Fall High School Sports Report

Section C

Area High School MUHS MAUHS OVUHS VUHS

FALL 2015

sports Report FEATURING • team rosters • schedules • pictures and stories

ADDISONINDEPENDENT

PAGE 2C — Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015

MIDDLEBURY

UNION

HIGH

SCHOOL

New coach hopeful for Tiger boys’ booters

By ANDY KIRKALDY MIDDLEBURY — New Middlebury Union boys’ soccer coach Reeves Livesay believes his team, winners of two games a year ago, is capable of taking a step forward this fall.

As evidence, he can point to a strong showing against Division I power South Burlington in a preseason scrimmage. At the same time, Livesay also knows the Tigers open with five games against tough D-I competition, three of those on the road, before their Lake Division schedule kicks in.

“I think we showed we can be very competitive with teams,” Livesay said. “The challenge will be taking being competitive in games to getting positive results.”

It certainly helps that 11 athletes who saw significant time last year returned this year, that Livesay has faith in the 11 players he has added to the roster, and that he appreciates their approach to the season.

“They have a very good attitude.

They’re very positive. They’re working hard. They’re a great group of kids,” he said.

Senior Wilder Perera returns in goal after a solid 2014, and sophomore Santiago Fernandez will back him up.

To start with, junior veteran Nick Wilkerson and senior Lewis Short will play in the middle of the four-man defense, and senior Nick Holmes will work his way in there when he recovers from a preseason injury. Senior veteran Cole Gregory and junior Eli Miller are projected to start on the flanks, with juniors Harlow Punderson and Jakub Kraus spelling them.

Livesay also plans to deploy four midfielders, with junior veterans Duncan McCabe and Owen Hammel starting in the middle and junior

veteran Lucas Pyle and freshman Henry Hodde spelling them. Senior Drew Barnicle, the team’s leading scorer a year ago, will start on one flank, and probably senior veteran Joseph Vanacore on the other. Also seeing time at outside middie will be junior Ross Crowne and freshman Jed Danforth.

Livesay said he would give the nod to two veterans at forward, converted defender Jon Fitzcharles, whose size should make him a good target in the box, and junior George McKeever-Parkes. Senior

Max Hurley and sophomore J.D. Goettelmann will also run up front.

Predictions are difficult for Livesay, who is still getting to know the Vermont soccer scene. He is confident the Tigers will improve in the course of the campaign.

“I think the team is upbeat and certainly looking forward to the season,” he said. “I think they’ve set their sights on making sure when we get to the playoffs we’re playing our best soccer and hopefully see what we can do.”

Middlebury Union High School Boys’ Varsity Soccer Date Opponent/Event Time 9/1 Rutland 4:30 p.m.

9/4 Colchester 4:30 p.m.

9/9 @ Rice 4:30 p.m.

9/11 @ Burlington 7 p.m.

9/15 @ CVU 4:30 p.m.

9/18 Mt. Abraham 4:30 p.m.

9/23 @ Milton 4:30 p.m.

9/25 Rice 4:30 p.m.

9/29 Vergennes 4:30 p.m.

10/2 @ Missisquoi 4 p.m.

10/7 @ Mt. Abraham 4 p.m.

10/9 Milton 4 p.m.

10/13 Missisquoi 4 p.m.

10/16 @ Vergennes 4 p.m.

MUHS Varsity Boys’ Soccer Team Head coach: Reeves Livesay Assistant coach: Richard Seubert Name Grade Drew Barnicle 12 Jonathan Fitzcharles 12 Cole Gregory 12 Nicholas Holmes 12 Max Hurley 12 Wilder Perera 12 Lewis Short 12 Joseph Vanacore 12 Ross Crowne 11 Owen Hammel 11 Jakub Kraus 11 Duncan McCabe 11 George McKeever-Parkes 11 Eli Miller 11 Harlow Punderson 11 Lucas Pyle 11 Sully Swearingen 11 Nicholas Wilkerson 11 Santiago Fernandez 10 JD Goettelmann 10 Jedidiah Danforth 9 Henry Hodde 9

Middlebury Union High School Girls’ Varsity Soccer Date Opponent/Event Time 9/2 @ Rutland 4:30 p.m.

9/5 Fair Haven 10 a.m.

9/8 @ Mill River 4:30 p.m.

9/11 Woodstock 4:30 p.m.

9/16 @ Rice 4:30 p.m.

9/19 Mt. Abraham 10 a.m.

9/22 @ Milton 4:30 p.m.

9/26 Rice 10 a.m.

9/30 Vergennes 4:30 p.m.

10/3 @ Missisquoi 4 p.m.

10/6 @ Mt. Abraham 4 p.m.

10/10 Milton 10 a.m.

10/14 Missisquoi 4 p.m.

10/17 @ Vergennes 10 a.m.

Middlebury Union High School Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team Coach: Wendy Leeds, Bruce Ingersoll Name Grade Claire Armstrong 12 Hannah Buttolph 12 Molly Campbell 12 Annina Hare 12 Hannah Lawrence 12 Kelsey Smith 12 Julia Vorsteveld 12 Payton Buxton 11 Monroe Cromis 11 Riley Fenster 11 Amelia Ingersoll 11 Kess Moulton 11 Darcy Staats 11 Lauren Turner 11 Claire Wulfman 11 Helen Anderson 10 Sierra Barnicle 10 Andi Boe 10 Jesse Hounchell 10 Isabel Rosenberg 10

Tiger girls’ soccer eyes continued success

By ANDY KIRKALDY MIDDLEBURY — After years of steady improvement in its quality of play, the Middlebury Union girls’ soccer program broke through last year with a 10-4-2 campaign that was good for the No. 2 seed in Division II. The numbers game bumped the Tigers back up to D-I this season, but the change did not affect their regular-season schedule.

Coach Wendy Leeds said she and her team remain optimistic about their chances.

“One of our goals is to win the Lake Division this year,” Leeds said. “We would love to host a playoff game.

We’ve got some good soccer players, and girls who know how to win.”

A half-dozen contributors from the 2014 team graduated, but starters return in goal, on defense, at midfield and on the attack.

“Certainly I’ve got playmakers in all areas, which is great,” Leeds said.

In goal, senior Molly Campbell saw most starts a year ago, but junior Riley Fenster also returns, and Leeds said both would most likely see some action.

Reigning Lake Division Defensive Player of the Year Kelsey Smith, a senior, returns to anchor the defense at sweeper. Senior Claire Armstrong, a three-year starter, will hold down one flank, and sophomore Jesse

Hounchell, a part-time starter a year ago, moves into the lineup on the other side. Junior Kess Moulton, a regular when healthy in 2014, will play stopper, with junior Lauren Turner spelling her. Juniors Monroe Cromis and Darcy Staats will also see time in the back.

Leeds plans to deploy four midfielders. Senior Annina Hare moves from the defensive flanks to central defensive midfield, with Turner also rotating through there. Leeds plans to start sophomore Helen Anderson at the offensive center middie position, with junior Claire Wulfman

spelling her.

Seniors Hannah Buttolph and Julia Vorsteveld return at flank midfield, but a preseason injury left Vorsteveld’s status uncertain. Junior Amelia Ingersoll and sophomore Isabel Rosenberg will rotate through the flank positions, and Leeds said Hare might play out there, as well.

Four players will work the front line: Senior Hannah Lawrence, junior Payton Buxton, and sophomores Andi Boe and Sierra Barnicle; all except Barnicle are veterans. Lawrence (five goals) and Boe (four goals, three assists, mostly as a midfielder)

were especially productive last year.

Leeds was planning to pair Boe with Buxton and Lawrence with Barnicle, but will keep an open mind.

“They can all play with each other,” she said.

Leeds described the Tigers as hungry, and said she expects her team to be competitive.

“Certainly being bumped up to Division I doesn’t change much or anything in the regular season. For postseason, it’s a strong motivator for us to finish in a top seed position,” she said. “And as you know, anything can happen in the postseason.”

Good Luck, Tigers!

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Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015 — PAGE 3C

MIDDLEBURY

UNION

HIGH

SCHOOL

Middlebury Union High School Varsity Football Team Coach: Dennis Smith Assistant coaches: John Nuceder, Jed Malcolm & Justin Gay

Name Grade Ali Abdul Sater Nick Beauchamp Jordan Broughton Nick Coe Kyle Desabrais Cortland Fischer Oakley Gordon Chris Grier Parker Gross Josh Hotte Jack Hounchell Morgan Huestis Wyatt Laberge Brady Larocque Chase Messner Jerry Niemo River Payne Sawyer Ryan Liam Smith Bruce Wright Nick Beattie Spencer Carpenter Doug Delorenzo Andrew Gleason Trey Kaufmann Bryce Kowalczyk Joe Langevin Dawson McGrath Patrick Messenger Marty Niemo Maverick Payne Nate Warren

12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11 11

Good luck Tigers!

Middlebury Union High School Varsity Football

Date Opponent/Event

Time

8/28 9/4 9/11 9/18 9/25 10/2 10/10 10/17

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

7 p.m.

