ADDISON COUNTY INDEPENDENT
B Section
THURSDAY, Â OCTOBER Â 9, Â 2014
ANDY KIRKALDY
Boston  teams  approaching  crossroads So,  are  those  Boston  sports  teams’  glasses  half-Âfull,  or  half-Âempty? First,  let  me  say  glasses  containing  50  percent  of  their  potential  volume  are  always  half-Âempty,  and  I’m  an  optimistic  person.  Who  leaves  glasses  sitting  around  MXVW ZDLWLQJ WR EH ÂżOOHG XS" ,WÂśV pretty  obvious  someone  has  already  enjoyed  half  of  the  beverage  and  doesn’t  want  the  rest.  Or  more  probably,  like  in  my  household,  has  just  left  the  drink  somewhere  and  forgotten  about  it.  So  when  I  say  the  glass  is  half-Âempty,  unless  someone  is  busy  actually  pouring  more  Long  Trail  IPA  into  it,  that’s  not  pessimism,  it’s  logic.  Anyway,  the  larger  point  the  ma- jor  sports  teams  in  what  has  been  Titletown,  USA,  since  2001  —  the  Patriots,  Red  Sox,  Celtics  and  Bru- ins  have  combined  for  eight  titles  in  those  13  years  —  all  appear  to  have  reached  crossroads,  or  at  least  poten- tial  tipping  points. Sure,  the  Patriots  looked  like  world-Âbeaters  on  Sunday  night  after  they  moved  onto  Cincinnati  from  Kansas  City,  but  the  Kansas  City  game  —  a  listless  41-Â14  loss  in  a  Monday  Night  Football  contest  —  can  only  be  described  as  a  debacle. The  Pats  will  win  10  or  11  games,  ORVH LQ WKH ÂżUVW RU VHFRQG URXQG RI the  playoffs,  and  continue  a  slow  slide  from  their  18-Â1  season.  Why?  Since  2008,  they  have  drafted  just  11  starters,  only  three  of  them  good  enough  to  appear  in  a  Pro  Bowl  (Je- rod  Mayo,  Rob  Gronkowski  and  Devin  McCourty,  who  had  to  move  off  his  original  position  of  corner- back).  Thirteen  players  the  Patriots  SLFNHG LQ WKH GUDIWÂśV ÂżUVW WKUHH URXQGV since  2008  —  many  of  them  after  Bill  %HOLFKLFN WUDGHG ÂżUVW URXQG SLFNV away  for  extra  picks  in  lower  rounds  —  are  no  longer  with  the  team. By  way  of  comparison,  the  San  Francisco  49ers,  a  franchise  with  a  similar  run  of  success  in  the  past  few  years,  has  50  players  on  their  roster  drafted  since  2008,  seven  of  whom  (See  Kirkaldy,  Page  4B)
ScoreBOARD HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Boys’ Soccer 10/7  Arlington  vs.  OV  ...............................1-Â0 10/7  Milton  vs.  Mt.  Abe  ............................3-Â1 10/7  VUHS  vs.  MUHS  .................... 2-Â1  (OT) COLLEGE SPORTS Women’s Soccer 10/7  St.  Lawrence  vs.  Midd.  ....................3-Â1 Field Hockey 10/7  Midd.  vs.  Williams  ............................3-Â0
Schedule
