ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT
B Section
THURSDAY, Â AUGUST Â 29, Â 2013
SPORTS
ALSO IN THIS SECTION:
t 4DIPPM /FXT t -FHBM /PUJDFT
t $MBTTJĂŤFET t 3FBM &TUBUF
KARL LINDHOLM
Elvis  has  left  the  building!
That’s  right,  I’m  outtahere. I’m  already  in  Africa,  where  I  will  spend  the  next  year.  Africa!  How  about  that!  —  Cam- eroon,  to  be  precise.  Me.  Africa.  Imagine.  I’m  just  about  the  most  provincial  person  I  know.  A  trip  to  Burlington  for  me  is  a  big  deal.  I  have  traveled  much  in  Ad- dison  County.  I  am  one  comforted  by  routine  and  familiarity. I  teach  a  course  at  Middlebury  on  the  lit- erature  and  culture  of  Northern  New  England,  which  is  essentially  an  ex- amination  of  the  Yankee  archetype.  I  use  myself  as  Exhibit  A.  So  I’m  a  Yankee.  Worse,  I  am  a  Swedish  Yankee.  I  grew  up  in  Maine  and  have  lived  in  Vermont  for  35  years  or  so.  My  dad’s  parents  emi-Â
grated  from  Sweden.  That  side  of  the  family  is  full  of  Nordic  reserve.  Sometimes  you  can’t  tell  if  my  peo- ple  have  a  pulse.  Little  do  people  know  that  beneath  the  placid  surface  we  Yankees  are  a  seething  mass  of  anxiety.  This  year  in  Africa  is  so  far  out  of  my  comfort  zone  ...  it’s  out  of  my  comfort  hemisphere,  out  of  my  comfort  galaxy.  How  did  it  come  to  this?  What  am  I  doing  in  Africa?  My  wife,  Brett  Millier,  is  up  for  a  scheduled  sabbatical  from  her  Middlebury  College  teaching  this  year.  She  has  been  awarded  a  Ful- bright  Fellowship  in  Cameroon.  She  thought  it  would  be  a  good  time  to  go  away  as  a  family,  live  somewhere  (See  Lindholm,  Page  2B)
High  school  season  opens  this  weekend MEMBERS  OF  THE  Middlebury  Union  High  School  freshman  football  team  work  on  a  blocking  sled  during  practice  Monday  afternoon.
Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
Tiger  football  kicks  off  season  on  Friday  By  ANDY  KIRKALDY MIDDLEBURY  —  A  Middle- bury  Union  High  School  team  with  at  least  the  usual  high  hopes  and  at  least  a  little  bit  of  a  new  look  will  kick  off  the  MUHS  season  on  Fri- day  night  at  7  p.m.,  when  the  Tigers  host  Division-ÂI  rival  Essex.  7KH 7LJHUV DUH WKH ÂżUVW RI DOO WKH local  schools’  teams  to  host  a  game,  although  several  others  will  swing  into  action  this  weekend  and  all  will  KLW WKH ÂżHOG RU WKH WUDLO E\ WKH HQG RI next  week.  (See  story,  right.) Coach  Dennis  Smith  said  fans  of  the  program  can  expect  to  see  a  ORW RI WKH VDPH D GHIHQVH ZLWK ÂżYH down  linemen,  two  linebackers,  two  cornerbacks  and  two  safeties,  and  an  offense  with  three  running  backs  that  prefers  to  keep  the  ball  on  the  ground.  “We’re  Middlebury,  and  we’re  going  to  be  doing  what  we’ve  been  doing.  We’ve  got  a  few  variations  that  we’ll  throw  in  as  the  season  goes  on,  but  we’re  going  to  stick  with  what  keeps  getting  us  in  the  playoffs,â€?  Smith  said.  “And  hope- fully  we’ll  get  over  that  hump  from  there.â€? That  offense  will  play  at  a  quicker  pace,  however.  The  team  will  not  huddle  up  while  the  quarterback  calls  the  plays,  but  instead  rely  on  signals  from  the  sideline.  That  sys- tem  means  a  faster  tempo  that  the  Tiger  coaches  hope  will  wear  down  opponents.  “We’re  going  no-Âhuddle  right  now,  trying  to  put  some  more  pres-Â