1 p.m.

1 p.m.

By ANDY KIRKALDY MIDDLEBURY — It’s no secret that the 2015 Middlebury Union football team has a tough act to follow: 17 seniors graduated who played roles in the Tigers’ back-toback undefeated seasons and Division I championships.

Then again, Coach Dennis Smith said he describes himself the same way before every season — cautiously optimistic.

“The practices have been good,” he said in the preseason late last month. “It’s been different, but it’s changing with the times.”

As well as new state rules limiting practice time in hot weather, another difference is that the dramatic speed advantage Smith’s last two teams have enjoyed is probably gone.

But anyone expecting the Tigers

to change the framework of what they do on offense probably hasn’t been paying attention, even if there might be tweaks within the rigging.

“There’s no change in approach.

My philosophy in calling plays is three yards is not a bad thing anymore. Because, you know, we don’t have as much breakaway speed as we’ve had in the last two years,” Smith said. “But third and three is not a bad situation. So, in that respect, yeah. But other than that, we’re not changing anything.”

One such tweak might be to take advantage of what Smith said is a strong offensive line: senior tackles Wyatt Laberge and Bruce Wright, senior guards Nick Beauchamp and Chris Grier, and junior center Patrick Messenger.

He believes they will be able to

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New-look MUHS football team seeks third straight title open holes inside when senior quarterback Oakley Gordon hands off to the starting backfield of senior fullback Cortland Fischer, senior running back Ali Abdul Sater and junior Trey Kaufmann.

“Physically, we’re a stronger team between the tackles offensively. Our line is a strong group of kids. We’re going to tend to run more from tight end to tight end than we are from tackle to outside than we did the last two years,” Smith said. “But I still feel we can get the job done up inside with these guys, and they believe in that, too.”

Smith also will call pass plays, and Gordon showed last fall in limited action he throws well. His targets will include seniors Sawyer Ryan and Brady Larocque, who will rotate at tight end, and senior Chase Mess-

ner and junior Andrew Gleason, who will rotate at split end.

Smith is optimistic about his offense because many of the starters saw action a year ago as subs after the starters sat after taking big leads.

“Offensively, these kids have picked up a lot just because they’ve had a lot of playing time, just like last year’s group. They’re playing half the football game, so that helped out immensely,” he said. “My starters are picking things up really well.”

On the other side of the ball, Beauchamp will start at nose guard, with Laberge and Wright flanking him at tackle and senior Jerry Niemo and Larocque at end. Fischer and Grier are the linebackers in the Tigers’ 5-2-4 alignment, with Gleason and senior Jack Hounchell at cornerback and Gordon and Abdul Sater at

safety.

There is more experience up front, Smith said.

“Defensively, the same thing as our offense, the front seven is strong.

We’ve got a whole new group in the secondary. We’re coming along, but we’re still teaching the finer points and getting that stuff down,” Smith said.

In all, Smith expects a more level playing field in Division I this fall, but one on which the Tigers have as good a chance as anybody to be the last team standing.

“The games are going to be closer now. We’re not going to run away from teams at halftime,” he said.

“And that’s fine. As I told these kids, we’ve still got a great group of kids here. We’ve still got a great team that can win a state title.”

PAGE 4C — Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015

MIDDLEBURY

UNION

HIGH

SCHOOL

Numbers boost Tiger X-C running program

By ANDY KIRKALDY MIDDLEBURY — Middlebury Union cross-country coach Aaron de Toledo had plenty to smile about this preseason.

To start with, 12 of the 14 athletes who ran for the Tiger boys’ and girls’ teams at the 2014 Division II championship meet in Thetford returned this fall. And then another strong crop of former middle school runners signed up, giving him hope for sustained success. And many of them are girls, bringing balance to a team that in the past few years had been short on female runners.

“We’re excited to have 12 of the 14 back. I also think last year, at our peak … we had 33 kids. This year we have 45. And more importantly, I want to say at this point we have 19 girls,” de Toledo said. “We did have a really strong contingent of 20-plus guys last year, but we had just over 10 girls, and we didn’t have them all healthy at the same time.”

Those numbers not only create healthy competition, but they also make training sessions more fun by giving all the runners training partners, de Toledo said.

“It’s really hard to run alone.

Some of them are different speeds.

Now we have a big pack. People are running in groups of three, four, five.

It’s much more enjoyable, and it really helps training-wise,” he said.

Certainly, the returning varsity runners will see plenty of time in the seven varsity slots at meets this fall, but de Toledo said he will give others plenty of chances.

“I tell the kids that I really enjoy mixing it up. I could run 14 different people in that top seven throughout the year, and at the state meet it’s going to be the top seven runners,” he said.

In 2014, the Tiger girls finished sixth in D-II. Their top runner grad-

Middlebury Union High School Varsity Cross Country Team Coach: Aaron de Toledo Name Grade Dani Morris 12 Gretta Groves 12 Emily Flemming 12 Elias Wyncoop 12 Chris Garner 12 David Dregallo 12 Haven Tate 12 James Whitley 12 Matt Ferguson 12 Nikhil Plouffe 12 Wyatt Norris 12 Kyle Pecsok 12 Tim Ferguson 12 Sandro Zihlman 11 Kate Oster 11 Indigo Woods 11 Ally Cherrier 11 Maria Wiles 11 Henry Ganey 11 Tobias Broucke 11 Katherine Koehler 10 Sophie Morrison Marks 10 Caroline Kimble 10 Meilena Sanchez 10 Waseya Lawton 10 Fiona O’Neil 10 Isabelle Welker 10 Ben Balparda 10 Julian Schmitt 10 Willem Landis 10 Arden Carling 10 Daniel Wisell 10 Garrett Troumbley 10 Henry Dora 10 Marco Caliandro 10 Kate Wallace 9 Maisie Newbury 9 Natali Sullivan 9 Michael Huber 9 Ethan Reiderer 9 Silas Conlon 9 James Baroz 9 Nico Gori-Montanelli 9

uated, but six returners finished between 35th and 58th: junior Indigo Woods, senior Emily Fleming, sophomore Sophie Marks, junior Maria Wiles, senior Dani Morris and junior Kate Oster.

De Toledo said some of the younger runners could crack the top seven.

“The girls will get some help from the younger kids,” he said.

De Toledo wouldn’t rule out the same happening on the boys’ side, but it might be a surprise. The Tiger boys were fifth in the state team competition a year ago, but the standings were tight: They scored 95 points, just 31 points out of first. The team lost its No. 3 runner to graduation, but the lowest finish among the six Thetford returners was 39th, and Da-

vid Dregallo, a senior this fall, took seventh.

The other returners from Thetford are sophomore Willem Landis, seniors Chris Garner and Haven Tate, junior Henry Ganey and senior Matt Ferguson.

De Toledo said that group is determined and is doing the right things to succeed at Thetford.

“They’ve really kind of seen this as this is the year now for them, where they’re really going to do all the right things and come the state championship, we’re just going to go for it,” he said. “We’ve just got it kind of ingrained where in all those other meets, they’re just building up toward that state championship.”

Middlebury Union High School Varsity Cross Country Date Opponent/Event Time 9/2 SBHS Races @ Red Rocks 4 p.m.

9/5 Essex Invitational 10:30 a.m.

9/15 CVU, BHS, Rice, Spaulding &

Mt. Abraham @ Colchester 1 p.m.

9/19 U-32 Invitational 1 p.m.

9/26 Manchester Invitational TBD 10/3 Thetford Invitational TBD 10/17 Harwood Invitational TBD 10/24 NVAC @ Missisquoi 1 p.m.

10/31 State Championship

@ Thetford 10 a.m.

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Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015 — PAGE 5C

MIDDLEBURY

UNION

HIGH

SCHOOL

Middlebury Union High School Varsity Field Hockey Team Coach: Megan Sears

Name Grade Lauren Bartlett Makayla Foster Mikayla Humiston Anne Manning Tajah Marsden Alex Whipple Calista Carl Rowan Hendy Kiana Plouffe Mikayla Robinson Lily Smith Bridget Audet Katie Billings Raven Payne Laura Whitley Grace Widelitz

12 12 12 12 12 12 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 10 9

Good luck Middlebury Tigers!

Middlebury Union High School

Varsity Field Hockey Date Opponent/Event 9/2 @ Mt. Mansfield 9/4 @ Hartford 9/9 @ Rice 9/16 Burlington 9/19 @ CVU 9/24 @ South Burlington 9/26 Mt. Mansfield 9/30 Mt. Abraham 10/2 Colchester 10/6 @ Essex 10/8 @ Burlington 10/10 CVU 10/14 South Burlington 10/16 @ Mt. Abraham

Time 4 p.m.

4 p.m.

4 p.m.

4 p.m.

2:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

10 a.m.

4 p.m.

3:45 p.m.

3:45 p.m.

3:45 p.m.

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3:45 p.m.

Tiger field hockey seeking to continue upward swing

By ANDY KIRKALDY MIDDLEBURY — In 2014, Coach Megan Sears’ MUHS field hockey team enjoyed its best season since the program’s championship in 2011, winning eight times and defeating rival South Burlington in the playoffs before falling to undefeated champion Essex in a semifinal matchup.