HIGH SCHOOL SPORTS Field Hockey 10/9  Rutland  at  OV  .............................4  p.m. 10/10  Mt.  Abe  at  MUHS  .................3:45  p.m. 10/11  OV  at  Woodstock  ......................3  p.m. 10/14  Mt.  Abe  at  CVU  ....................3:45  p.m. 10/14  MUHS  at  S.  Burlington  ........3:45  p.m. 10/16  CVU  at  MUHS  .....................3:45  p.m. 10/16  S.  Burlington  at  Mt.  Abe  .......3:45  p.m. 10/16  OV  at  Hartford  ..........................4  p.m. 10/18  Rutland  at  OV  ...........................3  p.m. Football 10/11  Mill  River  at  Mt.  Abe  ..................1  p.m. 10/11  Winooski  at  OV  .........................7  p.m. 10/11  MUHS  at  S.  Burlington  ..............7  p.m. 10/17  Burlington  at  MUHS  ..................7  p.m. 10/18  Mt.  Abe  at  Poultney  ..................1  p.m. 10/18  OV  at  Oxbow  ............................1  p.m. Girls’ Soccer 10/10  OV  at  Mill  River  .........................4  p.m. 10/10  VUHS  at  Milton  .........................4  p.m. 10/11  Rice  at  MUHS  ...........................4  p.m. 10/11  Mt.  Abe  at  Missisquoi  ................4  p.m. 10/14  Mt.  Abe  at  MUHS  ......................4  p.m. 10/14  VUHS  at  Missisquoi  ..................4  p.m. 10/15  Burr  &  Burton  at  OV  ..................4  p.m. 29 DW 6SULQJ¿HOG  ......................6  p.m. 10/17  Mt.  Abe  at  Rice  .........................4  p.m. 10/18  MUHS  at  VUHS  ......................10  a.m. Boys’ Soccer 10/10  MUHS  at  Rice  ...........................4  p.m. 10/10  Mt.  Abe  at  Missisquoi  ................4  p.m. 10/10  Green  Mt.  at  OV  .......................4  p.m. 10/11  GMVS  at  VUHS  ........................4  p.m.
(See  Schedule,  Page  3B)
SPORTS
ALSO IN THIS SECTION:
t 4DIPPM /FXT t -FHBM /PUJDFT
VUHS nips MUHS in overtime for 4th win
t $MBTTJĂŤFET t 3FBM &TUBUF
Sports BRIEFS Sodbusters  to  host two  tournaments
Tiger  D,  goalie  tough  in  setback By  ANDY  KIRKALDY VERGENNES  —  The  Vergennes  Union  High  School  boys’  soccer  team  overcame  visiting  Middle- bury’s  good  goaltending  and  de- fense  on  Tuesday  to  win  in  overtime,  2-Â1,  on  the  second  of  senior  Jake  Dombek’s  two  goals. The  Commodores  improved  to  ZLWK WKHLU IRXUWK ZLQ LQ ÂżYH games,  while  the  young  Tigers,  who  lost  several  starters  to  graduation  and  three  more  who  decided  to  focus  on  club  soccer,  dropped  to  2-Â9. Dombek  said  better  teamwork  and  effort  have  ´, WKLQN ZH¡YH made  the  dif- ference  for  UHDOO\ EHHQ VUHS.  ZRUNLQJ DV “I  think  D WHDP ZHOO we’ve  really  We’ve been been  work- ing  as  a  team  VWHSSLQJ well,â€?  he  said.  XS ZLWK RXU HQHUJ\ 7KDW¡V “We’ve  been  stepping  up  ZKDW¡V EHHQ with  our  en- KHOSLQJ XV Âľ ergy.  That’s  — 98+6 VHQLRU what’s  been  -DNH 'RPEHN helping  us.â€? C o a c h  Kevin  Hayes  said  coming  away  with  a  win  was  important  for  VUHS  af- ter  a  disappointing  6-Â0  loss  at  Rice  ZKLFK LV LQ ÂżUVW SODFH LQ 'LYLVLRQ ,, on  Saturday.  “I’m  very  happy.  Even  after  the  Rice  game  I  told  my  guys  we’ve  won  three  out  of  four,â€?  Hayes  said.  ³7KLV LV D QLFH UXQ IRU XV ,WÂśV GHÂż- nitely  good  for  the  guys.  Hopefully  we’re  going  to  get  a  home  game  in  the  playoffs.  That’s  the  goal.â€? Positives  for  MUHS  included  a  15- save  effort  from  junior  goalie  Wilder  3HUHUD LQFOXGLQJ VHYHUDO ÂżQH VWRSV COMMODORE  DANA  AMBROSE  tries  to  capitalize  on  a  loose  ball  in  front  of  Middlebury  Union  High  School  “We  had  a  great  game  from  Wild- goalkeeper  Wilder  Perera  during  Tuesday’s  game  in  Vergennes.  The  Commodores  won  the  game  in  overtime,  2-Â1. Independent  photo/Trent  Campbell (See  Soccer,  Page  2B)
