The midpoint of the high school track & field season is always marked by the Weiser/Howard Weight Relays in Bellows Falls and the Fenn Relays in Brattleboro. The BF meet consists of field events only, while the Fenn Relays are strictly track, and the host schools both did well this year,
The Bellows Falls teams placed first and third, respectively, in the eight-team Weiser/Howard Relays at Hadley Field on April 27.
Shane Clark cleared the bar at 10 feet, 6 inches to win the pole vault, and Reno Tuttle's throw of 122.5 feet took the discus title to lead the BF boys. Keri Ticino cleared 9 feet to win the pole vault and Abbe Cravinho's captured first in the long jump with a mark of 14 feet, 7 inches for the BF girls.
The Brattleboro boys were second as Isaiah Gilbeau won the shot put (41-4) and the javelin (158-6). Kai Boyd (121-4) won the javelin event to lead the Brattleboro girls to a fifth place finish.
Eleven schools participated in the Fenn Relays, held the next day at the Freeman Track at BUHS, and it was time for the Brattleboro girls to shine. The Colonels won four events to take first place, while the BF girls finished fourth.
In the sprint events, Brattleboro won the 4x100 meters with the foursome of Dory Abdallah, Maggie Lonardo, Kharisma Boyd, and Danielle Wood in 52.88 seconds, and the 4x200 with Honnee McManus, Lonardo, Boyd, and Wood in 1:55.09.
Brattleboro did well in the distance races also. In the 4x800, Liz Morse, Ellery Loggia, Alexandra Miskovich, and Sarah Gallagher won in 10:45.81. In the distance medley (1200, 400, 800, and 1,600 meters), the quartet of Gallagher, McManus, Loggia, and Delany Bullock won in 13:32.51.
The BF girls were second in the 4x400 as Dani Marchica, Jasmine Boucher, Macie Streeter, and Reghan Baldasaro ran it in 4:34.29, and came in third in the 4x200 as Abby Cravinho, Brigid Hodsden, Boucher, and Michelle Marchica covered the distance in 1:56.93.
Keene, N.H., won the boys' meet, with Bellows Falls finishing third and Brattleboro coming in fifth.
The BF boys won the 4x100 Shuttle Hurdles as Shane Clark, Caleb Lisai, Hunter Smith, and DJ Snide ran it in 1:06.75. The foursome of Cameron Joy, Sawyer Reis, Snide, and Connor Smith were second in the 4x100 in 46 seconds, while Teagan Bacon, Connor Smith, Joy, and Snide were third in the 4x200 in 1:38.76.
Brattleboro placed third in the 4x800 and the Distance Medley. Spencer Loggia, Trevor Kipp, Colin Costa-Walsh and Isaac Freitas-Eagan ran the 4x800 in 9:08, while the foursome of Declyn Tourville, Kade Perotti, Costa-Walsh, and Freitas-Eagan ran the medley in 11:57.46.
Baseball
• Brattleboro had been taking care of business against Division II teams, having beaten Bellows Falls, Fair Haven, and Mill River. But against Otter Valley on April 29, the Colonels came up short, 8-5.
Payson Williams pitched six strong innings to give the Otters their second win of the season against a Division I foe. Eli Lombardi was the losing pitcher for the 4-2 Colonels.
• Bellows Falls thought they might have caught a break on April 24 when Mount Anthony decided to go with Noah Loomis as its starting pitcher, rather than their ace Ryan O'Neill. But Loomis was effective. He scattered 12 hits over 6 innings, but he struck out 7 and walked no one as the Patriots rolled to a 15-6 win.
Jacob Metcalf took the loss for the Terriers, allowing 7 hits and 5 runs over 3 innings. Reliever Spencer Clark gave up 8 runs as MAU scored in every inning and pounded out a total of 16 hits.
Liam Hackett led the BF offense, going 3-for-4 with 2 runs scored. Brady Illingworth and Jake Lober each went 2-for-4 and scored a run.
• Leland & Gray starting pitcher Joel Emmons struck out 11, walked a batter, and allowed just two hits. Most days, that would be enough to get the win. On April 24 in Arlington, it wasn't enough as the Rebels lost, 2-1.
While the Rebels played errorless defense against Arlington, they could not give Emmons the run support he needed. Luc DuGrenier was 2-for-3 at the plate, while Emmons and Walker Hamer each had a hit.