Nine members of that team return this fall, and the Tigers are optimistic.

“Things are shaping up pretty well. We have a lot of strong returning players throughout the field,”

Sears said.

One spot that will feature a newcomer is in goal, where a three-year starter graduated. Sophomore Katie Billings, an ice hockey goalie who put on the field hockey goalie pads last fall for the first time, will step in.

Sears is confident she is ready.

“She has stepped up and will be a great fit with some of our veteran defenders,” she said. “She is picking it up quickly.”

Junior center back Mikayla Robinson and senior flank defender Alex Whipple are veteran defenders who will start. Sears said in the preseason

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that three players were in the mix to start on the other side and back up the starters: senior Anne Manning, junior Rowan Hendy and sophomore Raven Payne. “I do expect they will all see time,” Sears said.

Senior Tajah Marsden returns at center middie to key the Tiger transition and support the defense.

“She does a really nice job of communicating and switching from side to side when necessary. Her speed is such an asset,” Sears said.

Junior Lily Smith will start at either midfield or forward, and Sears said sophomore Laura Whitley had

earned a midfield job. Juniors Calista Carl and Kiana Plouffe, sophomore Bridget Audet and possibly freshman Grace Widelitz are also midfield candidates. Sears said if one of them seizes a starting job, she would probably move the speedy Smith up to forward.

Seniors Lauren Bartlett, Makayla Foster and Mikayla Humiston will all play major roles up front.

“They’re obviously a strong group of returning forward line players,” Sears said.

Sophomore Katie Billings, Widelitz and Carl will also rotate through

on the attack, Sears said, or the latter two might play more midfield if Smith is up front.

Sears also sees the Tigers developing chemistry that should also serve them well in reaching their goals this fall.

“I see us again being a strong competitor this season. I know the girls are super fired-up coming off of last season,” Sears said. “We’re going to work hard to be the best that we can be, and they have high expectations of themselves, and I have high expectations of them. So I see us as having a really successful season.”

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PAGE 6C — Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015

MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION HIGH SCHOOL Eagle field hockey eyes successful campaign Depth could spark run in D-II postseason

By ANDY KIRKALDY BRISTOL — The 2014 Mount Abraham field hockey team did not repeat as Division II champion, but played competitively in the D-I Metro Conference and won a playoff game to finish with a respectable seven wins.

Almost all of the setbacks came in low-scoring affairs, and longtime coach Mary Stetson is urging what she believes might be a deeper team to be more aggressive on the attack.

“Our job this year has to be to put as many offensive opportunities as possible at net and keep pressure on the ball on the offensive end,” Stetson said. “I think good things can come from that.”

It might help that all four midfield starters return: senior Danielle Bachand in “We’re the middle of the main line of hoping three, flanked by to push juniors Margaret the pace Moody and Asha little, ley Turner. Bebut we’re hind Bachand, Ellie Gevry will looking line up as the to control things, too, forward of two central defendand make ers, but Stetson some good gives that posidecisions.” tion freedom to — Coach step up not only Stetson to break up plays but also to become part of the attack.

Those four, backed up by junior Jordee Lathrop and freshman Evan Laurent, should help keep opponents bottled up in their own end and trigger the attack with sound passing.

“We’re hoping to push the pace a little, but we’re looking to control things, too, and make some good decisions,” Stetson said.

In the preseason, Stetson said juniors Celia Heath, Jackie Reiss and Hannah Wahl all looked like starters up front, but that Lathrop, Laurent, senior Amelia Bruhl, sophomore Chloe Lyon and freshman Jalen Cook would all be pressing for time on the attack.

Stetson is probably going to substitute freely to allow the Eagles to play at a fast pace.

“We’re working on that mentality of playing 110 percent and not just 80 percent, so we can keep things moving. We’ve got some depth this year,” Stetson said.

A couple starters from the backline graduated, but Stetson said she is confident in the group of senior Macey Ross and junior Kat Moody on the flanks and sophomore Emily Aldrich in the middle, with sophomore Robyn Arena backing them up.

All the projected defensive starters saw at least some time a year ago, she said.

In goal, seniors Samantha Bruce and Danielle Morse were dueling for the job in the preseason, with neither gaining a clear upper hand, according to Stetson.

“They’re pushing each other.

Maybe they’re going to split it 50-50, and that wouldn’t be a bad thing,” she said.

As always, Stetson expects play-

Mount Abraham Union High School Varsity Field Hockey Team Coach: Mary Stetson Name Grade Danielle Bachand 12 Samantha Bruce 12 Amelia Bruhl 12 Ellie Gevry 12 Danielle Morse 12 Macey Ross 12 Celia Heath 11 Jordee Lathrop 11

ing in the tough Metro Conference will prepare the Eagles for the D-II postseason, and she believes this group is up for the challenge.

Kat Moody Margaret Moody Jackie Reiss Ashley Turner Hannah Wahl Emily Aldrich Robyn Arena Chloe Lyon Jalen Cook Evan Laurent

11 11 11 11 11 10 10 10 9 9

“I’m feeling real good. They’re great kids. They’re really responsive,” she said. “They’re really trying to do things and execute well.”

Mount Abraham Union High School Varsity Field Hockey Date Opponent/Event Time 9/4 @ Mt. Mansfield 4 p.m.

9/8 @ Essex 4 p.m.

9/11 @ U-32 4 p.m.

9/16 Colchester 4 p.m.

9/18 @ South Burlington 4 p.m.

9/24 CVU 4 p.m.

9/26 Burlington 10 a.m.

9/30 @ Middlebury 4 p.m.

10/2 Mt. Mansfield 3:45 p.m.

10/6 @ Colchester 3:45 p.m.

10/8 Essex 3:45 p.m.

10/10 South Burlington 10 a.m.

10/14 @ CVU 3:45 p.m.

10/16 Middlebury 3:45 p.m.

Good Luck to all Fall Sports Teams!

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Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015 — PAGE 7C

MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION HIGH SCHOOL Eagle girls looking for Division II repeat title

By ANDY KIRKALDY BRISTOL — After years of knocking on the door, 2014 became the breakthrough season for the Mount Abraham girls’ soccer team.

Coach Dustin Corrigan’s Eagles earned the No. 3 seed for the Division II playoffs and then rolled through the tournament to earn the program’s first state title, finishing with 14 wins.

Although a few key players graduated, Corrigan also welcomed back athletes up and down the field who contributed to the Eagles’ success a year ago.

The team would like to double the program’s trophy count, he said.

“The sky’s the limit. I think this group certainly wants to get back to the championship,” Corrigan said. “I just try to make it the best possible experience for the girls that I can and enjoy the journey.”

Three of the players who helped the Eagles hold their opponents to nine goals in 18 games and posted four playoff shutouts return: senior goalie Zoe Cassels-Brown, senior center back Jesse McKean and senior left back Anna Hauman. Senior Hannah Funk, who studied abroad last fall, returns to play right back in what most of the time will be a threeback alignment.

If Corrigan starts a fourth defend-

er, he could move versatile senior Morgan Pratt back, while senior Finn Brokaw is also likely to see time on defense. Senior Kamille Snell and junior Genysis Berube will back up Cassels-Brown.

Two veterans return to start at central midfield in the formation the team will use most of the time, with four midfielders and three forwards. They are senior Juniper Nardiello-Smith and junior Ernesta McIntosh, with two sophomores ready to spell them, Abby Mansfield and Casey Ober.

Corrigan projected Pratt and senior Caroline McArdle to start at flank midfield, but said many Eagles

would see time at that demanding position, which carries end-to-end responsibilities. They include seniors Stacie Sabourin and Julia Siminitus, Brokaw, and juniors Lauren Gibson and Keeley Kane.

Up front — where Corrigan hopes to improve on 2014’s 33-goal total — he expects to start Mansfield in the middle, with sophomore returner Lydia Pitts and Ober on the flanks.

Again, many Eagles could see time on the attack, including Snell, Nardiello-Smith, Sabourin, McIntosh, Gibson, Kane, Pratt, Siminitus, and even Cassels-Brown if Snell draws a start in goal.

“A lot of these girls, they can play anywhere on the field,” Corrigan said. “We move people all around.”

Corrigan was optimistic after the team’s preseason, but cautioned there would be challenges in the Eagles’ path.

“The climate on the team is great.

Training’s been good. Knock on wood, everything’s been going as well as we can hope for,” he said.

“From where we’re at at this early point, we’re in good shape. I don’t know how good everyone else is going to be. That will be some of it.

How good is everybody else going to be?”

Mount Abraham Union High School Girls’ Varsity Soccer Date Opponent/Event Time 9/2 CVU 4:30 p.m.

9/5 U-32 10 a.m.

9/8 @ BFA-Fairfax 4:30 p.m.

9/12 @ South Burlington 10 a.m.

9/16 @ Milton 4:30 p.m.

9/19 @ Middlebury 10 a.m.

9/22 Missisquoi 4:30 p.m.

