a second in the 100 (11.49), while Reis was fourth in the 400 (54.97), Potter was fourth in the 800 (2:10.86) and 1,500 (4:28.94), and McKeen was sixth in the 110 hurdles (18.16) and third in the 300 hurdles (43.77). Doucet tied for second in the pole vault (9-6) and was sixth in the javelin (123-3), while Tuttle was third in the shot put (39-5) and fourth in the javelin (129-5).
Clark was third in the triple jump (38-07.5), fourth in the 110 hurdles (17.52), and fifth in the pole vault (9 feet). Nate Fairbrother was sixth in the long jump (17-5) and triple jump (37-4). BF was third in the 4x400 (3:55.25) and second in the 4x800 (8:59.24).
• At last Saturday's Division I state track meet in Burlington, the Brattleboro boys finished sixth, while the girls came in eighth. It sounds like a disappointing finish, but the Colonels' track program is on the upswing. This season's team was one of the largest the school has seen in years, and there is lots more talent coming up through the middle school ranks. Better days are coming.
Sarah Gallagher was third in the 3,000 in 10:59.24 to lead the Colonel girls. Danielle Wood was fifth in the 100 (13.54) and sixth in the 200 (27.46), and the 4x800 relay team was sixth in 10:45.14.
Josh Meachen (fourth in 4:19.72) and Isaac Freitas-Eagan (sixth in 4:21.02) took two of the top six spots in the 1,500. The 4x100 relay team was fifth in 45.79, while the 4x800 team was sixth in 8:47.40. Dan Burdo was fourth in the long jump (19-9.75) and Jonah Goldenbird was fourth in the pole vault (10-6).
Baseball
• Leland & Gray and Bellows Falls faced each other in the first game of the high school baseball season on a freezing cold afternoon at Hadley Field on April 8.
While BF won that game, 14-1, it was safe to say that the Rebels were not that bad of a team and the Terriers were not that overpowering a team as the final score indicated.
Fast forward eight weeks, and both teams have reached the final four of their respective divisions. As it turned out, it was the Rebels who were overpowering, winning 13 of their next 14 games to earn the top seed in Division III, while BF had an up-and-down season, but still secured the No. 6 seed in Division II.
But both teams have shown their mettle, particularly in the first two rounds of their respective playoffs, while Brattleboro and Twin Valley both were knocked off in the first round.
• Leland & Gray, which earned the top seed in Division III, had no problems in their opening playoff game on May 31 as they handed No. 16 Montpelier a 12-2 loss in Division III first-round game in Townshend.
Casper Rowe struck out five and allowed just two hits over five innings to earn the win. Max Cramp struck out two in relief. Walker Hamer went 2-for-3 with two RBIs and Nick Morrow drove in one run on two hits.
In last Friday's Division III quarterfinal in Townshend, Jeremy Bovat went 3-for-3 at the plate and also drove in three runs as Leland & Gray cruised to an 11-4 win over eighth-seeded Oxbow.
“We're putting the ball in play and forcing defenses to make plays,” said Rebels coach Eric Durocher after the game. “We can get a ton of hits, but we are also able to score in other ways.”
Patrick McDonald went 2-for-3 for the Rebels, who took a 2-1 lead in the first inning and scored three more runs in the second. Rowe was again the starting pitcher, and he helped himself with a two-run single in the second, while Bovat and Morrow crushed back-to-back triples in the sixth.
Rowe struck out four and was held to 75 pitches to save his arm for the scheduled June 6 semifinal against fifth-seeded Windsor in Townshend. Cramp finished up in relief.
Windsor knocked off the Rebels, 3-1, in eight innings on Monday. We'll have more on that game in next week's edition.
• No. 6 Bellows Falls took care of business in its Division II first-round game at Hadley Field on May 31 with a 5-2 win over No. 11 Springfield. Zach Streeter, Alex Groenwold and Brian Green each went 2-for-3 and scored a run for the Terriers.
Streeter was the winning pitcher. He was lifted after 75 pitches over 3 2/3 innings, which allowed him to be ready to start the Terriers' next contest. He struck out eight and gave up three hits. Groenwold got the save, allowing three hits and one walk while striking out three batters. Matt Veysey had two hits and an RBI for the Cosmos.