• Twin Valley had a rough start to their season, losing two games that were both stopped after 5 innings due to the mercy rule.
On opening day at Baker Field in Wilmington on April 27, Springfield exploded for 15 runs in the fourth inning and rolled to a 20-2 win. The only bright spot for the Wildcats was Joey Rafus, who went 3-for-3 and drove in two runs.
Two days later in Woodstock, Twin Valley lost, 18-3. Woodstock pitcher Cody Chase gave up 4 hits and 2 walks on 79 pitches as the Wasps won the first game of the season.
Softball
• After rolling over Otter Valley one week earlier, Brattleboro completed a sweep of their home-and-home series with a 9-2 win over the Otters in Brandon on April 29.
Jocelyn Aither was the winning pitcher and helped her cause with a 2-for-4 day at the plate. Haley Derosia hit a two-run homer for the 4-1 Colonels.
• Leland & Gray beat up on Bellows Falls with an 11-1 win on April 27 in Westminster. The Rebels pounded out 15 hits, including 7 doubles, off losing pitcher Paxton Santorelli.
Winning pitcher Olivia Brown scattered 4 hits and struck 9 batters for the 3-2 Rebels, and helped her cause with a pair of doubles and 2 RBIs.
Jessica Madore had 2 doubles and a single for the Rebels. Emma Densmore hit a single, 2 doubles, and drove in 2 runs. Jessie Stockwell and Mackenzie Boyle had 2 hits each.
Murphy Hicks had a single and a double, while Aly Bashaw and Brooke James each singled for the 1-3 Terriers.
• Woodstock shut out visiting Twin Valley, 18-0, in an April 29 game stopped after 5 innings. Pitchers Maddie Moore and Loretta Blakeney combined on a one-hitter for the undefeated Wasps.
Lacrosse
• The Brattleboro boys picked up their first victory of the season on April 25, defeating Belchertown, Mass., 14-4, at Natowich Field.
The Colonels were not seriously threatened in this game, as they took a 2-0 lead after the opening period, then scored 4 goals in each of the remaining three periods to wrap up the win.
Jack Gagnon had 6 goals and an assist for the Colonels, and Charlie Burroughs added 3 more goals. Matt Gaboriault got 3 goals and an assist, Durin Hoyer scored twice, and Nate Tyler and Alejandro Cornman each added a goal.
Colonels goalie Griffin Lynde finished with 10 saves to get the win. Ray Langevin and Nick Makkiya scored 2 goals each for Belchertown.
The optimism from that win was shattered two nights later in a 16-0 loss to South Burlington at Natowich Field. South Burlington built up a 13-0 lead by halftime. The Colonels played better in the second half, but could not score. Calvin Hultgren scored six goals for the undefeated Rebels.
The Colonels finished the week with a 1-4 record after a 9-7 loss at Rutland on April 29. Jared Miglorie led Rutland with 4 goals, while Nate Tyler and brother Robbie Tyler led Brattleboro with 2 goals each.
Boys' tennis
• Brattleboro took on Burr & Burton on April 26 in Manchester and came away with a 5-2 win. The Colonels swept the two doubles matches and won three of the five singles matches.
In singles play, No. 1 Martin Sipowicz topped Burr & Burton's Will Simmers, 6-2, 2-6, 5-2. Burr & Burton won the next two contests with Alex Charette defeating No. 2 Alex Shuey 4-6, 6-2, 10-2 and Nick Plants stopping No. 3 Josh Nordheim 6-4, 3-6, 10-8.
The Colonels took the next two singles matches. At No. 4, Jonah Petrie of Brattleboro beat Patrick Dang Quoc 6-0, 6-3 and No. 5 Tom Szpila of Brattleboro defeated Pep Domenech 6-2, 6-3.
In doubles, Brattleboro's Mason Powers and Ari Essunfeld defeated Sean Pellerin and Ricky Xue at No. 1, 6-0, 6-3, and Brattleboro's Cole Merkle and Jacob Bailey skunked Boss Sittipongpittaya and Haohan Su 6-0, 6-0.
• Burr & Burton beat Bellows Falls, 6-1, on the Hadley Field courts on April 24. Simon Bupp-Chickering won the only match of the day for the Terriers in the No. 1 singles spot, defeating Will Simmers 6-0, 6-0.