9/25 Milton 4:30 p.m.

9/30 @ Rice 4:30 p.m.

10/3 @ Vergennes 3 p.m.

10/6 Middlebury 4 p.m.

10/9 @ Missisquoi 4 p.m.

10/14 Vergennes 4 p.m.

10/17 Rice 10 a.m.

Mount Abraham Union High School Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team Coach: Dustin Corrigan Name Grade Finn Brokaw 12 Zoe Cassels-Brown 12 Hannah Funk 12 Anna Hauman 12 Caroline McArdle 12 Jesse McKean 12 Juniper Nardiello-Smith 12 Morgan Pratt 12 Stacie Sabourin 12 Julia Siminitus 12 Kamille Snell 12 Genysis Berube 11 Lauren Gibson 11 Keeley Kane 11 Ernesta McIntosh 11 Abby Mansfield 10 Casey Ober 10

Boys’ soccer squad plans to bounce back

By ANDY KIRKALDY Rickner on the left.

BRISTOL — After the Division The defense will work in front of II championship season of 2013, the senior goalie and returning starter 2014 season proved to be a rebuilding Nick Szczecinski, who will be backed year for Coach Mike Corey’s Mount up by junior Caleb Bonvouloir, who Abraham boys’ soccer program. Six will also back up the team’s strikers. starters graduated from the title team, Corey is also high on his other deand two more elected to play club soc- fenders, senior Andrew Cloutier and cer and forgo the Mount Abe squad. sophomore Jackson Counter. If they But things should look perform as he hopes, up this fall after 2014’s Corey would like to be 4-9-2 campaign: Only “I try to make able to move the talenttwo starters graduated, it clear where ed Gorton, who scored and one of those club everybody the game-winner in the players, senior Jackie stands and how 2013 D-II final, up the Gorton, is back in the I intend to use field. fold for his senior season.

“We could see quite a “This team could be them, and then bit of Jackie in the midpretty darn good based make it clear field,” he said. on what I’m seeing. I what they need Corey has a big team, guess at this stage, with to do differently and that midfield is althis number of players if they want ready crowded. returning, I would expect To open the preseason to change that to see a considerable step and probably the reguup from last year in terms role.” lar season, Corey was — Coach Corey leaning toward starting of quality and hopefully in results,” Corey said. four seniors at midfield: “But as I remind everybody when Charlie Meyer and Rowan Warren in they ask that question, it just depends the middle, Sebastian Durante on the on how good the other guys are.” right and Jack Willis on the left.

Corey plans to start the team out But he reserved the right to juggle in a formation with four backs, four his lineup. “There will be fluidity midfielders and two forwards, but will in terms of starters, because I think as usual be flexible and could switch there’s some real parity here,” Corey to a 3-5-2 formation depending on op- said. ponents and game situations.

Also ready to step in a midfield In the 4-4-2, at least in Corey’s pre- are seniors Matt Jackman and Lucas season planning, Gorton and junior Richter; juniors Finn Clements, KeiOwein LaBarr would be the center on Correll, Sam Kuhns, Sam Paradee backs, with senior Tucker Paradee and Will White-Pifer; and sophomore on the right side and sophomore Eli William Schoenhuber.

Some could also step into the attack, Corey said, notably White-Pifer and Paradee.

Corey expects senior Dylan Weaver and sophomore Nick Catlin to start up front, with junior Jake Viera and Bonvouloir also available.

With such a large team, Corey said everybody would play in some games, but not everybody would play in every game. He pledged to “make it clear to everybody game to game” about playing time and roles, and called communication critical.

“I try to make it clear where everybody stands and how I intend to use them, and then make it clear what they need to do differently if they want to change that role,” he said.

The size and depth of the team has helped the team prepare by allowing intramural scrimmaging.

“I’ve really appreciated that in preseason a lot. We’ve done full-sided scrimmages at least 30 minutes, 20 minutes, every day,” Corey said.

Corey hopes to hone the team by evaluating players and combinations as the season progresses.

“I’m less focused at his stage of the game on results, although I want to get them. I want to give people a chance to improve and play in matches,” Corey said. “It’s striking that balance so that by midseason, as you approach the tournament, we’re going to be a team that nobody wants to play.”

Mount Abraham Union High School Boys’ Varsity Soccer Date Opponent/Event Time 9/1 Green Mountain Valley 4:30 p.m.

9/3 Mill River 4:30 p.m.

9/9 @ BFA-Fairfax 4:30 p.m.

9/15 @ Milton 4:30 p.m.

9/18 @ Middlebury 4:30 p.m.

9/23 Missisquoi 4:30 p.m.

9/26 Milton 10 a.m.

9/29 @ Rice 4:30 p.m.

10/2 @ Vergennes 4 p.m.

10/5 @ Green Mountain Valley 4 p.m.

10/7 Middlebury 4 p.m.

10/10 @ Missisquoi 10 a.m.

10/13 Vergennes 4 p.m.

10/16 Rice 4 p.m.

Mount Abraham Union High School Varsity Boys’ Soccer Team Coach: Mike Corey Name Grade Andrew Cloutier 12 Sebastian Durante 12 Jackie Gorton 12 Matt Jackman 12 Charlie Meyer 12 Tucker Paradee 12 Lucas Richter 12 Nick Szczecinski 12 Rowan Warren 12 Dylan Weaver 12 Caleb Bonvouloir 11 Finn Clements 11 Keion Correll 11 Sam Kuhns 11 Owein LaBarr 11 Sam Paradee 11 Jake Viera 11 William White-Pifer 11 Jack Willis 11 Nick Catlin 10 Jackson Counter 10 Eli Rickner 10 William Schoenhuber 10

ADDISON COUNTY

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e want to be the paper of record for local boys’ and girls’ results, but we also try to go a little deeper than just reporting scores. In our stories, we look at why games are won and lost and how the teams are trying to reach their potential. We also feature looks at some individual athletes, including why they love their sport and what they have learned from them. And we believe sports is not about winning and losing, but trying to achieve as much as possible individually and collectively.

Andy Kirkaldy, ADDISON COUNTY Addison Independent INDEPENDENT News & Sports Writer VERMONT’S TWICE-WEEKLY NEWSPAPER Middlebury, VT 05753 • (802) 388-4944 • www.AddisonIndependent.com

PAGE 8C — Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015

MOUNT ABRAHAM UNION HIGH SCHOOL Football team makes move up to Division II

By ANDY KIRKALDY BRISTOL — The Mount Abraham/Vergennes collective football team will have a new challenge under a new, but certainly not unknown, head coach this fall.

The Eagles will be playing in Division II, a move mostly dictated by program numbers and student count in the two schools that feed the team, but also by their consistent success in D-III — the Eagles have made the playoffs in each of the past several seasons.

The coach is Lee Hodsden, a program assistant and Eagle JV coach for several years who also served as the interim head coach late last year, when the Eagles went 4-4 in the regular season and earned D-III’s No. 6 seed. Hodsden oversaw the team’s road playoff upset of No. 3 Mill River, and the semifinal loss that followed in which the Eagles held eventual champion BFA-Fairfax to 14 points.

Hodsden acknowledged in the preseason that graduation claimed some solid players and that the move to D-II will not be easy. But he is excited about his team.

“It’s going to be a big challenge.

But we have great athletes from both schools, and they’ll be up for the challenge,” he said. “We’ll play anybody, anytime, anywhere. That’s the way I look at it.”

Hodsden is also happy about the turnout this fall, and about a reconfigured coaching staff that includes former program assistant Gary Russell and former Eagle standouts Eric Hartman, Matt Paul, Eric Jipner and

Justin Tierney. would also get carries.

“It’s been an awesome preseason,” “We have a lot of good running he said. “We’ve got 47 kids on the backs,” he said. roster, and they come out with a lot At quarterback, junior Coleman of enthusiasm. We’ve got a great Russell appeared a week before the coaching staff.” opener vs. Burlington to A former standout “We’re going have won a preseason running back at Bellows to run the ball duel with classmate Falls and in college, Wyatt Gracie for the right between Hodsden makes no sejob, but Hodsden said cret about his preferred the tackles. the competition might offensive approach: It’s We’ve got a big be ongoing. nothing fancy.

“He’ll be the main offensive line.

“We’re going to run We’re going to guy, but they’ll both get the ball right between try to run the reps,” he said. the tackles. We’ve got a The projected starters big offensive line. We’re ball, and run along the offensive line going to try to run the the ball to set are senior and captain ball, and run the ball to up the pass.”

Matt Mullin at center, set up the pass,” he said. — Coach Hodsden senior Jack Eisenhower Senior halfback and and junior Kyle Pearsall captain Ryan Paquin, senior slot at guard, and senior Broc Clark and back and captain Jeb Hodsden and junior Josh Roscoe at tackle. sophomore fullback Casey Kimball Senior Bradley Sturtevant tops the will start in the backfield, but Hods- depth chart at tight end, while three den said senior Anthony Warner and players will rotate at split end, jujunior Devon Kimball would be niors Treyvon Smith, Peyton Keith among a deep group of backs who and Dylan Bradford.