In last Friday's quarterfinal at third-seeded Lake Region, Groenwold got the start for the Terriers, and the Rangers responded by jumping out to a 5-1 lead. BF coach Bob Lockerby brought Zac Streeter to the mound in the second inning in relief, and he held the Rangers to just one run the rest of the way as the Terriers rallied to win, 7-6.
BF scored five runs in the fourth inning to tie it, 5-5. Brady Illingworth had the key hit, a two-run single.
With the score again knotted at 6-6 going into the seventh inning, the Terriers pushed the winning run across when Derek Dickerson got a base hit and later scored on a hard-hit ball by Clayton Groenewold that caromed off the glove of the third baseman.
Lake Region threatened in the bottom of the seventh. They got the leadoff man aboard, but BF catcher Liam Hackett threw him out attempting to steal second. Two more baserunners reached, but the next batter sent a hard ground ball to third baseman Clayton Groenwold, who stepped on the bag and threw across the diamond to first for a game-ending double play.
The Terriers advanced to the finals by beating No. 2 U-32, 9-3, in the semifinal game on Monday. We'll have more on that game in next week's edition.
• The margin for error in postseason baseball is always razor-thin, particularly when you have a 0-0 game going into the final inning.
Starting pitchers Leif Bigelow of Brattleboro and Hunter Perkins of Hartford both put up zeroes over the first six innings of their first-round Division I playoff game at Tenney Field on May 31. But it was the No. 6 Colonels that blinked first as No. 11 Hartford struck for four runs in the seventh to win the game, 4-0.
Hartford's Codi Smith started the seventh with a line drive to shallow right field that Brattleboro's Chayse Cunniff attempted to make a play on. Instead, the ball got by Chase and rolled to the fence for an inside-the-park home run.
The Hurricanes then went in for the kill, taking advantage of two walks and an error to load the bases. Jacob Perkins then stroked a three-run double and Hartford had all the offense it needed.
Jordan Allard relieved Perkins in the bottom of the seventh, and the Colonels saw a glimmer of hope when Stephen Kerylow and Matt Dulmain both drew walks to lead off the inning. Allard then struck out the next three batters he faced to end the game.
Allard also got Perkins out of jams in the fourth and fifth innings, coming in both times to get the final out. The fourth inning was particularly hairy, as Brattleboro loaded the bases on a Dan Petrie single and walks to Conor Hiner and Chris Hall. The Colonels also threatened in the fifth when Martinez and Sam Ognenoff both reached base.
Until things fell apart in the seventh, Bigelow looked great. He struck out four, walked two, and held Hartford to one hit over the first six innings. Perkins struck out seven, walked four, and gave up three hits to get the win. The Colonels finished with a 13-4 record.
• Justin Hicks went 3 for 4 and Brett Swanson slammed an RBI double, but it wasn't enough as the No. 10 Twin Valley Wildcats lost to No. 7 Williamstown, 9-3, in a Division III first-round game on May 31.
Winning pitcher Cameron Flinn went the distance, striking out 10 batters. He also helped his cause with a three-run homer, part of an eight-run inning that broke the game open for the 12-5 Blue Devils. Twin Valley finished the season at 7-10.
Softball
• The Leland & Gray Rebels softball team scored 10 runs or more in 13 of their 16 regular season games, and the bats continued to be hot as the postseason began for them.
In a Division III first round game on May 31 in Townshend, the fourth-seeded Rebels had 18 hits as they crushed their cross-mountain rivals, the No. 13 Twin Valley Wildcats, 23-1, in a contest that was halted after five innings due to the mercy rule.
Catcher Jesse Stockwell had three hits, while Jordan Gouger, Rachel Borgesen, Sierra Fillion, and Sarah Anderson all finished with two hits. Gouger drove in three runs and Jessica Madore, Stockwell, and Anderson drove in two runs each.
Rebels pitcher Keltsey Rushton had an easy afternoon, striking out 10 and walking no one in throwing a one-hitter over four innings. Reliever Olivia Brown threw the final inning. Hailey Howe, Tatyanna Bowman, and Kaylea Niles all hit safely for the 1-16 Wildcats.
As easy as that game was for the Rebels, their home quarterfinal game last Friday against fifth-seeded Enosburg, which they lost, 7-6, was tough.
“We were expecting a very challenging game,” said Rebels coach Tammy Claussen. “We knew we would have to be at our best to win this one.”