Girls' tennis
• After taking a week off for spring vacation, Brattleboro had a busy week last week. On April 24, they hosted Rutland, who beat them, 6-1. The lone Colonel win came from Alissa Walkowiak at No. 5 singles, she defeated Madison Santiago 6-1, 6-2.
Brattleboro's top two singles players, Jazmin Smith and Pilar Rivera, each lost their matches in a tiebreaker. Smith, at No. 1, was defeated by Rutland's Jamie Keith 5-7, 6-2, 10-8. Rivera, at No. 2, lost to Erianna Dupres 6-1, 4-6, 10-5.
In the other singles matches, Brattleboro's Colette Anton lost to No. 3 Shannon Watelet 6-1, 7-5, and No. 4 Camden Haskins lost to Rutland's Sakshi Dholokia 6-1, 6-0.
Rutland won the doubles matches in straight sets. Brattleboro's No. 1 tandem of Hannah Blake and Rachel Reynolds was beaten by Izzy Guick and Gabby Chadwick 6-4, 6-2, while the No. 2 duo of Paige Starkweather and Makayla Smith lost to Rutland's Abby Hogenkamp and Jillian Childs 6-2, 6-3.
The Colonels dropped to 2-2 overall.
• Bellows Falls played a rare doubleheader in Rutland on April 29. In the morning, the Terriers faced Rutland in the completion of a suspended match from earlier this month. The Raiders swept the singles matches and split the doubles to beat BF, 6-1.
Against Mount St. Joseph in the afternoon, the Mounties won the first three singles matches. Bellows Falls then took the last two singles and the first doubles match. However, since neither team had anyone available for the second doubles match, MSJ and BF agreed to a no-decision to leave it as a 3-3 tie.
BOC presents canoe, kayak sale & swap
• The 17th annual Brattleboro Outing Club Consignment Sale & Swap of canoes and kayaks will be held on Saturday, May 13, from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m., at the Outlet Center, 580 Canal St, Brattleboro (near Exit 1 of I-91).
The swap takes place from 11:30 to noon, while the sale is from noon to 2. Proceeds will underwrite the BOC's summer paddling program, which is free and open to the public.
Boats and gear may be dropped off starting on Friday, May 12, from noon to 2 p.m. and from 5 to 7 p.m., and on May 13 from 8 to 11:30 a.m.; or by prior arrangement. Unsold boats and gear must be picked up by 3 p.m. Unwanted boats and gear may be donated to BOC, and are greatly appreciated.
Items eligible for consignment include canoes, kayaks, rowing shells, rowboats, and small sailboats, as well as boat and car-top gear. No motors or motorboats. For more information, or to arrange an early drop-off, contact Larry at 802-254-3666.
Senior bowling roundup
• The winter season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League concluded last week with Team 2 as the champs with a 47-28 record. Team 4 finished second at 44-31, and Team 7 was third at 41-34.
Team 10 (40-35) finished fourth, while Team 6 and Team 9 tied for fifth at 39-36, followed by Team 5 (37-38), Team 1 (35-40), Team 8 (30-45), and Team 3 (23-52).
Sally Perry had the high handicap game (256) and series (675) for the women, while Wayne Randall had the men's high handicap game (236) and series (697). Team 1 had the high team handicap game (865) and Team 2 had the high series (2,496).
Perry (507) was joined by Fred Ashworth (510), Wayne Farnham (516), Randall (577), Tom Johnson (534), Warren Corriveau Sr., (551), and Marty Adams (516) in rolling 500-plus series. Perry (200) and Corriveau (206) had 200-plus games.
Corriveau finished the season with the high men's average (187), followed by Dunha, (178) and Ashworth (177). Perry holds the women's high average (146), followed by Carole Frizzell (145) and Shirley Aiken (144).
Fishing derby in Saxtons River
• The fish will be biting at the Saxtons River Recreation Area on Saturday, May 6, when the annual fishing derby gets under way at 8:30 a.m. Free registration for children 4 to 14 begins at 8 a.m.
The pond is located 1.3 miles north of the rec area on Pleasant Valley Road. Participation in the derby is free, but the rec area will be conducting a 50/50 raffle and a bake sale to benefit its activities. Volunteers to help with the derby or provide baked goods are needed.
Further information is available by contacting Samantha Perry Fletcher at 802-869-1407 or e-mailing [email protected].