Hodsden plans most of the time to use a defense with four down linemen, four linebackers, two cornerbacks and a safety, although he might switch to a 5-2-4 alignment at some times.

He described the base 4-4-3 as “an aggressive, pursuit-style defense.

Pursue and punish, that’s our motto.”

In that defense, senior Isaac Record and junior Aaron Fanning are the top defensive ends, with Clark and Eisenhower backing them up.

Hodsden plans to rotate Mullin, Roscoe and Sturtevant as the primary defensive tackles, with junior Cole Putnam in the mix.

Gracie and Paquin will start at middle linebacker, with juniors Eli Paquin and Wyatt Gendreau among their backups. Warner, Hodsden and Devon Kimball will rotate at outside linebacker. Senior Matt George and Smith are projected as the top corners and Keith as the safety, with Bradford, senior Tyler Cousino and junior Josh Hardy among those providing depth.

Mount Abraham Union High School Varsity Football Date Opponent/Event Time 9/4 @ Bellows Falls 7 p.m.

9/12 Fair Haven 1 p.m.

9/19 North Country 1 p.m.

9/26 @ Lyndon Institute 1 p.m.

10/3 Burr & Burton 1 p.m.

10/10 Otter Valley 1 p.m.

10/17 @ Mt. Mansfield 1 p.m.

10/24 Milton 1 p.m.

Mount Abraham Union High School Varsity Football Team Coach: Lee Hodsden Name Grade Broc Clark 12 Justin Connor 12 Tyler Cousino 12 Jack Eisenhower 12 Matt George 12 Jeb Hodsden 12 Matt Mullin 12 Ryan Paquin 12 Isaac Record 12 Andre Rinaldi 12 Anthony Robideau 12 Bradley Sturtevant 12 Anthony Warner 12 Dylan Bradford 11 Aaron Fanning 11 Wyatt Gendreau 11 Wyatt Gracie 11 Josh Hardy 11 Peyton Keith 11 Devon Kimball 11 Mitchell Palmer 11 Eli Paquin 11 Kyle Pearsall 11 Cole Putnam 11 Josh Roscoe 11 Coleman Russell 11 Trevon Smith 11 Kyle Beatty 10 Derek Jackson 10 Jon Jennings 10 Casey Kimball 10 Ben Murray 10 Tim Pecor 10 Chandler Robideau 10 Mason Wood 10

Mt. Abe Cross Country Date Opponent/Event Time 9/2 @ Red Rocks (SB Class Races) 4 p.m.

9/5 Essex Invitational 10:30 a.m.

9/8 @ Spaulding 4 p.m.

9/12 Burlington Invitational 9:30 a.m.

9/15 @ Colchester 4 p.m.

9/19 @ U-32 TBA 9/26 Randolph Invit’l (Three Stallion) TBA 9/29 @ BFA-St. Albans 4 p.m.

10/3 @ Thetford Invitational TBA 10/6 @ BFA-Fairfax Relays 3:45 p.m.

10/17 @ Harwood Invitational TBA 10/24 NVAC Champs. @ Missisquoi TBA 10/31 State Championships TBA

Mt. Abe Cross Country Team Coaches: Vicki Wright and Brent Crum Name Grade Lyn Ackert-Smith 12 Eliot Brett 12 Laura Sundstrom 12 Harmony Taggart 12 Will Aldrich 11 Jude Bunch 11 Patrick Davison 11 Peter Foley 11 Anna Iliff 11 Delaynah Leavitt 11 Andrew Raymond 11 Aine Alexander 10 Madeline Bernoudy 10 Brian Cousineau 10 Isaac Giles 10 Allyson Hoff 10 Aidan May 10 Whitney Thompson 10 Mitchell Tierney 10 Ross Carr 9 Gary Conant 9 Cora Funke 9 Claire Holloway 9 Patrick Marcotullio 9 Roman Mayer 9 Vhairi McMurray 9 Oliver Roy 9

Hodsden believes the Eagles will be competitive, and is certain about a few other things.

“I just want the kids to have a good experience playing football, and as a coach I want to have a positive impact on their lives, like the coaches in my life,” Hodsden said. “Because that’s what sports are all about.

That’s why I do it, not for the wins and losses. Like I said, I like to win as much as the next person, but it’s more about playing the game, playing it the right way, and the score will take care of itself.”

Eagle cross country sees veterans back

By ANDY KIRKALDY BRISTOL — The Mount Abraham girls’ and boys’ cross-country teams finished fifth and eighth, respectively, at the Division II meet a year ago, but each team returns three of its five scorers and five of its seven varsity runners from that day.

“We lost some pretty strong runners from last year, but we have some pretty strong runners returning to fill some spaces,” said Co-Coach Brent Crum, who once again will work with Co-Coach Vicki Wright to run the program.

On the girls’ side, sophomore Ally Hoff, junior Delaynah Leavitt and senior Laura Sundstrom all scored for the Eagles at the state meet in Thetford, and senior Harmony Taggart also ran at the championship meet.

Crum expects Hoff and Leavitt to lead the way again.

“Delaynah Leavitt has been running really strong with Ally Hoff. In our speed work those are the two girls who have been coming in neck and neck,” he said. “Their very friendly rivalry will really help both of them excel to run some PRs this year.”

Crum said Taggart was emerging as a leader in the preseason. “(She) has shown really strong leadership skills on the team,” he

said. “I really think Harmony is going to turn out to be a strong leader this year.”

While it was early to say who else might end up running for the sevenmember varsity team, Crum said he was eyeing hard-working freshmen Claire Holloway and Cora Funke.

“We have so many 9th- and 10thgrade girls who are kind of new to the sport, but definitely have the potential to step up,” he said.

Returning state-meet scorers for the Eagle boys are junior Jude Bunch, senior Lyn Ackert-Smith and junior Andrew Raymond, while junior Peter Foley and sophomore Aidan May also ran at Thetford.

Senior Eliot Brett ran well last fall, Crum said, but missed the state meet, and is looking good along with his fellow veterans.

“My two 12th-graders, Lyn AckertSmith and Eliot Brett, are running pretty quickly this year,” Crum said.

“I’m also looking for some pretty strong performances out of some of my juniors, like Jude Bunch, Peter Foley and Andrew Raymond, who ran some good times in track and were part of our varsity squad last year.”

Crum noted May ran over the summer, and said freshmen and middle-

school team veterans Roman Mayer and Ross Carr made a good preseason impression.

“We also have some freshmen, who were really fast last year as 8thgraders, who so far in some of our speed workouts have been pushing some of our upperclassmen,” he said.

“I really hand it to the work ethic of those two freshmen.”

Crum noted the Eagle team is still young overall, and will probably this year focus on long-term goals.

“We have a great group of kids

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“We’re always focusing on those goals, setting those goals and achieving those goals, and teaching running athleticism and a healthy lifestyle.

That is always important to us on this team.”

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Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015 — PAGE 9C

OTTER VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL Bigger team numbers bolstering Otter X-C

By JOHN S. McCRIGHT BRANDON — With the roster almost doubled in size from last year and enough runners to score as a team in both girls’ and boys’ races, Otter Valley cross country couch Kell Giffin is optimistic that the Otters will take a step forward this season.

“I just want to be competitive,” said Giffin, who is in his second year leading the OV harriers. “We can score as a team on both sides” — girls and boys.

OV XC has eight runners — four girls and four boys. All of the girls are returning from last year’s team; all of the boys are new to the team. The team is moving from Division II last year, where a team score requires five runners, to Division III this year, where a team score is compiled from four runners. Giffin hopes this is a temporary switch, but hopes it will help build a competitive mindset among his athletes, who won’t be competing just for individual glory but also for team bragging rights.

“I’d like to get back to Division II, but I’d like to be competitive as a team, too,” Giffin said.

The coach said his girls will be held back a little bit at the beginning of the season due to some injuries and not enough summer running on the part of some athletes, but as the season progresses he sees his group becoming competitive. Junior Kendra Stearns was the top Otter at the 2014 D-II championship race, where she was 40th, and Giffin says she looks to be the best of the bunch on the girls’ team in 2015. He’s also looking for some good races from senior Emma Cijka.

“Emma is seeing some improvement and I’m looking forward to her doing well,” he said.

Sophomores Kyla Dodge-Goshea and Brittney Danforth will also be strong contributors.

The one boy on the Otter squad last year graduated, but Giffin said the four new members of the boys’ team this year will make up for their lack of experience with effort and good outlooks.

“They have great attitudes and work hard,” he said.

Freshman Anthony Rovi started his high school running career with a bang on Sept. 1 when OV competed in a multi-team invitation at Rutland’s

Giorgetti Park; Giffin said Rovi finished in the top 10.

“I was very pleased and very surprised,” Giffin said.

Rovi will get support from sophomores Henry Bart and Wesley Smith, along with freshman Hayden Gallo.

Giffin has confidence in the runners he has, though he’d welcome anyone who wants to work hard. He’s also looking to the future by trying to grow the middle school team and re-

cruit from its ranks.

