5 Things from #vthsfootball week 7

     The final week of the 2025 Vermont high school football regular season is a few days away and the best teams in the state have solidified their spots in the playoffs.  But there are still some seeding questions left to be answered as we head into this week.  Those seeding scenarios (with the help of our friend Pat Lynch of WCAX) are the five things from week 7.

1---Bellows Falls/Woodstock for D3 regular season crown?

    While the Terriers are undefeated in 2025, Woodstock have dominated their opponents since the week 1 loss to U-32.  But even if the Wasps knock off BF on Friday night, they need a multi-team "Parlay" to have any shot of the #1 seed.

2---Milton could be passed by 1-win teams after week 8.

    I mentioned it last week, but the QPR system hasn't helped the Yellow Jackets one bit in an attempt to make the 2025 D2 playoffs (but neither has their play as I saw in their 40-12 loss to Rice on Saturday).  

    Milton could beat Springfield on Friday night and still finish outside the postseason if MMU knocks off BFA and both Poultney and Missisquoi lose on Saturday.  If North Country can knock off Brattleboro Friday night, MMU only need one of those Saturday results to happen for them to make it.

3---Rutland, Essex and a D1 home playoff game

    One of the greatest rivalries between teams on both sides of the "Middlebury-Dixie Line," The Hornets and former Raiders battle in week 8 for not just bragging rights, but also to host a playoff game in the Quarterfinals.

    An Essex win guarantees them #4 (#3 if 7 different games go right); a loss forces them on the road if BBA wins.  A Rutland win and "The Game" between LI and SJA might determine #2.

4---VFN shines in 2025

    As we head into the final week of the season, I have to applaud Eric Berry and the crew from Northeast Sports Network who have been the driving force of getting to as many games as possible during the high school football season.

    Berry, Alan Ruggles, Ken Wells and Paul Wheeler are among the main crew who have called their fair share of games during the 2025 season (mostly involving NCU, LI and SJA).  Last week, NSN covered 7 of the 8 Friday night games that took place (the only one they missed was Seawolves/Colchester) and have become the must-have app/website to watch future sporting events for the rest of the school year and hopefully beyond.

    While their playoff coverage may move to NFHS (a subscription-based service), it won't take away from how important they have been to covering the student-athletes who make every Friday night and Saturday afternoon (and sometimes Thursday nights) must-see.

5---Week 8 Slate

Mount Anthony (3-4) @ Fair Haven (3-4) (Thursday @ 6:30PM)

Mount Mansfield (1-6) @ BFA-St. Albans (2-5) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

North Country (0-7) @ Brattleboro (0-7) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Champlain Valley (2-5) @ Burr and Burton (4-3) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Essex (4-3) @ Rutland (5-2) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Middlebury (6-1) @ Burlington/South Burlington (0-7) (Friday @ 7PM) (NFHS)

Colchester (5-2) @ Hartford (7-0) (Friday @ 7PM) (NFHS)

Springfield (4-3) @ Milton (2-5) (Friday @ 6:30PM) (LCATV)

U-32 (3-4) @ Spaulding (3-4) (Friday @ 7PM) (CVT)

Bellows Falls (7-0) @ Woodstock (6-1) (Friday @ 7PM)

Otter Valley (4-3) @ Rice (4-3) (Saturday @ 1PM)

Windsor (2-5) @ BFA-Fairfax (5-2) (Saturday @ 1PM)

Mill River (3-4) @ Missisquoi (0-7) (Saturday @ 1PM) (NSN)

Mount Abraham/Vergennes (6-1) @ Poultney (0-7) (Saturday @ 1PM) (NYVT)

Lyndon (6-1) @ St. Johnsbury (6-1) (Saturday @ 5PM) (NSN)

5 Things from #vthsfootball week 6

     2 weeks remain but still a lot to be determine as far as who will make the playoffs and where those teams will be seeded.  Also, another underclassman has found his way into the race for Vermont's top player, and while a couple of divisions have their playoff hopefuls, one could be determined by who loses in week 8 instead of who wins.  Here are this week's 5 things:

1---Bobwhites, Yellow Jackets pull ahead in respective 8-seed battle

    On a chilly Thursday night at Munson Field, BFA-St. Albans defeated Burlington/South Burlington 10-7 to take a 2-game lead in the race for 8th place in Division 1.  Saturday, Windsor came back to defeat Poultney 29-20, improving to 2-4 and likely solidifying their spot in 8th as well.

2---Maddox, Hilltoppers ruin Essex's homecoming & senior night

    It's been an amazing season for St. Johnsbury Academy, and they can thank Sophomore Maddox McFarland for their 5-1 record.  

    The Hilltoppers have relied on McFarland's arm in most of their games.  But on Friday night, it was Maddox's running that contributed the most with 4 rushing TDs and a game-sealing 74-yard carry to outlast the Hornets on their homecoming and senior nights.