The stars of the game for Enosburg were first baseman Courtney Tatro and winning pitcher Emilee Bose.
Hitting clean-up, Tatro was hit by a pitch, intentionally walked, and smashed a three-run homer. Bose struck out eight, walked four, allowed six hits, and had just enough left to hold off a seventh-inning rally by the Rebels.
“These two teams are very well matched,” said Claussen. “I couldn't be more proud of our effort. To be down 7-3 and rally like we did shows our dedication and determination."
The Hornets took a 1-0 advantage in the top of the first on Eliza Blake's RBI double to left. But the Rebels answered in the bottom half of the inning as Stockwell singled to right and Borgesen followed with the first home run of her career - a two-run shot over the fence in left.
In the third inning, Tatro's three-run blast over the fence in right put the Hornets up 4-2.
The Rebels cut the lead to 4-3 in the fourth, when Rushton drew a walk and pinch runner Sarah Andersen made her way around, thanks to a stolen base and a couple of passed balls.
Rushton and Bose dueled for the next two innings. In the top of the fifth, Claussen decided to intentionally walk the powerful Tatro with two outs and runners at second and third. The move paid off as Rushton got out of the jam when Blake grounded out to second baseman Jessica Madore.
Enosburg erupted for three runs in the top of the seventh, as Blake hit a two-run double and Bri Severence had a sacrifice fly.
But the Rebels weren't finished yet. They scored three times in the bottom of the seventh as Stockwell started things off with a single to right, Borgesen drew a walk and Caroline Tietz reached on an error, which scored Stockwell. Birthday girl Mackenzie Boyle drove in a run on groundout and Tietz went home on a wild pitch, before Bose struck out Gabby Donna looking to end it.
Rushton struck out nine, walked three, and gave up eight hits in taking the loss. She, along with Donna, Gouger, and Skyler Nupp are the only graduating seniors for the Rebels, who finished 14-4.
• No. 6 Brattleboro opened its Division I playoff run with an 18-6 romp over No. 11 South Burlington on May 31 at Sawyer Field. Freshman Hailey Derosia had a career day with four hits, including two doubles and a home run, and six RBIs.
Devin Millerick, Hannah Wilson, Lauren McKenney, and Jocelyn Aither all had three hits, while Jamie Mahoney, Emmalee Waite, and Mariah Powers all had two hits each.
Against third-ranked Middlebury last Friday, the Colonels dropped a 6-3 decision in the quarterfinals.
The Tigers pounced on the visiting Colonels, capitalizing on four errors in the first two innings. Wilson struck out two and gave up seven hits in taking the loss.
Millerick went 4-for-4 to lead the Brattleboro offense. Wilson and Waite each went 2-for-4, with Waite driving two runs in. Hailey Derosia, Powers, and Mahoney all had base hits.
Wilson and Bridget Duff are the only seniors graduating from the team, which ended up with a 13-5 mark.
• No. 15 Bellows Falls traveled to Lyndon for its Division II first-round game, and got clobbered by the second-seeded Vikings, 25-5, in a five-inning game cut short by the 15-run rule.
Brianna Doty was 3-for-4 with three RBIs, Zea Macris also drove in three runs, and Riley Boivin was 2-for-2 with five RBIs.
Winning pitcher Gracie Ducker struck out five batters, but gave up nine hits. Paxton Santorelli had a double and two singles with two RBIs for BF, while Emily Stoddard added two singles.
Terriers pitcher Murphy Hicks took the loss. She struck out three as BF's season came to a close with a 4-13 record.
Girls' lacrosse
• Brattleboro came close, but not close enough, as sixth-seeded Burr & Burton advanced to the Division I quarterfinals with a 10-9 first-round victory over the No. 11 Colonels on June 1 in Manchester.
Cat Greenberg scored four goals, and Jessica Forstmann added three goals and two assists for the 10-6 Bulldogs.
The good news is that the Colonels finished with a 6-11 record under first-year coach Sarah Clark. The not-so-good news is that the Colonels will graduate nine seniors from this year's team: Molly Atamaniuk, Ema Baldauf, Morgan Derosia, Kira McCloskey, Meghan Sargent, Breanna Sheehan, Susanna Strothman, Emma Rueter, and Brianna Ogden.