And for the season in front of him, Giffin looks for improvement through the course of the fall.

“I’d like to have a good (team) showing at the Marble Valley Championship and good individual showings at the state meet,” he said.

Otter Valley Union High School Cross Country 9/29 @ MSJ 4:30 p.m.

Date Opponent/Event Time 10/3 @ Thetford Trail Run 9 a.m.

9/1 @ Rutland 4:30 p.m.

10/6 @ Fair Haven 4:30 p.m.

9/8 Otter Valley 4:30 p.m.

10/13 @ Springfield (MVL) 3:30 p.m.

9/15 @ MSJ 4:30 p.m.

10/24 State Champs. @ Thetford 9 a.m.

9/22 @ Mill River 4:30 p.m.

9/26 @ Sudbury Road Race 9:45 a.m.

Otter Valley Union High School Varsity Cross Country Team Coach: Kell Giffin and Bob Clark Name Grade Emma Cijka 12 Kendra Stearns 11 Henry Bart 10 Brittney Danforth 10 Kyla Dodge-Goshea 10 Wesley Smith 10 Hayden Gallo 9 Anthony Rovi 9

PAGE 10C — Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015

OTTER VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL

Otter Valley football teams plans to finish this season

By LEE J. KAHRS BRANDON — “1-2-3 Finish!”

That’s the 2015 Otter Valley football team motto. The No. 1-ranked Otters came tantalizingly close to winning the Division III championship last fall, losing to second-seeded BFA-Fairfax in the final, 42-30.

“We won the Marble Valley League championship, but we didn’t finish,” said OV Coach Jim Hill, explaining the team’s new motto.

And Hill said he has every reason to believe that this Otter team will not only go to the division final game again this year, but will win it.

With 45 players this year, up three from last season, Hill has some key returners, including senior standout Carson Leary, who is the Otters’ starting quarterback this year. Leary set a school record for rushing yards as a junior running back, and Hill installed Leary this year as a rushing quarterback. So far, that seems to be working. The Otters won their season opener on Aug. 28, crushing an undermanned Mount St. Joseph Academy team, 62-14. Leary

rushed for 47- and 64-yard touchdowns the first two times he touched the ball. He finished with 164 yards rushing on four carries and a third touchdown and also threw a 13-yard first-quarter TD pass.

Hill said while Leary’s rushing chops are well known, his skill at passing is very good as well.

“He can throw it, too,” Hill said.

“I think everyone is going to be surprised. He’s getting better and better and better. He’s fun to watch.”

Leary is one of four senior captains, along with Tyler Allen, MJ Denis and Trevor Peduto.

All told, Hill has 11 seniors this year, and 18 juniors, which bodes well for next season. Seven sophomores and 10 freshmen round out the squad. If you’ve counted 46, you’re right. The OV football team has included senior Jamie Eugair on its roster. The special needs OV senior is an honorary member.

Adding to OV’s rushing strength are speedy returning seniors Brent Nickerson and Rexall Bautista at fullback. At wide receiver is returning starter and senior Will Ross and junior Conor Mackie.

“Will’s a great target at 6 foot, 5 inches,” Hill said. “And Conor is probably our fastest receiver.”

Senior Robertas Nielsen rounds out the offensive weapons for OV, but then there is the offensive line, which Hill said may be the Otters’ best weapon of all.

“I’d say the offensive line is the key to our offense,” Hill said proudly. “That’s the heart of our team.”

He took it a step further, sure to stir up some conversation around town.

“I’ve been coaching at OV for 15 years and this is the best offensive line I’ve ever seen at this school,” Hill said.

At center is senior captain Tyler Allen, a four-year starter at the position.

“He’s a Shrine Bowl-caliber center,” Hill said unequivocally.

Senior captain Trevor Peduto starts at right tackle for the Otters, and Hill said he is likely the physically strongest player on the team.

At right guard is senior Matt Wedin, who is a first-year starter.

Left guard is senior captain MJ Denis, and a left tackle is the lone ju-

nior Jeremy Frasier, who at 6 foot, 3 inches, and 240-pounds is the biggest guy on the team.

“This line doesn’t just protest, they open up lanes,” Hill said, making it a great line for rushing quarterback Leary.

And the best part about this strong, experienced offensive line is that most of them will turn around and play defense. The Otters use a four-man defensive front, which features Allen and Frasier at tackle, and Leary and Denis as defensive ends. Peduto is the middle linebacker, Nickerson is the strong-side linebacker and Collin Parker and Nielsen split time at weak-side linebacker.

The key to this Otter team’s improved play this season, Hill said, is hard work with something to prove.

At 6-foot-2, 220-pounds, Carson Leary has packed on both height and muscle in the off-season, along with several of his teammates. Hill said the championship loss to BFAFairfax only spurred the returning players to work harder.

“That motivated them, absolutely,” the coach said. “We lost that

game on the front line, and those linemen said, ‘We’re not going to get pushed around again. We’re gonna do the pushing.’”

A lot of the players hit the weights hard over the summer and packed on some muscle, and Hill said offensive coordinator Chaz Hall was instrumental in supervising workouts.

It would be pointless to ask Hill what outcome he wants at the end of the 2015 season, and it’s clear he categorically believes this team can get there.

“I just know how hard the kids have worked in the off-season,” he said. “We want that trophy in the case this year.”

1-2-3 … finish.

Otter Valley Union High School Varsity Football Date Opponent/Event Time 9/5 BFA-Fairfax 1 p.m.

9/12 @ Poultney 1 p.m.

9/19 Woodstock 1 p.m.

9/25 @ Spaulding 7 p.m.

10/2 @ U-32 7 p.m.

10/10 @ Mt. Abraham 1 p.m.

10/17 Mill River 7 p.m.

Otter Valley Union High School Varsity Football Team Coach: Jim Hill Assistant coaches: Chas Hall, Kipp Denis, James Helak and Torrey Allard Name Grade Tyler Allen 12 Marcel Denis 12 Nathan Doty 12 Jamee Eugair 12 Jared Felkl 12 Carson Leary 12 Robertas Nielsen 12 Trevor Peduto 12 Evan Perry 12 Christopher Watkins 12 Matthew Wedin 12 Jove Bautista 11 Tyson Cram 11 Alexander Flanders 11 Jeremy Frasier 11 Matthew Harding 11 Conor Mackie 11 Dustin Manning 11 Sean Martin 11 Colby McKay 11 Brent Nickerson 11 Collin Parker 11 Raymond Pinney 11 William Ross 11 Erik Sherman 11 Richard Waite 11 Chris Waizzenegger 11 Greg Whitney 11 Neiko Young 11 Daniel Allen 10 Robert Cook 10 Payson Williams 10 Wilson Worn 10 Tyler Rowe 9

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Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015 — PAGE 11C

OTTER VALLEY UNION HIGH SCHOOL Girls’ soccer focusing on basics for success

By LEE J. KAHRS BRANDON — As the season was just getting under way, things were already looking up for the Otter Valley girls’ soccer team. They won their season opener, and after a winless 0-14 season last year, the future looks brighter already for secondyear coach Rick Hedding.

“Last year, I took over literally weeks before the season started; there really wasn’t any time for preparation,” the coach said. “This year, we were able to do more in the off-season.”

But there are two fundamental skills Hedding focused on last season that are already helping in the 2015 season: ball handling and team unity. The coach said those are keys to the success of this team.

“Unfortunately, those things didn’t pay any dividends last year, but they’ve definitely carried through this year,” Hedding said.

With no official junior varsity team this year and a light hit from graduation, the Otters have 21 players for the 2015 campaign, including 10 seniors. Captains are seniors Isabelle Kingsley, Lexi Hedding and Shana Houle, and junior Olivia Drew. There are four juniors, three sophomores, and four freshmen on the squad.

While some girls may not see a

lot of playing time, Hedding said his team has skills throughout the roster.

“We do have some depth,” he said.

“Overall, we have a large number of well-skilled girls we can interchange on every position.”

In the goal is sophomore Gabby Poalino.

“She has tremendous ability,” Hedding said, adding that he is fortunate he will have Poalino for three more years.

So what does the coach of last year’s 0-14 team expect from this year’s squad? It’s already happening.

“Obviously, we’re already better than last year,” Hedding said. “I potentially see us easily having a .500 year, but I told the girls I see a complete turnaround, and any coach would be fooling themselves if they didn’t want a better record. Realistically, a .500 record and going to the playoffs and I would be thrilled.”

While experience may be the strength of this OV team, Hedding said the girls need to work on their stamina.

“It’s not a huge flaw, but it’s something we need to work on,” he said.

Hedding was clearly optimistic to see how the 2015 season plays out for his team.

“I am truly excited,” he said. “I am looking forward to this season. This is an outstanding group of girls.”

