ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT
B Section
THURSDAY, Â DECEMBER Â 18, Â 2014
SPORTS
ALSO IN THIS SECTION:
t 4DIPPM /FXT t -FHBM /PUJDFT
t $MBTTJĂŤFET t 3FBM &TUBUF
Tiger Nordic skiers fare well in relays By  ANDY  KIRKALDY CHITTENDEN  —  The  Middle- bury  Union  High  School  Nordic  team  opened  on  Saturday  with  some  strong  efforts  at  a  seven-Âteam  free- style  relay  meet  at  the  Mountain  Top  Inn  in  Chittenden. Two  skiers  on  each  relay  team  took  turns  covering  a  1.2-Âkilometer  course  twice  each,  and  the  Tiger  duo  of  sophomore  Nick  Wilkerson  and  freshman  Sam  Hodges  posted  the  top  result,  coming  in  second  in  the  boys’  race  in  13:00,  34  seconds  behind  the  winning  Woodstock  duo  and  32  sec- onds  ahead  of  the  third-Âplace  Burr  &  Burton  pair.  The  top  Tiger  girls’  pair  of  seniors  Emily  Kiernan  and  Julia  Rosenberg  took  seventh  in  18:28. MUHS  coach  Chas  Lyons  said  his  skiers  put  forth  “lots  of  great  perfor- mances.â€? Also  skiing  for  the  Tiger  boys  were: ‡ +DYHQ 7DWH DQG %R 7UDQ ZKR were  ninth  in  14:59. ‡ 'DYLG 'UHJDOOR DQG +DUOH\ Punderson,  14th  in  16:12. ‡ %RE $YHU\ DQG 5RVV &URZQH 17th  in  17:05.  Also  skiing  for  the  Tiger  girls  were:  ‡ $PHOLD ,QJHUVROO DQG 6LJQL /LY- ingstone-ÂPeters,  10th  in  19:19. ‡ 0LFKHOOH 3HWHUVRQ DQG .DWH 2V- ter,  17th  in  22:27. Â
ScoreBOARD HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Girls’ Hockey 12/15  MUHS  vs.  Saranac  ........................3-Â1 Boys’ Basketball 12/15  VUHS  vs.  S.  Burlington  .............45-Â41 12/16  Poultney  at  OV  ..........................54-Â29 12/16  Burr  &  Burton  vs.  MUHS  ............68-Â45 Girls’ Basketball 12/15  OV  vs.  Leland  &  Gray  ................27-Â24 12/16  Winooski  vs.  MUHS  ...................44-Â31 0W $EH YV 0W 0DQVÂżHOG  ..........27-Â20
Schedule
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Boys’ Hockey 12/27  Harwood  at  MUHS  ....................7  p.m. 12/29  Lake  Placid  at  MUHS  ...............7  p.m. 12/30  NCCS  at  MUHS  ........................7  p.m. 1/3  MUHS  at  Lyndon  ..........................4  p.m. Girls’ Hockey 12/20  S.  Burlington  at  MUHS  .............7  p.m. 12/29  Spaulding  at  MUHS  ..................5  p.m. 1RUWKÂżHOG DW 08+6  ...................5  p.m. 1/3  N.  Country  at  MUHS  .....................7  p.m. Boys’ Basketball 12/18  MUHS  at  Colchester  .................7  p.m. 12/20  Montpelier  at  MUHS  ..........12:30  p.m. 12/20  Winooski  at  Mt.  Abe  ...........12:30  p.m. 12/22  West  Rutland  at  OV  ..................7  p.m. 12/23  Fairfax  at  VUHS  ........................7  p.m. 12/23  Mt.  Abe  at  Randolph  ............7:30  p.m. 12/27  Harwood  at  VUHS  ....................1  p.m. 12/27  Mt.  Abe  at  Fairfax  ................2:30  p.m. 12/30  Mt.  Abe  at  Winooski  ..................7  p.m. 12/30  Fair  Haven  at  VUHS  .................7  p.m. 12/30  OV  at  Green  Mt.  