-In Vermont high school sports, the perennial powers in Vermont come from the Metro Conference, the home of the big Chittenden County schools such as Champlain Valley, Colchester, Essex, Burlington, South Burlington, and Mount Mansfield. The quality of play is better because these schools have to play each other twice a season, and playing strong opponents every week usually makes a team tougher.
This is true in boys' and girls' soccer. The Brattleboro teams both had successful regular seasons, but they played against competition that often was not at the same level as the Metro schools. So, it was not surprising that the Bears were both knocked out of their respective Division I tournaments in their opening games at Natowich Field last week.
This isn't to say that the Brattleboro teams played poorly. They didn't. Their efforts were stout, but their opponents are playing at another level.
• The Brattleboro boys were seeded No. 7 in Division I and hosted the No. 10 Colchester Lakers for a first-round game on Oct. 22. The Lakers simply had more speed and ran away with a 4-1 victory. Demunga Alfani got the first goal for the Lakers with 24:42 left in the first half. Three minutes later, Victor Goro blasted a shot off Bears goalkeeper Sam Bogart that caromed to Benjamin Mussa Amani who collected the ball and knocked it into the net.
The Bears cut the lead in half when Jackson Pals headed the ball past Lakers goalkeeper Quin White with 7:53 remaining in the first half. But Brattleboro could not get the equalizer and Massa Amani set up Alfani for an insurance goal with 34:24 left in the second half. Goro got a goal of his own with 3:49 left in regulation to seal the Bears' fate.
It was a disappointing end for the 8-7 Bears and their 13 seniors. "We know we have a good quality squad, we know we have a good quality program, and we've just got to be able to figure out that next step up. I couldn't be more proud of the season we had and everyone that showed up on a daily basis and committed themselves," head coach Chris Brewer said.
• The Brattleboro girls had the No. 4 seed in the Division I tournament and hosted the fifth-seeded Mount Mansfield Cougars in a quarterfinal game on Oct. 26. But, as was the case in the boys' game earlier in the week, the Bears played hard but could not overcome the speed and skill gap as the Cougars rolled to a 5-0 win.
Mount Mansfield led 3-0 at the half, and their defense bottled up the Brattleboro attack the rest of the way. Chloe DeJong had two goals and an assist for the Cougars and Dee Locher, Estelle First, and Sydney Conk each added a goal. Goalkeeper Toni Cardinal needed to make just three saves to get the shutout victory.
"This wasn't a surprise," said Bears co-coach Jay Cudworth after the game. "[Colchester] had tighter passes, they were cleaner with their touches, and did a good job playing the ball through the midfield to create chances. They didn't beat us because we weren't working hard. They beat us because they put pressure on us right from the start."
Just the same, Cudworth said the girls' soccer program took a big step forward in finishing with a 10-5 record and hosting a quarterfinal game. "We took the next step as a program, and we have a lot of good players coming back."
Broadley wins state cross-country title
• The Vermont cross-country championships were run at Thetford Academy on Oct. 26, and Desi Broadley of Bellows Falls won the Division III girls' race in 19 minutes, 56.30 seconds. BF was seventh in the team scoring as Gillian Roth was 35th in 27:44.6, Chloe Benson was 52nd in 30:55.0, Beatrix Robb was 58th in 32:44.9, and Kendall Roman was 65th in 34:34.8.
In the boys' Division I race, Brattleboro's Nico Conathan-Leach was fifth in 16:50.9. Willow Sharma finished 25th in 18:19.0, Malo Renault was 49th in 19:27.0, Jonas Ackerman-Hovis was 52nd in 19:46.2, Galen Fogarty was 55th in 19:52.2, Jonas Chapman was 61st in 20:31.4, and Charlie Vaughn was 65th in 20:42.3. Emmett Johnson of St. Johnsbury won the race in 16:23.8, as the Hilltoppers took the team championship. Brattleboro finished eighth.
Neither the Brattleboro girls nor the Bellows Falls boys had enough runners for a team score. In the girls' Division I race, Brattleboro's Elodie Hoskins was 71st in 28:51.8, while Luca Barkow was 74th in 29:45.6. Both are ninth-graders and will form the foundation for next year's team. Jacob Kissell, the lone Bellows Falls runner, was 35th in the boys' Division III race in 21:32.7.