    McFarland's recent success puts him in the same category as Jaden Bazin as far as underclassmen who can help lead a program to success down the line.

3---Another week, more D1 wins for Colchester, Hartford

    The Lakers knocked off defending D1 champs CVU 20-7 in a very complete game on both sides of the ball, while the Hurricanes won at home 37-7 to Burr and Burton in a game that was competitive at the start until Hartford pulled away in the second half.

4---A wacky scenario in D2 playoffs

    On Friday night, Milton and Mount Mansfield both lost in convincing fashion against MAV and U-32, respectively.  The Yellowjackets are 2-4 and the Cougars are 1-5, but when you look at the QPR rankings, a unique scenario has come into play.

    Both teams have an identical number of points (1.25), but it's MMU that is ahead in 8th place.  This means that even with losses in their final 2 games, the Cougars can make the playoffs at 1-7 if Milton loses their final 2 games (@ Rice and home to Springfield).  Easily put, we could see some chaos in week 8 depending on outcomes from week 7.

5---Week 7 Slate (streaming info unofficial)

Essex (3-3) @ BFA-St. Albans (2-4) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Brattleboro (0-6) @ Mount Anthony (2-4) (Friday @ 7PM) (NFHS)

Burr and Burton (4-2) @ Middlebury (5-1) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Champlain Valley (2-4) @ St. Johnsbury (5-1) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Rutland (5-1) @ Hartford (6-0) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Burlington/South Burlington (0-6) @ Colchester (3-3) (Friday @ 7PM) (LCATV)

Fair Haven (2-4) @ U-32 (3-3) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Lyndon (5-1) @ North Country (0-6) (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Milton (2-4) @ Rice (3-3) (Saturday @ 1PM) (NSN)

Bellows Falls (6-0) @ Mount Mansfield (1-5) (Saturday @ 1PM) (MMCTV)

Spaulding (3-3) @ Mount Abraham (5-1) (Saturday @ 1PM) (NFHS)

BFA-Fairfax (4-2) @ Missisquoi (0-6) (Saturday @ 1PM) (NSN)

Springfield (4-2) @ Mill River (2-4) (Saturday @ 1PM)

Poultney (0-6) @ Otter Valley (3-3) (Saturday @ 6:30PM) (NSN)

Woodstock (5-1) @ Windsor (2-4) (Saturday @ 1PM)

5 Things from #vthsfootball Week 5

     In my last 5 things, I noted the strong performances from teams in the southern part of the Vermont high school football realm.  So, it wasn't any surprise that part of the state had the most dramatic and exciting performances from Week 5 of the season.  Here are this week's 5 things.

1---Rutland/MAU play offensive classic

    It was a back-and-forth matchup in Bennington as Mount Anthony had their homecoming game vs. Rutland.  Asa Reis and Grady Gallagher made big plays on offense, but it was Gio Spalleri finding Cellan Wood (a BFP breakout performer) for the go-ahead score late in the 4th quarter and an INT from Jon Crossman that gave the team formerly known as the Raiders a 42-39 win, spoiling the Patriots festivities.

 

2---This season's best player is...just a sophomore?

    Bellows Falls may be in D3, but after defeating the defending D2 state champions Friday night, they're 5-0 on the season.  One of the biggest reasons for their success is Sophomore RB/DB Jaden Bazin, who scored 5 TDs and came up with an INT on defense in the Terriers' 52-27 win over Fair Haven on Friday Night.  As the great Jack Healy of NSN noted, Bazin did "Everything except play in the band and sell popcorn in the stands."

3---SJA rebounds from Rutland loss in dominant fashion

    While they did face a rebuilding Seawolves team on Saturday, seeing St. Johnsbury up close gave me a chance to see one of the contenders in Division 1.  Maddox McFarland looked great both running and throwing the ball; Vincent Palmeri made guys miss all day and the defense kept Burlington/South Burlington under duress throughout their 49-7 win at Munson Field, a venue the Hilltoppers hope to get back to next month. 

4---D2 Hartford outplays D1 Middlebury

    It was a battle of undefeated teams in Middlebury, but it was Hartford who came out firing on Friday night en route to a 28-13 win over the Tigers.  Rex Baning had another great game with 2 total TDs while the Hurricanes D held Middlebury to 7 points in the first half.  At the moment, it might come down to Rutland in 2 weeks to try and stop Hartford from ending the year undefeated.

5---More realignment?  8-Man football?  The future of the sport.

    Every week, once the final games finish off (or in this case as BFA/Colchester was going on), I'll head on the X app to recap the week's action.  On the Week 5 Recap Show, we had a discussion about the future of the sport in the state of Vermont.