Union  .............7  p.m. 1/3  Burr  &  Burton  at  VUHS  ..........11:30  a.m. 1/3  OV  at  Mt.  Abe  ........................12:30  p.m. 1/3  Rutland  at  MUHS  ...................12:30  p.m. Girls’ Basketball 12/19  Mt.  Abe  at  Mill  River  .............7:30  p.m. 12/19  VUHS  at  Missisquoi  .............7:30  p.m. 12/20  OV  at  Burr  &  Burton  .............1:30  p.m. 12/23  VUHS  at  Winooski  ...............6:30  p.m. 12/23  MUHS  at  Mill  River  ..............7:30  p.m. 12/23&26   .... Mt.  Abe  at  Fair  Haven  Tourney 12/27  Harwood  at  VUHS  ...............4:30  p.m. 12/30  S.  Burlington  at  Mt.  Abe  .......6:30  p.m. 12/30  OV  at  Mt.  Anthony  ....................7  p.m. 1/2  MUHS  at  S.  Burlington  .................6  p.m. 1/2  OV  at  Leland  &  Gray  ....................7  p.m. 1/2  VUHS  at  Mt.  Abe  ..........................7  p.m. Wrestling 98+6 DW 0W 0DQVÂżHOG  ........6:30  p.m. 12/18  Spauld/Randolph  at  MUHS  . 6:30  p.m. 12/20  .............OV/VUHS/MUHS  at  Granville 12/30  ............. Wagner  Invitational  at  MUHS 1/3  .................... VUHS  at  Keene  Invitational 1/3........................................OV  Tournament Indoor Track 12/20  VUHS  at  UVM  ...........................1  p.m. 1/3  VUHS  at  UVM  ...............................1  p.m. Gymnastics 12/23  CVU  at  MUHS  ..........................6  p.m. 12/30  S.  Burlington  at  MUHS  .............6  p.m. COLLEGE SPORTS Women’s Basketball 1/3  Midd.  at  Anna  Maria  ......................1  p.m. Men’s Basketball 1/2  Salve  Regina  at  Midd.  ..................3  p.m. Women’s Hockey 1/3  Midd.  at  Elmira  ..............................3  p.m. Men’s Hockey At Lake Placid 1/2  Midd.  vs.  St.  Mike’s  .......................7  p.m. 1/3  Midd.  vs.  Hobart  ...........................7  p.m. Spectators  are  advised  to  consult  school  websites  for  the  latest  schedule  updates. Â
COMMODORE  SOPHOMORE  ADAM  Gill  puts  up  two  points  against  South  Burlington  Monday  night.  Vergennes  won  the  game,  45-Â41. Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
Commodores  put  down  Rebellion VUHS  boys  move  to  3-Â0  vs.  D-ÂI  SBHS By  ANDY  KIRKALDY 9(5*(11(6 ² 7KH 9HUJHQQHV Union  High  School  boys’  basketball  team  relied  on  tough  defense  and  a  21-Âpoint  night  from  senior  guard  Liam  Hayes  to  edge  visiting  South  Burlington  on  Monday,  45-Â41. The  win  over  a  Division  I  foe  pushed  the  Division  II  Commodores  to  3-Â0,  with  all  three  victories  com- ing  against  programs  that  defeated  98+6 D \HDU DJR ZKHQ WKH WHDP ÂżQLVKHG DQG HDUQHG D KRPH playoff  game. Hayes  said  it  had  been  a  couple  years  since  the  Commodores  had  knocked  off  a  D-ÂI  team,  and  Mon- day’s  result  vs.  the  2-Â2  Rebels,  who  won  at  Middlebury  last  week,  would Â