Football
• Second-seeded Bellows Falls steamrolled North Country, 49-6, in a Division II quarterfinal game on Oct. 25 at Hadley Field. BF led 21-6 at the half, and held North Country scoreless in the second half as the Terriers had their customary dominating game running the football, racking up 278 yards.
Quarterback Eli Allbee ran for four touchdowns and threw for another as he rushed for 55 yards and threw for 56 yards. Running back Carson Clark rushed for 113 yards and a touchdown, while running back Patrick Connors and fullback Joshua Streeter ran for 41 and 42 yards, respectively. Reserve running back Bryar Barnett added a rushing touchdown late in the game and Patrick Boylan was a perfect 7-for-7 on his point-after kicks.
Next up for the 7-2 Terriers is a semifinal game on Nov. 1 against third-seeded Fair Haven at Hadley Field. The 7-2 Slaters advanced with a 49-6 win over Mt. Abraham on Oct. 25.
Field hockey
• Unbeaten Bellows Falls took their first step toward the Division I championship game with a 3-0 win over the No. 7 Mount Mansfield Cougars in a quarterfinal game on Oct. 27 in Westminster.
This was a disciplined and well-played game by the second-seeded Terriers as their defense completely shut down the Cougars, while the offense was patient and made the most of the opportunities presented to them.
BF had eight penalty corners, and got goals off of two of them. The first came with 8:50 left in the second quarter as Avery Maxfield, who was all over the field on offense and defense, scored. In the third quarter, Emma Bazin found the back of the net with 6:01 remaining. Maxfield then got her second goal unassisted with 2:08 left in the third.
Mount Mansfield goalie Bea Dirkhaat was busy, making 18 saves, while BF goalie Brook Parker needed to make just two saves for the win. The Terriers will take on No. 3 South Burlington in the semifinals on Oct. 30 at Middlebury College.
• Ninth-seeded Brattleboro defeated the No. 8 Mount Abraham Eagles, 1-0, in a Division II first-round game in Bristol on Oct. 22. Mary Cady scored the only goal of the game, assisted by Leah Lane. Bears goalie Erika Fletcher made four saves for the shutout victory.
The Bears then had to face the top-seeded and unbeaten Hartford Hurricanes in the quarterfinals in White River Junction on Oct. 25, and the Hurricanes rolled to a 5-1 victory. Brattleboro finished the season with a 4-11-1 record.
Girls' soccer
• The fourth-seeded Leland & Gray Rebels were upset by No. 13 The Sharon Academy, 1-0, in a Division IV first-round game on Oct. 23 in Townshend.
It was an evenly played game as Sharon played a strong defensive game that frustrated the Rebels. The game looked like it was headed to overtime, but with 9:57 left in regulation, Sharon's Evan Hare chipped a shot over Rebels goalkeeper Annabelle Brookes for the game-winning goal.
"Soccer is the only game where you can dominate the game, and still lose," said Rebels coach Joe Towle. "It's not the way we of course wanted it, but the four seed is I think incredible for us. I think to be 8-4-2 in the season I think that was our only loss to a Division IV school all year. It's too bad it had to end for them this way, but that's how it works."
• Sixteenth-seeded Bellows Falls scored a pair of goals in the final 18 minutes to beat the No. 17 Randolph Galloping Ghosts, 2-0, in the first-round of the Division III playoffs on Oct. 21 in Westminster.
The Terriers had several chances to score in the first 62 minutes of the game, but they finally broke through on Dylan Stewart's looping shot from 18 yards out that was just out of reach of the Randolph goalkeeper. Abby Nystrom later added the insurance goal with 8:56 to play.
BF's reward for the victory over the winless Ghosts was a trip to northern Vermont on Oct. 23 to play the top-seeded BFA-Fairfax Bullets in the quarterfinals. Undefeated BFA shut out the Terriers, 7-0, as Ava Ardovino led the way with four goals. Bellows Falls finished the season at 4-12.
• Ninth-seeded Twin Valley had a tough task as it traveled north to take on eighth-seeded Winooski in a Division IV first-round game on Oct. 23. The Spartans shut out the Wildcats, 2-0.
