It was a day for the young at the Russ Pickering Invitational cross-country meet at Bellows Falls Union High School on Sept. 14.
The event, named for the coach who guided the “Terrier Harriers” to numerous state championships in the 1970s and 1980s, turned into a showcase for the Terriers' youngest runners.
BF's Ian Wallace and Abby Broadley each prevailed in their respective races on their home course. Broadley, a ninth-grader, won the girls' race in a time of 19 minutes, 4 seconds., while Wallace took the boys' race in 17:40.
The Terriers won the girls' meet with 29 points, thanks to top 15 finishes by Stephanie Ager (third, 20:18), Lia Clark (fifth, 20:43), Abby Dearborn (seventh, 22:03), and Jasmine Boucher (13, 23:04).
Brattleboro was second in the five-team meet with 39 points. Sarah Gallagher finished second in 20:06 to lead the Colonel girls, followed by Beth Takacs (sixth, 22:03), Alexandra Miskovich (ninth, 22:38), Ellery Loggia (10th, 22:39), and Liz Morse (12th in 23:50).
The Colonels won the boys' meet with 34 points, as Finn Lamorder (second, 17:59), Evan Koch (third, 18:17), Bram Tabachnik (sixth, 18:34) and Nolan Holmes (seventh in 18:42) were all in the top 10, with Sam Freitas-Eagan (16th, 20:47) finishing out the scoring.
BF came in second with 44 points. Tim Salter-Roy (fifth, 18:32), Stone Bradbury (ninth, 19:48), Ryan Kelley (14th, 20:28), and Colin Robertson (15th, 20:41) all finished in the top 15.
Terriers coach Tim Eno said he has 22 students out for cross-country this fall, the most he's had in two decades of coaching. The team is young, with lots of ninth- and 10th-graders, but loaded with talent, particularly on the girls' side.
“If we can hold it together, we have a legitimate shot at a state title,” said Eno.
Colonels coach John Dimick was surprised at the boys' victory. Their top runner, Trevor Kipp, was out due to injury, so the younger runners had to pick up the slack.
“We live or die by how our top five boys do,” Dimick said. “The freshmen really ran well today.”
Football
• Brattleboro lost a 50-43 shootout against the Mount Mansfield Cougars in Jericho on Sept. 15.
Dylan Davis started the scoring for the Cougars with a 40-yard touchdown reception. Brattleboro briefly held the lead after quarterback Tyler Millerick threw to Kris Carroll for a touchdown for a 14-8 lead.
Mount Mansfield then pulled away by 32 unanswered points. A 90-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Silas Diamond, followed by a 40-yard TD run by Jaden Essling, put the Cougars ahead to stay.
Trailing 50-21 late in the third quarter, the Colonels rallied back. Millerick scored on a pair of quarterback sneaks, and a Brenden Gilbeau interception set up a 17-yard TD reception by Carroll with 31.4 seconds to play.
After recovering the ensuing onside kick, the Colonels were within striking distance of a tie at the end of the game for the second straight week. Unfortunately, for the second straight week, Millerick threw an interception deep in Cougar territory to squelch the rally.
Millerick passed for three TDs and ran for two scores for the 0-3 Colonels, who travel to South Burlington this Friday to face the Burlington/South Burlington Seawolves.
• Big plays on offense and a stifling defense gave the Burr & Burton Bulldogs a 48-7 rout of Bellows Falls in Manchester on Sept. 15.
Jake Baker had two 68-yard punt returns for touchdowns and a 75-yard TD run from scrimmage, while Logan Morgan ran 52 yards for a score in the first half and had a 71-yard touchdown run in the second half to lead the undefeated Bulldogs.
Baker had 223 yards of total offense in the first half as the Bulldogs took a 28-0 lead despite having run only seven plays from scrimmage, four of them incomplete passes. Baker later scored on a two-yard run in the second half and Aldenio Garland had a 13-yard touchdown run to close out the scoring.
Burr & Burton's defense played well, as they stopped BF's running game and twice intercepted quarterback Griffin Waryas when he was forced to throw the ball. Harrison Gleim scored BF's only touchdown.
Brady Clark had 55 yards on 13 carries and Jed Lober ran for 46 yards on 17 carries for the 2-1 Terriers, who host 1-2 Springfield for a rare Saturday night game at Hadley Field.
Boys' soccer
• Brattleboro won the John James Tournament for the first time since 2010 with a 2-1 victory over host team Mount Anthony on Sept. 15.
Jack Price put the Colonels on the board with a goal in the 21st minute. David Chorlton got the equalizer early in the second half, but Luke Williams answered with the game-winning goal in one of the few scoring chances Brattleboro had in the second half.
The Colonels got to the James championship game with a 2-1 win over Arlington the night before. Nate Lewis and Jackson Buettner scored goals for Brattleboro just 30 seconds apart in the fourth minute.
Arlington's William Moore scored off a rebound in the 17th minute, but the Colonels' defense stood fast after that score.
• Leland & Gray repeated as champions of the Josh Cole Tournament in Ludlow on Sept. 15 with a 3-2 win over Black River.