give  them  a  lift. Âł:HÂśUH H[WUHPHO\ FRQÂżGHQW HVSH- cially  coming  off  a  win  against  a  D-ÂI  team  like  South  Burlington,â€?  Hayes  VDLG Âł:H DUH IRU VXUH FRPLQJ RXW ÂżU- ing.  It’s  such  a  huge  win.  It  brings  us  back.â€? 7KH IDFW WKDW 98+6 ZRQ ZKLOH shooting  poorly  by  digging  in  on  de- fense  also  bodes  well,  Hayes  said. “It  just  shows  when  we  put  in  that  intensity,  we  put  in  that  teamwork,  we  put  in  everything,  we’re  pulling  out  that  win,â€?  he  said.  “We’re  grind- ing  it  out  tooth  and  nail.â€? Coach  Peter  Quinn  also  pointed  to  the  defense  and  grit,  and  key  plays  down  the  stretch  made  by  Hayes  DQG MXQLRU IRUZDUG -RVK /RUUDLQ D
VERGENNES  UNION  HIGH  School  senior  Liam  Hayes  charges  toward  the  basket  during  Monday’s  game  against  South  Burlington.  The  Commodores  won  the  game,  45-Â41. Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell
WHDP KLJK VHYHQ UHERXQGV DQG VH- QLRU FHQWHU :HVOH\ 0LHGHPD ÂżYH blocked  shots  and  several  more  al- WHUHG “I  like  this  team.  We  play  hard.  There  were  a  lot  of  really  good  plays,â€?  Quinn  said.  The  Commodores’  sticky  man-Âto- man  defense  also  slowed  the  Rebels,  with  guards  Hayes,  junior  Aaron  *DLQHV HLJKW SRLQWV DQG VRSKRPRUH $GDP *LOO WKUHH VWHDOV KDUDVVLQJ the  ballhandlers  outside,  and  Miede- ma,  Lorrain  and  junior  forwards  Josh  Dam  and  Tyler  Kepes  protecting  the  basket.   “I  like  our  defense  in  the  paint.  That’s  been  good  all  year.  A  lot  of  that  is  our  Space  Needle,â€?  said Â
4XLQQ UHIHUULQJ WR WKH VL[ IRRW Miedema.  “He  tends  to  turn  people  away.â€? It  became  clear  early  that  the  game  would  be  a  defensive  struggle:  The  ¿UVW SHULRG HQGHG ZLWK 6RXWK %XUO- LQJWRQ DKHDG )RU 98+6 VHQLRU forward  Dylan  Raymond,  who  ear- lier  this  year  scored  27  in  a  game  but  ran  into  foul  trouble  on  Monday,  hit  a  three-Âpointer,  and  Hayes  hit  a  three  and  a  jumper  assisted  by  Raymond. The  Commodores  picked  up  their  intensity  and  dominated  most  of  the  second  quarter,  but  because  of  their  shooting  woes  could  not  build  more  than  a  seven-Âpoint  lead,  20-Â13,  with  2:40  to  go,  on  a  Hayes  putback  of  a  Gill  miss  on  the  break.  The  Commo-Â
dores  hit  the  boards  hard  in  the  quar- ter,  with  Gaines  and  Lorrain  convert- ing  offensive  boards,  and  ran  well,  with  Gill  laying  in  a  steal  and  Gaines  throwing  a  nice  lob  pass  to  Dam  on  the  break.  But  missed  shots  came  back  to  KDXQW 98+6 DV .\OH 0XUDNDPLÂśV jumper  and  a  late  three  by  Jeremy  Clements  cut  the  lead  to  two  at  the  half,  20-Â18.  The  Rebels  twice  tied  the  game  in  the  third  period,  on  an  early  Muraka- mi  putback  and  then  at  30-Â30  with  24.6  seconds  to  go  after  Eddie  Hock- HQEXU\ VFRUHG ÂżYH VWUDLJKW SRLQWV D three-Âpoint  play  inside  and  then  two  free  throws.  In  the  period,  Dam  hit  (See  VUHS,  Page  2B)