BRISTOL  —  The  Sodbusters  Horseshoe  Pitching  Club  will  host  two  tournaments  open  to  the  gen- eral  public  over  the  next  two  week- ends. First  is  the  club’s  18th  annual  Roger  Forgues  Sr.  /  Fall  Finale  Horseshoe  Tournament  this  Sun- day,  Oct.  12.  This  non-Âsanctioned  tournament  will  take  place  at  the  club’s  home  courts  at  56  Airport  Drive  in  Bristol,  behind  the  Ameri- can  Legion  hall.  Check-Âin  is  at  9  a.m.,  competition  starts  at  9:30. Then  on  Saturday,  Oct.  18,  the  Sodbusters  will  host  the  “Vermon- ster  Horseshoe  Maniaâ€?  night  time  tournament.  This  competition,  open  to  everyone,  will  be  played  under  the  Sodbusters’  new  lights.  Like  the  Forgues  tourney  this  one  is  non-Âsanctioned. The  competition  format  for  both  events  will  be  round  robin  with  of- ¿FLDOV GUDZLQJ SDUWQHUV DIWHU HDFK game.  Cash  prizes  will  be  awarded. The  entry  fee  is  $10  per  person.  Food  and  drinks  will  be  available  this  coming  weekend  but  guests  are  asked  to  bring  their  own  food  and  drink  to  the  Vermonster  tour- nament. For  more  information  contact  Mike  Brown  at  453-Â2219  or  via  email  at  mbrownie@gmavt.net.
Milton  HS  topples  Mount  Abe  boys
BRISTOL  —  Visiting  Milton  topped  the  Mount  Abraham  Union  High  School  boys’  soccer  team  on  Tuesday,  3-Â1.  The  Yellowjackets  improved  to  8-Â2-Â2  and  are  in  third  place  in  Divi- sion  II,  while  the  Eagles  remained  winless  in  their  past  nine  outings  and  dropped  to  2-Â7-Â2.  Ryan  Brown,  Colby  Gay  and  Luke  Covey  scored  for  Milton,  and  goalie  Hunter  Goodwin  made  four  saves.  Mount  Abe  goalie  Nick  Szc- zecinski  stopped  11  shots  for  the  Eagles,  including  a  penalty  kick.  Mount  Abe  scored  on  a  Milton  own  goal. place.  The  Eagles,  who  lost  senior  Sophomore  Chris  Carter  led  the  central  defender  Whit  Lower  to  a  Mount  Abraham  boys  by  taking  193rd.  season-Âending  injury  in  the  third  2YHUDOO WKH (DJOHV ÂżQLVKHG WK game  of  the  fall,  will  look  to  break  (See  Cross  country,  Page  3B) through  at  Missisquoi  on  Friday. Â
Local  athletes  compete  at  Thetford  Trail  Run  By  ANDY  KIRKALDY 7+(7)25' ² $ VROLG ÂżQLVK E\ the  Middlebury  Union  High  School  boys  highlighted  local  cross-Âcountry  teams’  efforts  at  Saturday’s  Thetford Â
Woods  Trail  Run,  a  major  midseason  PHHW WKDW GUHZ ÂżYH GR]HQ WHDPV IURP around  New  England. 7KH 7LJHU ER\V SODFHG ÂżYH UXQ- ners  in  the  top  third  of  the  more  than Â
ÂżQLVKHUV DQG WRRN WK OHG E\ senior  David  Dregallo  in  58th  with  a  time  of  18:26.92  of  the  5K  course.  All  ¿YH VFRULQJ 7LJHU UXQQHUV ÂżQLVKHG LQ 19:20.82  or  better  and  in  at  least  176th Â