    This came after NSN's Eric Berry had posted on his blog (top post) his idea of realigning the teams into 4 divisions.  I encourage all who see this to look at Eric's post, then tap the other link to check out the space from Saturday for my thoughts on the situation.

5 things from #vthsfootball Week 4

     We have made it to the halfway point of the Vermont High School Football season.  Most of the top 4 teams in each division is either 4-0 or 3-1 but there are still opportunities for those in the bottom of the division to make a move and give those at the top a run for their money.  For now, let's look back at Week 4 and see what we've learned heading down the homestretch.

1---Burr and Burton uses strong 2nd half to knock off Essex

    After both teams' quarterbacks (Dowd for BBA, Bent for EHS) scored in the first half for a 7-6 Bulldogs lead.  Both teams would score to start the second half, and the Hornets were looking to respond after a big 4th down conversion, only for Burr and Burton to force a fumble and return it all the way for a TD to take control of the game.  Owen Cassan had 2 rushing touchdowns in that half as part of the Bulldogs run of 20 unanswered points as they knocked off Essex 27-13 in a pivotal Division 1 matchup.

2---Patriots run away from Rice; ready for D1 test

    Mount Anthony improved to 2-2 on the season with a 43-6 win vs. Rice on Saturday.  Both wins have come against D2 opponents (other being MMU) with a pair of massive D1 games coming up next (vs. Rutland, vs. Middlebury).

3---Rutland's Gallagher plays hero against St. Johnsbury

    Grady Gallagher was among the star players from the 2024 Rutland football team that made the D1 championship game vs. CVU.  He played that role perfectly on Friday night at home against a St. J squad that came in undefeated.

    Gallagher ran for 2 TDs and had a game-sealing INT to hand the Hilltoppers their first loss of the season 21-13, part of a major weekend for teams south of the "Middlebury-Dixie Line" in VT high school football.

4---Game that looked good on paper ended up as drubbings

    It was the 112th meeting between Springfield and Bellows Falls, but for the 15th year in a row, it's the Terriers bringing the trophy home after a dominant performance against the Cosmos on Friday night.

5---Week 5 slate of games (to be updated before Friday)

Hartford @ Middlebury (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Rutland @ Mount Anthony (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

St. Johnsbury @ Burlington/South Burlington (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

North Country @ U-32 (Friday @ 7PM) (CVT Sport?)

Fair Haven @ Bellows Falls (Friday @ 7PM) (NSN)

Mill River @ Woodstock (Friday @ 7PM)

Poultney @ Springfield (Friday @ 7PM) (NFHS/YT)

Lyndon @ Mount Mansfield (Saturday @ 1PM) (NSN)

Missisquoi @ Milton (Saturday @ 1PM) (LCATV)

BFA-St. Albans @ Colchester (Saturday @ 7PM) (NSN/LCATV)

Brattleboro @ Burr and Burton (Saturday @ 1PM) (NSN)

Essex @ Champlain Valley (Saturday @ 1PM) (NFHS)

Rice @ Mount Abraham (Saturday @ 1PM) (NFHS)

BFA-Fairfax @ Spaulding (Saturday @ 6PM) (CVT Sport?)

Otter Valley @ Windsor (Saturday @ 1PM)

5 things from #vthsfootball week 3

 1---Another defensive stand keeps Lyndon undefeated

    Lyndon Institute faced adversity yet again on Friday night after allowing U-32 to come back from 11-0 down to take a 15-11 lead in the third quarter.  But the Vikings drove down the field, Logan Wheeler scored early in the 4th quarter to take the lead, and the defense did just enough to defeat the Raiders 18-15.

2---Middlebury pulls away from Rutland; moves to 3-0

    In a battle of undefeated squads, it's the Tigers knocking off Rutland 31-21 and take control of one of the top spots in D1 (with St. Johnsbury, who are also 3-0)

3---BF, Cosmos head into rivalry game with seeding at stake

    The Terriers dominated their matchup Friday night at North Country while Springfield got a road win against Windsor.  Both teams come into a critical rivalry matchup 3-0 as Bellows Falls celebrates homecoming 2025 Friday night.

4---Teams who fell week 1 getting better at the right time?

     CVU, Essex, Rice and Woodstock among teams who have won last 2 games after losing their season opener.

5---New Vermont high school football field unlocked.

    Burr and Burton open up Friendship Field with 17-7 win vs. Mount Anthony on Saturday.  Bulldogs head to Essex Friday night for a pivotal game with Hornets.

5 Things from #vthsfootball Week 2

 1---CVU dominates for coach Parisi's first win

    After getting outplayed by Rutland in week 1, Champlain Valley returned to Hinesburg for their first home game of the Frank Parisi era.  It ended up being a dominant performance as the Redhawks defeated BFA-St. Albans 31-3 for Parisi's first win as head coach.  Ian Kennelly threw 2 TD passes in the game as CVU moved to 1-1 on the season and host Burlington/South Burlington next Saturday.