Basketball:  Otter  squads,  Mount  Abe  girls  post  wins By  ANDY  KIRKALDY $'',621 &2817< ² ,Q KLJK school  basketball  play  earlier  this  ZHHN WKH 2WWHU 9DOOH\ ER\Vœ DQG JLUOVœ teams  both  won,  as  did  the  Mount  Abraham  girls,  but  both  Middlebury  WHDPV FDPH XS VKRUW 7KH 9HUJHQQHV boys  also  won;͞  see  story.  The  Eagle  boys  played  on  Wednesday  after  the  deadline  for  this  issue  of  the  Indepen- dent,  and  the  Commodore  girls  were  idle.  OTTER  BOYS 2Q 7XHVGD\ WKH 29 ER\V SRVWHG
their  second  win  of  the  winter  over  Poultney,  54-Â29,  this  time  in  Bran- don.  John  Winslow OHG 29 ZLWK points  and  13  rebounds,  and  Will  Ross  chipped  in  with  eight  points  and  seven  ERDUGV 29 LV QH[W VHW WR KRVW West  Rutland  on  this  coming  Monday. EAGLE  GIRLS Also  on  Tuesday,  the  Eagle  girls  prevailed  in  a  defensive  battle  with  YLVLWLQJ 0RXQW 0DQVÂżHOG Emma  Carter  scored  a  game-Âhigh  eight  points  for  the  Eagles,  and  Isabel  Brennan  recorded  seven  points  and Â
11  rebounds.  The  Eagles  improved  to  2-Â1  heading  into  a  Friday  game  at  Mill  River.  OTTER  GIRLS 2Q 0RQGD\ 29 UDOOLHG IURP D GHÂżFLW DIWHU WKUHH SHULRGV WR HGJH visiting  Leland  &  Gray,  27-Â24.  In  the  fourth  quarter  Laura  Beth  Roberts  KLW DOO VL[ RI KHU IUHH WKURZ DWWHPSWV and  Isabelle  Kingsley  sank  a  three- SRLQWHU WR VSDUN WKH 2WWHUV 5REHUWV and  Amy  Jones ÂżQLVKHG ZLWK VHYHQ SRLQWV DSLHFH WR OHDG 29 ZKLFK LP- SURYHG WR 7KH 2WWHUV ZHUH VHW WR
MUHS  quarterback  up  for  award 6287+ %85/,1*721 ² Middlebury  Union  High  School  senior  Austin  Robinson  is  one  of  WKUHH ÂżQDOLVWV IRU WKH 35,'( $ZDUG given  annually  by  South  Burling- tonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  Dolphins  Foundation  to  a  top  9HUPRQW IRRWEDOO SOD\HU Foundation  founder  Rene  La- Berge  said  in  a  press  release  that  the  term  PRIDE  stands  for  Personal  Responsibility  for  Individual  Daily  Effort,  and  is  the  motto  of  the  Dol- phinsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  youth  program.  It  is  meant  to  send  the  message  to  young  people  in  football  programs  that  if  each  player  gives  his  best  effort  at  each  practice  and  each  game  he  has  suc- ceeded  as  a  person  and  player,  re- gardless  of  the  wins  and  losses. The  selection  process  began  with  coaches  from  the  three  divisions Â
nominating  a  player  from  their  own  team.  Nominees  are  voted  on  by  all  9HUPRQW KLJK VFKRRO FRDFKHV ZKR cannot  vote  for  their  own  nominee;Íž  a  premier  player  is  chosen  and  an- nounced  from  Divisions  I,  II  and  III. The  PRIDE  winner  will  be  an- nounced  at  the  National  Football  )RXQGDWLRQ 9HUPRQW &KDSWHUÂśV DQ- nual  award  ceremony  in  April  at  Castleton  State  College.  The  three  ¿QDOLVWV ZLOO HDFK EH UHFRJQL]HG and  receive  marble  plaques.   In  nominating  Robinson,  MUHS  Coach  Dennis  Smith  called  him  a  â&#x20AC;&#x153;Dynamic  two-Âway  football  player  who  plays  the  most  demanding  po- VLWLRQ LQ 9HUPRQW IRRWEDOO D WUXH option  quarterback.  The  position  (See  Robinson,  Page  3B)
