-The fall high school sports season in Vermont moves fast. It seems like it only just began, but this week is the final week of the regular season for football, soccer, field hockey, and cross-country.
The final regular season home game for each team usually features a tribute to the seniors and their families. These pre-game ceremonies are filled with joy tinged with a bit of sadness - sadness because, for many of the student-athletes, it is the last game in front of their hometown fans.
The Leland & Gray boys' soccer team and the Brattleboro field hockey team had their Senior Day games last week. Both have struggled this season, but their coaches have tried to impart that there is more to what happens on the playing fields than wins or losses.
"Keep working hard, stay positive, be great leaders, and always remember to live in the moment," said Brattleboro head coach Erin Cooke to her five seniors - Elina Young, Leah Lane, Emily LaClair, Rachel White, and team manager Jupiter Isham - before the Bears' Oct. 10 game at Sawyer Field against Windsor. "We thank you for everything you've given to this program and look forward to all the things you will take into your next adventure. Learn from yesterday, live for today, and hope for tomorrow."
The Leland & Gray game against Brattleboro on Oct. 9 featured a story of individual courage. Senior Jack Spengler has struggled all season with a pair of balky knees and had to sit out most of the games. He was scheduled for surgery this week, but he was determined to be on the field for his final home game. With his knees braced and stabilized, Spengler managed to play the first 12 minutes of the first half and the last 10 minutes of the second half.
"Jack was not going to give up," said Rebels coach Beth Wells. "He showed this team what resiliency looks like."
The t-shirts that the Rebels wore before the game carried the words "nothing but respect" in paying tribute to Spengler and fellow senior Cody Hescock.
"They've kept us energized and laughing throughout the season," said Wells of Spengler and Hescock. "They built up our younger players, and that will make a difference in the seasons ahead."
Even the opposing coach, Brattleboro's Chris Brewer, was impressed. "What [Spengler] did today defines the Leland & Gray community, and what they are as a community," he said.
While both host teams did not win their Senior Day games, they certainly offered some lessons in what student-athletes learn on and off the field, and why it matters.
Football
• The 111th meeting between the Bellows Falls Terriers and the Springfield Cosmos, one of Vermont's oldest football rivalries, took place on Oct. 11 at Brown Field in Springfield.
As has been the case in recent years, Bellows Falls dominated the Cosmos in a 41-0 rout to keep "The Trophy" for another year. The Terriers scored all their points in the first half, and the second half was played with a running clock due to the mercy rule.
BF running back Carson Clark, who played for Springfield in last year's game, showed no mercy for his former teammates as he scored three touchdowns - two on the ground with runs of 21 and 17 yards, and the other on a 53-yard TD pass from quarterback Josh Allbee. Josh Streeter rushed for a pair of touchdowns, and Allbee also connected with tight end Will Hallock for a 26-yard TD catch.
It was the 13th straight win in the series, which was first played in 1894. The 5-2 Terriers will close out the regular season this Friday at Hadley Field against Sanborn, New Hampshire, a Division III school. Springfield is 4-3 and is off next week as it awaits its Vermont Division III playoff seeding.
• It was another tough week for the winless Brattleboro Bears as they journeyed north to face the Burlington/South Burlington Seawolves and lost, 48-16, in a Thursday night game on Oct. 10.
The game was competitive at the start. The Seawolves raced out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter, but Bears tight end Zach Corbeil corralled a three-yard pass from quarterback Sean Cozza to cut the lead to 14-7.
Seawolves quarterback Ahmed Diawara answered with a touchdown run, and the Bears would get no closer.
The Bears committed seven turnovers in the game, and the Seawolves took full advantage. Diawara threw for four touchdowns in the game. Anthony Bouffard and Jack Foster each had two TD catches. Bouffard also had a rushing touchdown, Jack Kelly had a TD catch, and Brody Crete had a 20-yard interception return for a touchdown. Brattleboro's Alex Papadimitriou had a TD catch for the Bears' other score.
Brattleboro will wrap up the regular season this Thursday at 7 p.m. when they host Mount Anthony for the annual Elwell Trophy game.
Girls' soccer
• Leland & Gray made the most of its Senior Day on Oct. 11 when the Rebels handed Rivendell its first defeat of the season with a 3-1 victory in Townshend.
Abigail Emerson scored on a direct kick in the 14th minute of the game and, in the 31st minute, freshman midfielder Branny Howe tapped in a crossing pass from senior forward Avery Hiner to make it 2-0.
Along with a 2-2 draw against White River Valley on Oct. 8 in Townshend, the Rebels ended the week at 6-3-2.
• Twin Valley came close to pulling off arguably the upset of the year when the Wildcats and the undefeated West Rutland Golden Horde played to a scoreless tie after 80 minutes of intense play during regular time.
The Horde needed overtime to settle the contest and Peyton Guay got the game-winning goal off an assist from Camryn Williams for a 1-0 win. Wildcats goalkeeper Alanna Bevilacqua made 21 saves as she did everything she could to keep her team in the game. West Rutland goalkeeper Bella Coombs needed to make just one save to earn the shutout win.
Twin Valley then played Sharon Academy to a 1-1 tie on Oct. 11 to finish the week at 4-7-1.