Otter Valley Union High School Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team Coach: Rick Hedding Katelyn Houle Assistant coach: Courtney Hoyt Julia Lee Name Grade Shana Houle Amy Jones 12 Colby Reynolds Alexis Hedding 12 Nicole Rossi Emily Fox 12 Molly McGee Hannah Williams 12 Caitlyn Ketcham Jillian Flanders 11 Sarah Hobbs Olivia Drew 11 Haley Gearwar Gabriela Poalino 10 Felicity Drew Isabelle Kingsley 12 Abigail Pinkowski

12 9 12 10 12 11 12 10 12 9 11

Otter Valley Union High School Girls’ Varsity Soccer Date Opponent/Event 9/2 Arlington 9/4 Bellows Falls 9/11 @ Black River Tourn.

@ Proctor 9/12 @ Black River Tourn.

@ Proctor 9/15 @ Twin Valley

Time 4:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

6 p.m.

6/8 p.m.

6 p.m.

9/19 9/26 9/28 9/30 10/7 10/10 10/13 10/16

Green Mountain @ Windsor @ Long Trail Leland & Gray @ Green Mountain @ Bellows Falls Windsor @ Leland & Gray

10 a.m.

11 a.m.

4:30 p.m.

4:30 p.m.

4 p.m.

11 a.m.

4 p.m.

4 p.m.

New OV boys’ soccer coach is aiming high

Otter Valley Union High School Boys’ Varsity Soccer 9/21 @ Arlington Tournament 4 p.m.

Date Opponent/Event Time 9/24 @ Arlington Tournament 4 p.m.

9/1 Woodstock 4:30 p.m.

9/25 @ Arlington Tournament 5 p.m.

9/3 Twin Valley 4:30 p.m.

10/3 @ Woodstock 7 p.m.

9/5 Fair Haven (@ Proctor) 1 p.m.

10/6 @ Mill River 4 p.m.

9/9 @ Vergennes 4:30 p.m.

10/8 Springfield 4 p.m.

9/12 West Rutland 11 a.m.

10/10 @ Hartford 11 a.m.

9/16 @ Proctor 4:30 p.m.

10/15 @ Fair Haven 7 p.m.

9/19 Mill River 4:30 p.m.

Otter Valley Union High School Varsity Boys’ Soccer Team Coach: Richard Williams Lucas Tremblay Assistant coach: Benjamin Black and Derek Aines Roger Miro Nathan Audette Name Grade Thomas Kingsley Collin Eugair 12 Sawyer Heath Benjamin Francoeur 12 Joshua Letourneau Colton Leno 12 Justin Tremblay Colin Nicklaw 12 Maxwell Williams MacGregor Shannon 12

12 11 11 11 10 10 10 10

Otter Valley Union High School Varsity Field Hockey Team Coach: Stacey Edmunds-Brickell Myliah McDonough Name Grade Courtney Randall Maia Edmunds 12 Kathryn Coolidge Kaitlyn Anderson 11 Chelsea Reed Sophia Bloomer 11 Madison Chicoine Courtney Bushey 11 Gabriella LaGrange Alyssa Falco 11 Sophie Markowski Meghan Hallett 11 Elizabeth Wright Allison Lowell 11

11 11 10 10 9 9 9 9

By ANDY KIRKALDY BRANDON — A familiar face took over as coach of the Otter Valley Union boys’ soccer team this fall: former OV girls’ soccer coach Dick Williams, whose five-year tenure leading that program from 2005 to 2009 was the most successful in its 17-year history.

Williams takes over a young boys’ squad that went through a two-win rebuilding season in 2014. But only two players graduated, and his roster of 13 athletes all saw time a year ago.

Williams, who brings more than 20 years of coaching in youth, club and junior varsity soccer with him as well as his OV varsity stint, believes the experience the Otters gained in 2014 could start to pay off this fall.

“These kids are a little bit older, a little bit wiser, and have played a little bit more soccer,” he said.

The roster also includes six seniors, including two Williams expects to anchor the defense — goalie Colin Nicklaw and center back Collin Eugair.

Senior Lucas Tremblay, junior Nathan Audette and sophomore Justin Tremblay will also play defense.

Williams said as of the preseason he was not sure exactly how he would deploy the five midfielders on his roster, although he was sure sophomore Max Williams would play centrally and that returning leading scorer Josh Letourneau, also a sophomore, would play

wide. Letourneau will be able to attack from that position, Williams said.

“I expect him to do a great deal of damage this year,” he said.

Seniors Ben Francoeur and MacGregor Shannon and sophomore Sawyer Heath will also play major roles at midfield, Williams said.

Up front, Williams expects the tandem of senior Colton Leno and junior Derek Aines to be productive, with junior Thomas Kingsley seeing plenty of action spelling them.

He also expects to promote JV players for some games to provide depth.

“I’m going to have some JVs playing some roles at times,” Williams said.

Williams said the Otters have in the past matched their opponents in desire and hustle, and he believes they can begin to level the playing field in soccer ability.

“They’re athletic. They work hard. I think they can compete on that end of things with the other teams,” he said.

“As we keep working on things I’d like them to show we have the quality in the way we play.”

Williams believes the Otters will win more games than a year ago, and he would like them to aim high.

“I’d really like to see us get a home playoff game,” he said. “It’s always going to be my goal until we get it, and then when we get it, we raise the bar and go for something different.”

Spirit, strength boost OV field hockey team

By LEE J. KAHRS BRANDON — What they may lack in numbers, they make up for in heart. The Otter Valley girls’ field hockey team numbers 15 this year, and two of those players are currently on the disabled list, making it 13 girls for a sport that fields 11 at a time.

But the Otters, who went 11-2 last season and lost a heartbreaker to U-32 in the Division II semi-final, are strong and ready to play, said coach Stacey Edmunds-Brickell in the preseason.

“I don’t want anyone to count us out because of our numbers, because we’re a strong team,” she said.

Particularly up the middle. The defending Marble Valley League champs have returners Allison Lowell up front, Maia Edmunds right behind her, Meghan Hallett at center back and Myliah McDonough at keeper.

Senior Edmunds and junior Lowell are the team captains. Junior returners Courtney Bushey and Sophia Bloomer are both recovering from knee injuries incurred during basketball season. The coach said that Bloomer may be cleared to play before the end of the month, but that Bushey is a question mark to return this season.

As for the rest of the squad, Edmunds-Brickell said that the team is

really starting to pull together.

“We have a lot of other players who have developed a lot and freshmen with good potential,” the coach said.

“It takes a few weeks and they’ll find their place and round out that center.”

The Otters’ season is not going to be easy. The good news is that Windsor is not fielding a team. The bad news is the Otters still have a tough schedule. They were set to host Fair Haven on Sept. 9, then travel to Bellows Falls, meet division rival Woodstock at home, then play three road games in one week. They play Woodstock twice, Bellows Falls twice, Rutland twice, and Hartford twice.

But the coach isn’t blinking.

“I have confidence in this team,” she said. “People are looking at us like we might be on the ropes. These people are underestimating these girls. I think we have the strength to have a winning season.”

Edmunds-Brickell said she’d thinks the team can get through the season with no more than four losses.

“These girls are committed and they love the sport,” the coach said.

“This is not a team based around returning starters. This is a team of 15 girls who show up every day and show that they are ready to take us to the playoffs. I want them to know how much I value each and every one of them.”

Otter Valley Union High School Varsity Field Hockey 9/28 @ Rutland Date Opponent/Event Time 10/1 Brattleboro 9/3 @ Fair Haven 4 p.m.

10/3 @ Woodstock 9/9 Fair Haven 4 p.m.

10/7 Bellows Falls 9/15 @ Bellows Falls 4 p.m.

10/10 Hartford 9/19 Woodstock 11 a.m.

10/13 @ Mt. Anthony 9/22 @ Burr & Burton 4 p.m.

10/15 Rutland 9/24 @ Hartford 4 p.m.

4 p.m.

5 p.m.

11 a.m.

4 p.m.

11 a.m.

4 p.m.

4 p.m.

PAGE 12C — Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015

VERGENNES

UNION

HIGH

SCHOOL

Commodore runners to focus on improvement Numbers low, spirits high for cross country

By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — Unless a late recruiting push proves to be successful, the members of the Vergennes Union cross-country team will be running as individuals, not as a scoring group at the Division II championship meet on Oct. 31.

As of the end of August, only four boys and four girls had signed up for Coach Brad Castillo’s program, which last year had enough girls to compete as a group at the D-II meet in Thetford.

His eight athletes were looking for teammates, Castillo said, but at least as of the first week of school had no luck.

“They’re recruiting up and down as much as they can, and nobody’s biting yet,” he “Just about said.

But the low all of them numbers do are going not mean the to continue athletes can’t on with us have a good for the rest year — running can be a of the year.

That’s what rewarding inwe’re looking dividual sport, and Castillo for.” also noted the — coach athletes are Brad Castillo also interested in running for the indoor and outdoor track programs he also helps coach.

“Just about all of them are going to continue on with us for the rest of the year. That’s what we’re looking for,” he said.

Three of the four runners from last fall’s boys’ team return, all seniors: Quinn D’Andrea, Xavier Provencher and Silas Mullin. One member of the girls’ team, Sophia Parker, also a

senior, chose to come back, although several of her teammates opted not to.