Winooski's Albina Rai scored her first varsity goal 19 minutes into the game. Goalkeeper Barakit Gyi, who was making her varsity debut, and a solid Winooski defense held Twin Valley to just one shot on net and no corner kicks. Mapenzi Selemani scored the other goal, and Moo July Htoo picked up an assist. Wildcats goalkeeper Alana Bevilacqua made nine saves as Twin Valley finished their season with a 6-8-1 record.
Boys' soccer
• Top-seeded Twin Valley was tested by No. 8 Rivendell, but the Wildcats came away with a 1-0 victory in a Division IV quarterfinal game on Oct. 25 at Hayford Field in Wilmington.
Steven Oyer scored the game's only goal, assisted by Brayden Brown. Twin Valley goalkeeper Kman Lackey made six saves for the win. The 12-3 Wildcats host fifth-seeded Richford in a semifinal at Hayford Field on Oct. 30.
• The No. 17 Bellows Falls boys also made a northern trip on Oct. 21 to face No. 16 BFA-Fairfax, with the Bullets coming away with a 5-3 win in a Division III play-in game.
Mason Williams scored three goals for the Bullets, and assisted on another goal. Nevan Kalbfleisch had two goals and Tristan Metruk had two assists. Bullets goalkeeper Donovan Austin made six saves.
Aiden Billue had two goals for the Terriers, and Malik Gordon added a goal and two assists. Andrew Dunbar made five saves in goal for the Terriers, whose season ended at 0-15.
• The fifth-seeded Richford Falcons defeated No. 12 Leland & Gray, 6-1, in a Division IV first-round game on Oct. 22. Emilio Schneider had three goals for the hosts, Gustav Steen added a pair of goals, and Jerrick Jacobs also scored.
Cody Hescock scored the Rebels' only goal in the first half as they finished a rebuilding season with a 2-12-1 record.
Time to hit the ice
• The Nelson Withington Skating Facility at Living Memorial Park opened for the season on Oct. 26. From now until March 9, 2025, the rink on the hill will be a very busy place.
• Public skating is available four nights a week from 7 to 9 p.m. on Mondays (Dollar Night), Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. Adults only skating is on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:30 a.m. to noon. All-ages skating happens on Saturday from 1:30 to 4 p.m. (Dollar Day), and Sundays from 1 to 4 p.m.
Fees for daily rink use for Brattleboro residents are $3 for students, $4 for adults; nonresidents pay $1 extra. Season passes for Brattleboro residents are $40 for students, $50 for adults, and $80 for a family pass. Nonresident season passes are $55 for students, $65 for adults, and $105 for families.
• Open adult hockey will be offered on Wednesdays from 9 to 10 p.m. and Fridays from 9:15 to 10:15 p.m. There will be pickup games for players 18 and over, and players must provide their own equipment. Fees are $10 for residents, and $12 for adults.
• Stick time for hockey players of all ages will also be offered, with an adult session on Mondays from 9:15 to 10:15 p.m. and for players under 18 on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 12:15 to 1:15 p.m. Fees per session for residents are $3 for students and $4 for adults; nonresidents pay an additional $1.
For more information, call the Recreation & Parks Department at 802-254-5808 or email [email protected].
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 8 of the fall/winter season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl on Oct. 24 saw Number 3 (28-12) move into sole possession of first place. Spare Change (27-13) is a game behind in second place, followed by Slo Movers (26-14), Candi Men (25-15), Lucky Strikes (19-21), Pin Heads (17-23), Jerry's Team (16-24), Rick's Picks and Wunderkind (both 15.5-24.5), and Aging Teens (11-29).
Carol Gloski had the women's high handicap game (240) and series (649), while Chuck Adams had the men's high handicap game (268) and series (663). Number 3 had the high team handicap game (871) and Wunderkind had the high handicap series (2,444).
Adams had the men's high scratch series (663) with games of 268 and 216, while John Walker had a 582 series with games of 205 and 202. Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 566 series with games of 212 and 204, Rich Pietro had a 533 series with games of 191 and 181, Peter Deyo had a 521 series with a 194 game, Marty Adams had a 515 series with a 216 game, and Milt Sherman had a 508 series with a 189 game. Gary Montgomery had a 190 game, and Rick Wescott rolled a 180.
Gloski had the women's high scratch series (502), with games of 191, 160, and 151, Diane Cooke had a 167 game and Nancy Dalzell rolled a 158.
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.