• Brattleboro got shut out by the Mount Anthony Patriots, 4-0, at Natowich Field on Oct. 8. All of the Patriots' goals came in the second half. Bears goalkeeper Abigail Henry stayed busy, making 21 saves, 13 of them coming in the first half.
Once again at home on Oct. 10, the Bears bounced back with a 3-0 win over the Burr & Burton Bulldogs. After a scoreless first half, Brattleboro got the go-ahead goal from Bri Brooks and a pair of goals from Reece Croutworst to wrap up a rare win against the Bulldogs. The Bears ended the week at 7-4.
• Bellows Falls lost to Rivendell, 3-2, on Oct. 8 and defeated Randolph, 3-1, on Oct. 11 to take a 3-9 record into the final week of the regular season.
Boys' soccer
• Brattleboro spoiled Leland & Gray's senior day on Oct. 9 with an 8-1 win over the Rebels. With 13 seniors on the roster, the Bears simply had more talent and experience and the result was what you expect when a Division I school plays a Division IV school.
Jackson Pals opened the scoring for the Bears in the 10th minute with a pair of goals in the span of 18 seconds, and finished his hat trick with another goal set up by a corner kick in the 13th minute. Stefan Tallini got another goal in the 31st minute as the Bears led 4-0 at the half.
The second half saw Levi Tabachnick, Dylan Holmes, Natneal Mengistreab and Orion Donnelly score for the Bears. Spencer Claussen got the Rebels' only goal midway through the second half. Freshman goalkeeper Frank Flood made 12 saves for the 1-10-1 Rebels, while Sam Bogart and Jermall McCalla split the goalkeeping duties for the 6-6 Bears.
Before romping over Leland & Gray, Brattleboro lost to Stratton Mountain School, 4-3, on Oct. 7 at Natowich Field. For the second time this season, the Bears were victims of a last-minute penalty kick. This time it was Stratton's Trevor Phaneuf who converted the PK with 2:11 left in regulation time.
This was a chippy game with several yellow cards issued by the officials. Just before the penalty kick, a Brattleboro player was sent off after being issued a red card. Brattleboro had finish to the game with Stratton having an 11-on-10 advantage.
Brattleboro trailed 2-1 at halftime, but Donnelly tied the game up three minutes into the second half. Stratton took back the lead on a Michael Vitas goal, but Brattleboro tied the game once again with 7:24 to play on a tally by Charlie Kinnersley.
• Alex Sullivan scored just 30 seconds into the game, and the Twin Valley defense did the rest in a 1-0 victory over West River Valley in Oct. 9 in Wilmington. Goalkeeper Kman Lackey had five saves as the Wildcats improved to 12-2.
• Bellows Falls is still looking for their first win. On Oct. 9, they lost to Green Mountain, 7-2.
Field hockey
• Brattleboro entered its Oct. 1 game against Windsor following a 3-0 road victory over Springfield on Oct. 8. The win gave the Bears a sweep of the season series against the Cosmos.
Against Windsor, the Bears played great defense but had few chances to score on offense, and the result was a 2-0 loss for Brattleboro.
Hannah Tenney scored both of Windsor's goals, with Gianna Felice assisting on both goals. Tenney got her first goal with 3:43 left in the first quarter, and scored again with 9:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. Goalie Ericka Fletcher had 10 saves for the 3-8-1 Bears.
• Bellows Falls remains unbeaten and in the top 3 of the Division I rankings with an 11-0-1 record. The Terriers won a pair of road games last week with a 4-1 victory at Woodstock on Oct. 7 and a 2-0 win at Essex on Oct. 10.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 6 of the fall/winter season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl on Oct. 10 saw Number 3 (22-8) take a one-game lead over Spare Change (21-9). Candi Men and Slo Movers (both 20-10) are tied for third, followed by Lucky Strikes (17-13), Jerry's Team (13-17), Rick's Picks and Wunderkind (both 10.5-19.5), Pin Heads (10-20), and Aging Teens (6-24).
Candida Wall had the women's high handicap game (243) and series, while Pete Cross had the men's high handicap game (261) and series (701). Spare Change had the high team handicap game (870) and series (2,594).
Chuck Adams had the men's high scratch series (697) with games of 247, 235, and 215, while Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 607 series with games of 224 and 215, and Robert Rigby had a 587 series with games of 205, 199, and 183. John Walker had a 538 series with games of 192 and 182, Marty Adams had a 534 series with a 192 game, and Rick Westcott had a 502 series. Cross and Dick Cooke each had a 190 game, Peter Deyo had a 187 game, and Gary Montgomery and Rich Pietro each had a 180 game,
Carol Gloski had the women's high scratch series (464), while Wall had the high scratch game (169). Gloski had games of 163 and 158, Shirley Aiken had a 161 game, and Debbie Kolpa had a 155. League secretary Nancy Dalzell, who was out sick last week (which is why we didn't have scores in the Oct. 9 Sports Roundup), returned to action and rolled a 152.
Randolph T. Holhut, deputy editor of this newspaper, has written this column since 2010 and has covered sports in Windham County since the 1980s. Readers can send him sports information at [email protected].
This Sports column by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.