sure  on  the  defense,  get  them  on  their  heels,â€?  Smith  said.  “Plus,  third,  fourth  quarter,  they’re  the  ones  hopefully  getting  gassed,  not  us,  and  we’re  putting  even  more  pressure  on  them  so  we’re  scoring  more  points.â€? Junior  quarterback  Austin  Robin- son  will  do  some  of  the  ballcarry- ing  and  hand  off  to  senior  fullback  Jakob  Trautwein  or  one  of  four  run- ning  backs:  senior  Nick  Felkl  or  ju- niors  Sam  Smith,  Cullen  Hathaway  or  Bobby  Ritter. Â
Opening  holes  will  be  center  Samuel  Messenger,  guards  Josh  Stearns  and  Holden  Yildirim,  and  tackles  Sam  Usilton  and  James  Plo- of.  Junior  Justin  Stone  and  senior  Josiah  Benoit  will  rotate  at  tight  and  split  ends,  and  Ritter  or  junior  Con- nor  Quinn  could  also  line  up  wide.  On  the  other  side  of  the  line  of  scrimmage,  Trautwein  is  the  nose  tackle,  juniors  Sam  Killorin  and  Lu- cas  Plouffe  are  the  defensive  tack- les,  and  Usilton  and  Stone  the  ends.  Stearns  and  Nicholas  Audet  are  the Â
top  linebackers,  Ritter  and  Smith  the  corners,  and  Robinson  and  se- nior  Nathan  Peck  the  starting  safe- ties,  Coach  Smith  said. They  will  be  spelled  frequently:  Smith  said  the  team  has  depth.  “I  feel  we  can  rotate  guys  and  not  lose  much  this  year,  offensively  or  defensively,�  he  said.  As  for  Essex,  Smith  expects  Brandon  Gleason,  who  is  small,  but  quick,  to  take  over  at  quarterback  and  add  a  new  dimension  to  the  (See  Tiger  football,  Page  3B)
Many  teams  make  their  2013  debuts By  ANDY  KIRKALDY ADDISON  COUNTY  —  While  Middlebury  Union  High  School  IRRWEDOO LV WKH ÂżUVW ORFDO WHDP WR KRVW a  game  this  fall  season  (see  story  at  left),  several  other  local  squads  also  swing  into  action  this  weekend.  By  the  end  of  next  week  all  the  local  football,  cross-Âcountry,  soccer  and  ¿HOG KRFNH\ DWKOHWHV ZLOO KDYH EUR- ken  sweats. FIELD  HOCKEY One  team  actually  is  set  to  take  the  ¿HOG EHIRUH WKH 7LJHU HOHYHQ 2WWHU 9DOOH\ ÂżHOG KRFNH\ ZLOO YLVLW SHUHQ- nial  Division  I  power  Hartford  on  )ULGD\ DIWHUQRRQ DW S P WKH ÂżUVW of  OV’s  three  straight  road  games  to  open  the  season,  and  host  Fair  Ha- ven  in  a  Sept.  9  home  opener.  Coach  Stacey  Edmunds-ÂBrickell’s  Otters  are  coming  off  a  solid  7-Â6-Â2  season  that  included  only  two  losses  to  D-ÂII  competition.  Long-Âtime  coach  Mary  Stetson’s  0RXQW $EUDKDP VTXDG DQG ÂżUVW \HDU program  head  Megan  Sears’  Tigers  will  both  open  on  Tuesday.  The  Eagles  bounced  back  to  10- 5-Â1  and  into  D-ÂII  title  contention  in Â
7LJHU ¿HOG KRFNH\ WR KRVW \RXWK FOLQLF MIDDLEBURY  —  The  mem- bers  of  the  Middlebury  Union  High  6FKRRO ¿HOG KRFNH\ WHDP IRUPHU player  Brooke  Jette  and  the  Middle- bury  Recreation  Department  are  of- fering  their  annual  clinic  to  elemen- tary  school  students  on  Mondays  this  fall. The  clinic,  for  students  in  third  through  sixth  grade,  will  run  at  MIDDLEBURY  UNION  HIGH  School  head  football  coach  Dennis  Smith  meets  with  his  team  during  practice  the  high  school’s  Jette  Field  every  Monday  afternoon.  The  team  will  host  Essex  Friday  night. Monday  from  Sept.  9  until  Oct.  14  Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
Schedule Stone sweeps two features at Devil’s Bowl