host  Proctor  on  Wednesday  and  are  scheduled  to  play  at  Burr  &  Burton  on  Saturday. ,Q WKH 2WWHUVÂś KRPH ZLQ YV Poultney  this  past  Saturday,  Sophia  Bloomer  scored  16  points  and  Jones  DGGHG WR OHDG 29 TIGER  GIRLS 2Q 7XHVGD\ KRVW :LQRRVNL GH- feated  the  MUHS  girls  for  the  sec- ond  time  this  season,  44-Â31,  despite  17  points  from  freshman  Keagan  Dunbar  off  the  bench.  The  Spartans  improved  to  3-Â0,  while  the  Tigers Â
dropped  to  0-Â4  heading  into  a  Dec.  23  game  at  Mill  River.  TIGER  BOYS Also  on  Tuesday,  visiting  Burr  &  Burton  pulled  away  from  the  host  Ti- ger  boys  in  the  second  half  for  a  68-Â45  victory.  The  3-Â0  Bulldogsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  25-Â9  third- quarter  edge  was  pivotal,  as  were  the  30  points  scored  by  Joey  Shehadi. Bryce  Burrell  led  MUHS  with  15,  and  Bobby  Ritter  added  11.  The  1-Â2  Tigers  are  set  to  visit  Colchester  on  Thursday  before  hosting  Montpelier  at  12:30  p.m.  on  Saturday.
&ROOHJH WR LQGXFW ÂżYH LQWR new  athletics  hall  of  fame 0,''/(%85< ² 0LGGOHEXU\ College  on  Jan.  24  will  induct  the  ¿UVW FODVV LQWR LWV QHZ 0LGGOHEXU\ Athletics  Hall  of  Fame  as  part  of  the  RSHQLQJ RI WKH FROOHJHÂśV QHZ ÂżHOG house.  The  inaugural  class  of  Hall  of  Fame  inductees  will  include  some  of  Middleburyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  most  celebrated  and Â
accomplished  athletes. The  inductees  include  two  women  DQG WKUHH PHQ ZKR H[FHOOHG LQ EDVH- ball,  ice  hockey,  Nordic  skiing,  la- FURVVH ¿HOG KRFNH\ DQG FURVV FRXQ- try.  They  come  from  classes  as  early  as  1910  and  as  recent  as  1999. (See  Hall  of  fame,  Page  2B)
Girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  hockey  tops  N.Y.  squad,  3-Â1
AUSTIN Â ROBINSON
6$5$1$& 1 < ² 7KH 0LG- dlebury  Union  High  School  girlsâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;  hockey  team  defeated  host  Saranac  Lake  on  Monday,  3-Â1,  to  improve  WR LQ WKH ÂżUVW JDPH RI D EXV\ week.  The  Tigers  were  set  to  play  DW 0LVVLVTXRL RQ :HGQHVGD\ DIWHU the  deadline  for  the  Independent before  hosting  South  Burlington  at  7  p.m.  on  Saturday  in  their  home Â
opener. Tully  Hescock  led  the  Tiger  of- fense  with  a  pair  of  goals,  while  Abby  Gleason  scored  once  and  set  up  one  of  Hescockâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s  strikes.  The  Ti- gers  launched  41  shots  on  goal.  Tiger  goalie  Katie  Billings  earned  WKH ZLQ LQ KHU ÂżUVW YDUVLW\ VWDUW making  14  saves  and  allowing  only  D JRDO LQ WKH ÂżQDO PLQXWH RI SOD\