Castillo said all began the preseason well.

“They’re all starting to look as strong as they did at the end of last year. So we hope we can jump above that,” he said.

Three girls signed up to join Parker: junior Sophia Callis and sophomores Sierra Chamberlain and Saskia Kiely.

“Saskia and Sierra, especially, I’ve never seen them run before … and they appear to be picking it up quickly,” Castillo said. “We’ll see how it goes as we put some miles on them.”

Freshman Spencer Hulburt looks promising as the newcomer on the boys’ side, he said.

“Our only young guy, Spencer, has been putting some time in over the summer and it’s clearly showing now. He’s strong and he’s hungry for more of it,” Castillo said.

With the team portion of the fall uncertain, Castillo said he would work with the runners to help them focus on their individual goals.

“I’m just going to push them so they’re happy at the end of the year regardless of how it ends up teamwise,” he said.

Castillo expects that to be an enjoyable process.

“They’re a great group. They’re close,” he said. “Everyone is there for one another.”

Vergennes Union High School Varsity Cross Country Team Coach: Brad Castillo Name Grade Quinn D’Andrea 12 Silas Mullin 12 Sophia Parker 12 Xavier Provencher 12 Sophia Callis 11 Sierra Chamberlain 10 Saskia Kiely 10 Spencer Hulburt 9

Vergennes Union High School Cross Country Date Opponent/Event Time 9/2 SBHS Races 4 p.m.

9/5 Essex Invitational 10:30 a.m.

9/12 Burlington Invitational 9:30 a.m.

9/19 U-32 Invitational 10 a.m.

10/3 Thetford Invitational 10 a.m.

10/17 Harwood Invitational 10 a.m.

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Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015 — PAGE 13C

VERGENNES

UNION

HIGH

SCHOOL

VUHS girls’ soccer team looks for more success

By ANDY KIRKALDY spell them. Senior Felicia Armell and VERGENNES — The Vergennes junior Annika Vorsteveld, both vetergirls’ soccer team in 2014 played com- ans, will start at flank midfield, with petitively in most games, but still man- junior newcomer Shelby Gage and aged just three wins. possibly Johnston available there as But with nine players well. returning who played “We’re looking Three players will rosignificant roles a year to take a step tate into the two frontago and the addition of running spots: Junior seven talented newcom- forward from Shay Pouliot, who played ers, Co-coaches Dwight last year. We’re briefly as a freshman but Irish and Peter Maneen hoping the sat out most of 2014 with are expecting better re- experience they an injury; sophomore sults this fall. gained from that Kaitlyn Brace; and fresh“We’re looking to man Ciara McClay. will translate, take a step forward from Maneen said what he last year,” Maneen said. maybe we and Irish projected in the “We’re hoping the expe- can come out preseason could easily rience they gained from on the other change. that will translate, may- end of some of “We have a lot of piecbe we can come out on these one-goal es in the puzzle,” he said. the other end of some of “We’re just trying to figgames.” these one-goal games.” ure out exactly how those — coach pieces are going to fit and One of those new Peter Maneen what combinations are players will take over in goal, sophomore Anya going to be the best.”

Sonwalt. All the defenders in front of Maneen said he considers the Comher have some experience. Maneen modores’ league, the Lake Division, to said he expects some lineup juggling be the second toughest in the state after in the course of the season, but initial the Metro Conference. Given the chalplans called for two among three se- lenging schedule, he believes picking niors — Julia Johnson, Sara Stearns up five more wins to finish at .500 and and Jordan Racine — to start at central then making some noise in the D-II defense, with junior Megan Rooney tournament are realistic goals. and senior Alyssa McClay set to start But he wouldn’t put it past his team on the flanks. Newcomers Emma to do more, noting the experience Husk and Lexi Brace, both juniors, some Commodores bring to the table. will also see time in the back.

“Who knows how they mesh? They Senior four-year starter Kareena have the potential to do better than Vorsteveld and junior veteran Caroline that,” he said. “A lot of it is going to Johnston are set at central midfield, depend on how some of the upperwith Johnson and Stearns ready to classmen step up.”

Vergennes Union High School Varsity Girls’ Soccer Team Coaches: Dwight Irish and Peter Shelby Gage Maneen Alyssa McClay Name Grade Caroline Johnston Felicia Armell 12 Shay Pouliot Emma Husk 12 Megan Rooney Julia Johnson 12 Annika Vorsteveld Jordan Racine 12 Kaitlyn Brace Sara Stearns 12 Anya Sonwalt Kareena Vorsteveld 12 Ciara McClay Lexi Brace 11

Vergennes Union High School Girls’ Varsity Soccer 9/26 Missisquoi 9/30 @ Middlebury 10/3 Mt. Abraham 10/6 @ Milton 10/9 @ Rice 10/14 @ Mt. Abraham 10/17 Middlebury

11 11 11 11 11 11 10 10 9

Date Opponent/Event Time 9/1 @ Green Mountain Valley 4:30 p.m.

9/5 Montpelier 1 p.m.

9/8 @ Fair Haven 6 p.m.

9/11 Randolph 4:30 p.m.

9/14 @ Missisquoi 4:30 p.m.

9/19 Milton 1 p.m.

9/22 Rice 4:30 p.m.

10 a.m.

4:30 p.m.

3 p.m.

7 p.m.

4 p.m.

4 p.m.

1 p.m.

Young boys’ soccer team aiming to surprise

By ANDY KIRKALDY VERGENNES — The 2014 season began with high hopes for Vergennes Union boys’ soccer, but ended with five wins, although one of those included a road triumph in the playoffs that saw the team tap its potential.

Ultimately, however, it also saw the Commodore soccer careers of 12 seniors come to a close, leaving a young team for Coach Kevin Hayes to lead this fall.

Despite the turnover, Hayes said he was looking forward to the season, largely due to the attitude of his new-look squad.

“It will be challenging. It will definitely be a changing of the guard. There’s no question about that. But I’m excited,” Hayes said.

“I think they’re definitely coachable. They seem to listen. There’s a really good team spirit about them. They support each other and seem to want to make a good soccer play.”

And there is some talent, Hayes said, with some veterans to lead the way.

“We have some soccer players,” he said. “The seniors are athletic.”

Youth will be served in goal, though, where sophomore Ethan Sausville is slated to start, with sophomore Antonio Ruggiero

backing him up.

Hayes will use four defenders, with senior Lathrop Brownell and junior Klaas Vorsteveld topping the depth chart in the middle, and sophomore Samir Kadric and freshman Jack Halpin the probable starters on the flanks. Senior Gunnar Sonwalt and juniors Camden Bushey and Schuyler Coyle are also in the defensive mix.

In front of the defense, Hayes will station a pair of defensive midfielders, starting seniors Aaron Gaines and Tyler Kepes in those

roles. Moving up the field, next will be a line of three more middies with a more offensive orientation: freshman Ezekiel Palmer in the middle and sophomores Camden Simpson and Ben Kayhart on the flanks.

Also seeing time in the midfield will be seniors Jesse Nary and Nathan Rowell, junior Tinder Kiely and sophomore Lance Bergmans.

Senior Max Ratti-Bicknell will run up front, and if necessary one of the midfielders will spell him.

He won’t be expected to carry the

scoring load: All the Commodores will be expected to pick spots to be aggressive, Hayes said.

“With this system, I want attacking from the back,” he said.

Given their willingness to learn, at the very least Hayes expects the Commodores to improve steadily this fall.

“I do like this crew. I think they have some potential. I think they’ll win some games,” he said. “Will they battle the big boys? I don’t know. But I think they can grow through the season.”

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Vergennes Union High School Boys’ Varsity Soccer Date Opponent/Event Time 9/4 Montpelier 4:30 p.m.

9/9 Otter Valley 4:30 p.m.

9/12 @ Fair Haven 10 a.m.

9/15 @ Missisquoi 4:30 p.m.

9/18 Milton 4:30 p.m.

9/23 @ Rice 4:30 p.m.

9/26 Missisquoi 2 p.m.

9/29 @ Middlebury 4:30 p.m.

10/2 Mt. Abraham 4 p.m.

10/5 @ Milton 7 p.m.

10/10 Rice 1 p.m.

10/13 @ Mt. Abraham 4 p.m.

10/16 Middlebury 4 p.m.

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Vergennes Union High School Varsity Boys’ Soccer Team Coach: Kevin Hayes Name Grade Lathrop Brownell 12 Aaron Gaines 12 Tyler Kepes 12 Jesse Nary 12 Nathan Rowell 12 Gunnar Sonwalt 12 Camden Bushey 11 Brandon Cousino 11 Schuyler Coyle 11 Tinder Kiely 11 Kyle Kingsley 11 Max Ratti-Bicknell 11 Klaas Vorsteveld 11 Lance Bergmans 10 Samir Kadric 10 Ben Kayhart 10 Antonio Ruggiero 10 Ethan Sausville 10 Camden Simpson 10 Jack Halpin 9 Ezekiel Palmer 9

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PAGE 14C — Addison Independent, Thursday, September 10, 2015

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