Otter  Valley  football  tramples  Poultney OV  moves  into  Division  III  contention By  ANDY  KIRKALDY broke  loose  for  an  early  79-Âyard  BRANDON  —  The  Otter  Val- run  to  set  up  a  touchdown  that  al- ley  Union  High  School  football  lowed  the  Blue  Devils  to  knot  the  team  on  Saturday  took  another  step  score  at  6-Â6.  toward  its  best  season  since  win- But  the  Otters  also  ground  out  ning  the  Division  IV  title  in  2005,  402  yards  rushing,  with  junior  tail- thumping  visiting  D-ÂIII  rival  Poult- back  Carson  Leary  (226  yards  and  ney,  48-Â20,  to  improve  to  4-Â1. three  touchdowns  on  19  carries)  The  Otters’  record  includes  a  3-Â0  leading  the  way. mark  within  D-ÂII,  and  they  are  the  Winslow  said  an  offensive  line  only  D-ÂIII  team  with- led  by  senior  Adam  out  a  league  loss.  They  “We are Sherwin  and  the  back- are  in  position  for  a  top  ¿HOG RI /HDU\ %UHQW seed,  with  earlier  vic- FRQĂ€GHQW Nickerson  (14  carries,  tories  over  D-ÂIII’s  two  :H¡YH MXVW JRW 67  yards,  two  TDs)  and  one-Âloss  teams,  Mill  WR WDNH LW ZHHN Jove  Bautista  (nine  at- River  and  Fairfax,  and  E\ ZHHN :H tempts,  61  yards)  off- games  remaining  this  FDQ¡W ORRN WRR set  the  errors.  Saturday  at  home  vs.  “The  line  of  scrim- IDU DKHDG DQG mage  Winooski  (2-Â4)  and  on  is  always  where  Oct.  18  at  Oxbow  (1- WKDW¡V SUHWW\ things  happen,â€?  Win- PXFK WKH 5). slow  said.  “We  made  Yes,  said  OV  se- ELJJHVW WKLQJ some  stupid  mistakes  nior  quarterback  John  QRZ :H GRQ¡W today,  but  we  made  Winslow  after  Satur- WDNH DQ\ WHDP up  for  it  with  a  couple  day’s  rain-Âsoaked  win  good  backs.  Carson  over  the  Blue  Devils,  OLJKWO\ Âľ Leary  was  tearing  it  ³ 29 VHQLRU up,  with  guys  on  his  the  Otters  believe  in  TXDUWHUEDFN back.  That’s  what  re- themselves  —  but  they  -RKQ :LQVORZ won’t  lose  sight  of  their  ally  set  the  tone.â€? bigger  goals.  Coach  Jim  Hill  en- ³:H DUH FRQÂżGHQW :HÂśYH MXVW JRW joyed  the  fact  that  OV  sent  its  to  take  it  week  by  week.  We  can’t  homecoming  crowd  home  happy,  look  too  far  ahead  and  that’s  pretty  but  expects  his  team  to  show  the  much  the  biggest  thing  now,â€?  Win- same  discipline  down  the  stretch  it  slow  said.  “We  don’t  take  any  team  showed  in  its  big  win  the  week  be- lightly.â€? fore  over  D-ÂII  Milton.  Really,  the  Otters  weren’t  sat- “We’ve  got  to  clean  up  the  mis- LVÂżHG ZLWK WKHLU SHUIRUPDQFH RQ takes  we  made.  We  had  some  bad  OTTER  VALLEY  UNION  High  School  quarterback  John  Winslow  looks  to  make  a  pass  during  Saturday’s  Saturday.  Penalties  hurt  them,  and  penalties  again  today.  We’ve  got  game  against  Poultney.  The  Otters  won  the  game,  48-Â20. Poultney  back  Zack  Constantine  (See  OVUHS,  Page  4B) Photo  by  Lee  Kahrs/Brandon  Reporter