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Football 8/30  Essex  at  MUHS   ........................  7  p.m. 8/31  Fair  Haven  at  OV   ......................  1  p.m. 8  31  U-Â32  at  Mt.  Abe   .........................  1  p.m. 9/6  Hartford  at  MUHS   .......................  7  p.m. 9/6  Mt.  Abe  at  Winooski   ....................  7  p.m. 9/7  Fairfax  at  OV   ..............................  1  p.m. Field Hockey 8/30  OV  at  Hartford   ..........................  4  p.m. 0W 0DQVÂżHOG DW 08+6  ...............  4  p.m. &ROFKHVWHU DW 0W $EH  .................  4  p.m. 29 DW 6SULQJÂżHOG  ........................  4  p.m. 9/5  MUHS  at  Hartford   .......................  4  p.m. 29 DW :RRGVWRFN  ........................  4  p.m. 9/7  U-Â32  at  Mt.  Abe   .........................  10  a.m. Girls’ Soccer 0LOO 5LYHU DW 98+6  .................  4:30  p.m. 9/3  OV  at  MUHS   ..........................  4:30  p.m. 9/3  CVU  at  Mt.  Abe   ......................  4:30  p.m. 0W 0DQVÂżHOG DW 0W $EH  ........  4:30  p.m. 9/6  VUHS  at  OV   ..........................  4:30  p.m. Boys’ Soccer )DLU +DYHQ YV 29 DW 3URFWRU  .  1  p.m. 29 DW 3URFWRU  .........................  4:30  p.m. &ROFKHVWHU DW 08+6  ..............  4:30  p.m. 9/4  GMVS  at  Mt.  Abe   ...................  4:30  p.m. 9/6  OV  at  Windsor   .......................  4:30  p.m. 9/7  MUHS  at  U-Â32   ..........................  10  a.m. 9/7  Stowe  at  VUHS   .........................  10  a.m. 0LOO 5LYHU DW 0W $EH  ..................  10  a.m. Cross Country 8/31  VUHS  &  MUHS  at  CVU  ...........  10  a.m. 29 DW 5XWODQG  ........................  4:30  p.m. 9/4  VUHS  &  MUHS  at  SBHS   ............  4  p.m. 9/7  VUHS,  MUHS  &  Mt.  Abe  at  Essex  Invit.  .  ......................................................  9:30  a.m. COLLEGE SPORTS Field Hockey 0LGG DW $PKHUVW  ..........................2  p.m. Men’s Soccer 0LGG DW $PKHUVW  .....................2:30  p.m. Women’s Soccer 0LGG DW $PKHUVW  ........................... Noon Spectators  are  advised  to  consult  school  websites  for  the  latest  schedule  updates. Â
2012  and  return  many  key  players.  They  are  set  to  host  Colchester  at  4  p.m.  on  Tuesday.  Sears  takes  over  a  program  that  won  just  once  after  heavy  graduation  losses  from  a  title  team,  but  MUHS  has  some  key  returnees  and  reinforcements  from  Sears’  own  successful  2012  JV  unit.  7KH 7LJHUV ZLOO KRVW 0RXQW 0DQVÂżHOG on  Tuesday  at  4  p.m. FOOTBALL Both  Ernie  Senecal’s  cooperative  Mount  Abe-ÂVergennes  group  and  Jim  Hill’s  OV  football  teams  will  make  their  2013  debut  on  Saturday  at  1  p.m.  at  home.  The  Eagles  in  2012  made  the  D- III  playoffs  for  the  second  straight  season  and  will  open  in  Bristol  vs.  league  rival  U-Â32.  The  Otters  were  moved  down  to  ' ,,, IURP ' ,, IRU WKH ÂżUVW WLPH LQ a  number  of  years,  but  will  face  a  possibly  stiff  challenge  on  Saturday:  D-ÂII  Fair  Haven  will  take  the  rela- tively  short  bus  ride  to  Brandon.  OV  ¿QLVKHG D \HDU DJR LQ ' ,, CROSS-ÂCOUNTRY Three  local  cross-Âcountry  teams  (See  High  school  sports,  Page  3B)
Masterson, Bradford also claim victories
WEST  HAVEN  —  Middlebury  driver  Todd  Stone  swept  a  NAS- CAR  Whelen  All-ÂAmerican  Series  stock  car  racing  doubleheader  at  Devil’s  Bowl  Speedway  on  Aug.  23,  taking  two  25-Âlap  features  in  the  track’s  headline  Bond  Auto  Parts  0RGLÂżHG GLYLVLRQ The  victories  were  the  eighth  and  ninth  of  the  season  for  the  G.  Stone  Motors-Âsponsored  No.  1X  Teo  Pro  Car  as  Stone’s  dominant  summer  continued. Two  other  Addison  County  driv- ers  joined  Stone  on  the  winner’s  list,  Bristol’s  Josh  Masterson  in  the  Late  Model  division  and  Addi- son’s  Chuck  Bradford  in  the  Mini  Stock  division;Íž  other  winners  that  night  were  Chris  Bergeron,  Stephen  Donahue,  Richie  Turner,  and  Jake  Noble. In  the  two  main  events,  Stone  started  from  the  12th  and  13th  positions  and  worked  his  way  up  WKURXJK WKH ÂżHOGV ,Q WKH RSHQLQJ race,  Stone  drove  from  the  back  to  pass  Brandon’s  Dave  Snow  for  the  lead  on  lap  15  and  then  cruised  to  an  easy  victory.  Joe  Williams  of  Scotia,  N.Y.,  took  second,  with  Joey  Roberts  of  Fletcher  third.  Snow  held  on  for  a  career-Âbest  fourth,  with  Brandon’s  Vince  Quenneville  -U LQ ÂżIWK The  nightcap  appeared  to  belong  to  two-Âtime  track  champion  Ron  Proctor  of  Charlton,  N.Y.  Proctor Â