The Rebels advanced into the finals with a 2-1 win over Green Mountain the night before. Against the Presidents, they twice rallied back from a one-goal deficit.
Ryan Boyle got the first goal of the game for Black River in the 30th minute, but Riley Barton got the equalizer for the Rebels to make it 1-1 at the half.
In the second half, Jack Boyle again put Black River in front early on, but Rain Holmes got the tying goal with 17 minutes left, and Matt Emerson scored off a corner kick with four minutes to play to win the game and the tournament. Leland & Gray is now 3-0.
• Twin Valley traveled to Springfield, and blitzed the Cosmos, 9-0, on Sept. 12.
Colin McHale led the Wildcats with four goals while Jack McHale added a goal and two assists. Owen Grinold and Gunnar Nilsen also scored. Logan Boyd made two saves to earn the shutout.
The following day, Twin Valley edged Stratton Mountain 3-2, in double overtime. Owen Grinold scored the game-winner in the 93rd minute.
The Wildcats took a 2-0 lead on goals from Messing and Jack McHale, before the Bears tied the match on goals from Lucas Wiatek and Phillip Farnsworth. Twin Valley finished the week at 4-0.
• After 20 minutes of scoreless soccer, the Windsor Yellowjackets went on a scoring tear, with three goals before halftime and four more in the second half in a 7-0 rout of the visiting Bellows Falls Terriers on Sept. 11.
BF came close to getting on the scoreboard, as Owen Perry hit the post in the 24th minute, and a follow-up shot by Elijah Ghia was stopped by Windsor goalkeeper Eli Mulligan.
After that sequence, the Jacks scored a pair of quick goals and seized control of the match the rest of the way.
On Sept. 13, the Terriers came up short in a wild 6-5 home loss to Mount St. Joseph. Keaton Wright-Chapman and Javier Estevez each had a pair of goals for MSJ as the Mounties built up a 6-1 lead, only to see BF rally in the second half.
John Donovan led the BF offense with a pair of goals, while goalkeeper Tyler Stanley made nine saves. Austin Clark made 15 saves for the Mounties.
Girls' soccer
• Arin Bates scored all three goals as visiting Leland & Gray got past Otter Valley, 3-2, in Brandon on Sept. 11. Julia Eastman and Olivia White scored for the Otters.
• Bellows Falls had their opportunities to score, but it was the visiting Randolph Galloping Ghosts who came away with the 2-0 win on Sept. 12.
Izzy Stack, Leanna Mager and Madi Pencek all had good looks at the net for BF, but the Ghosts took a 1-0 lead on a penalty kick in the first half and added an insurance goal in the second half.
On Sept. 15, Paige Karl scored two goals and Sarah Warnecke added another as the Green Mountain Chieftains beat BF, 3-1. Hannah Dupuis got the lone goal for the 0-5 Terriers.
Field hockey
• Bellows Falls had no problem against Division I rival Hartford, crushing the Hurricanes, 8-0, on Sept. 13 in Westminster.
It was 2-0 in the first half but, after a slow start, the Terriers found their groove and finished with 32 shots on the Hartford goal.
A star may have been born in this game as freshman Maya Waryas scored four second-half goals.
The Terriers ended the week undefeated at 3-0. They have yet to give up a goal while outscoring opponents 22-0 in their first three games.
Racing against racism
• The second annual Race Against Racism will take place on Sunday, Sept. 23, at Montpelier High School. This is a state-wide annual anti-racist event, organized by youth from several Vermont high schools.
The Youth 4 Change team from The Root Social Justice Center will represent Brattleboro in this year's event.
All are welcome to a public rally, comprised of a short list of notable speakers, lots of live music and performances, and an optional 5k run/walk beforehand, this year on a scenic loop through the city of Montpelier.
The goal of the event is to further a conversation surrounding racial justice in Vermont and to ensure the fight for racial justice is visible and accessible to all. Runners and walkers include many high school sports teams from around Vermont, their classmates, and many community members of all kinds.
For the rally portion of the program there is wood-fired pizza, music, speakers, and performances. Many local social justice organizations will be promoting their work and engaging the public in political activities.
Any funds raised will be contributed to organizations statewide that advocate for racial justice. The running starts at 11:30 a.m. and the rally starts at noon. For more information, visit raceagainstracismvt.wordpress.com, or www.facebook.com/events/999818500193872.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 2 of the fall season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl saw Team 8 (10-0) as the only undefeated team left.
Team 5 (8-3) is in second, while Team 4 (6-4) is third. There is a five-way tie for fourth as Teams 2, 1, 10, 11, and 9 all have 5-5 records. Team 7 and Team 3 (both 4-6) are tied for fifth and Team 6 (3-7) is sixth.
Pat Bentrup had the women's high handicap game (244) and Roselle Howe rolled the women's high handicap series (692). Eric Brown had the men's high handicap game (262) and series (681). Team 6 had the high team handicap game (903), while Team 2 had the high handicap series (2,554).
In scratch scoring, Jerry Dunham (559), Fred Ashworth (553), and Warren Corriveau, Sr. (535) all had a 500-plus series. Ashworth rolled two 200-plus games (204, 202), while Brown and Dunham had a 225 and a 204 game, respectively.