2---LI ones to watch after knocking off defending D2 champs

    Lyndon Institute was 1 win away from a D2 title game appearance close to home in St. J.  Their chances of getting to that game in 2025 got better with wins over the two teams that played in said final.

    After a dominant performance vs. Rice in week 1, the Vikings outlast the Slaters 14-13 on a pair of TD runs by Jackson Wells and an INT from Preston Jenkins late in the game to seal a 2-0 start.  Lyndon travels to U-32 on Friday night.

3---MAV a D3 contender

    3 teams moved down a division this year, but while Hartford and Bellows Falls' moves led to folks already booking them for state title games, Mount Abraham/Vergennes have become a contender.

    After major defense and special team moments against Otter Valley in week 1, the Eagles delivered another 2nd half rally to knock off BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille 27-20 and improve to 2-0 on the season.  Cole Gagnon carried that momentum with 193 rushing yards and a pair of 2nd half TDs in the win.  MAV are at Missisquoi Saturday.

4---D1 St. J survives scare from D2 Colchester

    The game of the week may have been Otter Valley-Springfield had it not been for a pair of massive late-game drives in Laker Land on Friday night.

    First, Colchester tied things up with a 13-play drive, culminating in a TD pass from Colton Lefebvre to Mason Sheltra (+2 from Brody Coppins) to tie things up at 14.  Then, St. Johnsbury would answer with a sub-60 second drive, capped off by a Maddox McFarland pass to Cole Lemieux to give the Hilltoppers a 21-14 win over the Lakers.

    This game may have proved that Colchester could hang with the Metro teams as they head to Essex on Friday night.

5---Massive matchup in Midd awaits.

    After a pair of intense wins to start the season, both Middlebury and Rutland head into their matchup on Friday night with hopes of ending their season at Munson Field in November.  The Tigers picked up road wins at Essex and Brattleboro while Rutland defeated CVU and Burr and Burton at home.

    Now the two clash in a game where the winner may become the favorite to win Division 1, making this a can't miss matchup.  If you can't be there for the game, NSN will be there for all the action.

*Stats and highlights from Burlington Free Press

5 things from #vthsfootball Week 1

     It's time for a new segment on the blog in 2025 involving the Vermont High School football season!  After every week, I'll be looking at the 5 most important events from the previous week.  Let's take a look at those moments from Week 1.

1---Playoff rematches=revenge*

    In Week 1, 2 games were rematches of playoff matchups from last year...and in both cases, the team that lost in 2024 wound up winning in 2025.  Lyndon, under new HC Colin Wells, shut out Rice 23-0 at home and Rutland, also at home, took care of CVU 35-10 to get to 1-0 on the season.

    However, I did have to put an asterisk on this topic as both teams that won last year lost some key players to graduation (and in the Redhawks case, prep school) so we'll have to keep an eye on both Rice and CVU to see how the rest of the season goes.

2---drop down teams mean business

    In 2025, Hartford dropped from D1 to D2 while Bellows Falls and Mount Abe/Vergennes went from D2 to D3.  All 3 teams pitched shutouts in Week 1 with each team playing within their own division.

    The Hurricanes defeated Fair Haven 33-0; The Terriers knocked off Windsor 44-0 while the Eagles got a blocked FG return for a TD en route to a 14-0 win vs. Otter Valley.

3---Colchester's continued success vs. D2

    In Laker Land, the football program has one of the toughest schedules in the state with more than half of their 8-game schedule vs. D1 foes.  But it's helped Colchester against D2 opponents, including rival Milton on Friday night.

    The Lakers got out front with a KO return TD and never looked back in a 54-12 win over the Yellowjackets.  A great start heading into the Metro slate that includes SJA, Essex and CVU on the horizon.

4---Bobwhites' impressive comeback

    A handful of teams ended up with disappointing 2024s with 1 or 0 wins.  BFA-St. Albans may have had the toughest year out of them all, but they started 2025 with a bang.

    The Bobwhites went on an impressive 92-yard drive late in the fourth quarter and capitalized on a miscue on the ensuing kickoff to knock off North Country 21-20 and pick up their first W since 2023.

5---Mill River/Mount St. Joseph's co-op leads to football back at St. Peter's

    Mount St. Joseph's football program hasn't been around for 20 years but have been able to see some players suit up for neighboring Mill River in the years since.  On Saturday, St. Peter's Field at MSJ was home to football once more as the Minutemen hosted BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille.

    The Bullets may have won 31-20 but for me and those who remember the days of the Mounties/Green Wave playing at St. Peter's, seeing it host another game makes it a special occasion for everyone involved.