from  3:15  to  4:30  p.m.,  unless  it  is  raining.  Equipment  will  be  pro- vided.  The  MUHS  athletes  will  empha- size  fun  and  will  offer  instruction  in  skills  and  stick  work;Íž  scrimmages  will  be  played. The  cost  is  $40  for  Middlebury  residents,  $45  for  non-Âresidents.  Children  may  be  registered  at  the  UHFUHDWLRQ GHSDUWPHQW RIÂżFH LQ WKH Middlebury  Municipal  Building. Â
%URZQ WDNHV ÂżUVW in  horseshoes  HYHQW RQ 6XQGD\ BRISTOL  —  Debra  Brown,  Bri- anna  McCormick  and  Brenda  Pres- ton  had  impressive  performances  at  the  Glen  Norris  Memorial  horseshoe  pitching  tournament  hosted  by  the  Sodbusters  in  Bristol  on  Sunday.  The  trio  went  one-Âtwo-Âthree  in  the  Class  A  division  of  the  tourney,  which  was  a  make-Âup  from  May. Fresh  off  a  Vermont  State  Cham- pionship  the  week  before,  Brown  won  all  seven  of  her  matches  and  pitched  ringers  on  more  than  three  out  of  every  four  throws,  which  was  good  enough  for  her  to  claim  ¿UVW SODFH 0F&RUPLFN WKUHZ ringers  on  the  day  —  only  one  fewer  than  Brown  —  and  placed  second.  Preston’s  5-Â2  record  earned  her  third. There  were  32  contestants  in  the  Glen  Norris  Memorial.  The  results,  with  each  pitcher’s  number  of  ringers,  win-Âloss  record  and  ringer  percentage,  were  as  fol- lows: CLASS  A 1.  Debra  Brown,  148,  7-Â0,  77.08%;Íž  2.  Brianna  McCormick,  147,  6-Â1,  52.13%;Íž  3.  Brenda  Preston,  141,  5-Â2,  46.38%;Íž  4.  Shawn  Coots,  94,  3-Â4,  37.60%;Íž  5.  Connie  Selleck,  144,  2-Â5,  43.11%;Íž  6.  Shelly  Martinez,  107,  2-Â5,  36.90%;Íž  7.  Steve  Knudsen,  88,  2-Â5,  34.38%;Íž  8.  Donna  Lewis,  94,  (See  Horseshoe,  Page  3B)
SOD BUSTERS
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built  a  sizeable  lead  before  a  caution  period  with  just  three  laps  remain- ing  set  up  a  restart.  Stone,  who  was  fourth  at  the  time,  sliced  his  way  past  Quenneville  and  N.Y.  driver  Leon  Gonyo,  and  then  chased  Proctor  down  on  the  last  lap,  VWHDOLQJ WKH YLFWRU\ RXW RI WKH ¿QDO corner.  Proctor  settled  for  second,  with  Gonyo  third.  Quenneville  and  Middlebury’s  Hunter  Bates  com- SOHWHG WKH WRS ¿YH ¿QLVKHUV
In  the  opening  feature  for  the  Late  Model  division,  the  veteran  Bergeron  from  New  Hampshire  squared  off  with  16-Âyear-Âold  New  York  rookie  Brandon  Atkins  before  Bergeron  took  a  clean,  hard-Âfought  battle  for  the  win.  Atkins  took  sec- ond;Íž  Robert  Bryant  Jr.,  of  Brooklyn,  Conn.,  was  third;Íž  and  Masterson  and  Hunter  Bates  were  fourth  and  ¿IWK UHVSHFWLYHO\ $IWHU VHYHUDO HDUO\ FDXWLRQ Ă€DJV WKH UDFH ZDV FXW
from  25  laps  to  20  due  to  time  con- straints. Atkins  was  again  at  center  stage  in  the  second  race,  this  time  bat- tling  his  fellow  rookie,  Master- son.  The  pair  raced  door-Âto-Âdoor  for  several  laps  before  Masterson  pulled  ahead,  but  Atkins  battled  back  to  draw  even  as  the  laps  clicked  away.  The  youngsters  race  VLGH E\ VLGH RYHU WKH ÂżQDO WZR (See  Racing,  Page  2B)