5 things from #vthsfootball Preseason

     We are officially in the homestretch of summer vacation as most schools begin the 2026-2027 year this week.  That means games will begin in most sports this week and in Vermont high school football, teams begin final preparation for the 2026 season.  So much change is coming for this year as teams adjust to new divisions and 1 is out of the picture completely.  Here are 5 things you need to know before week 1 of the season begins September 4

1---Poultney is out in 2026 (maybe longer?)

    One of the biggest issues in 2025 for some schools were getting numbers up to play a full season.  For Poultney high school, it was apparent that the number of kids leaving the program would make it difficult to field a team in 2026.

    The Blue Devils made the decision official in the spring with the announcement that the program would go on hiatus.  While the school will have a member-to-member agreement with Fair Haven this year, the hope is that there will be football back at Poultney for 2027.

2---Seawolves see changes in staff and venue

    With the new Burlington High School officially open, there will be more excitement coming from Buck Hard Field in 2026 as the Seawolves will play 2 home games there as well as be the site for the 2026 state championship games on November 14th.

    But the Seawolves will also have a new head coach as Chaddie Wolf stepped down to take a new role as program director.  The schools (Burlington, SB and Winooski) ultimately went with JV coach Josh Safran, who last coached for Winooski in 2015 before that school ended their program.

3---Intriguing division changes

    With Poultney's departure and a lot of concerns about non-competitive games in 2025 after the previous changes, several schools moved to new divisions in 2026.

    In D-1, MMU jumps up while Brattleboro moves down; D-2 will have 9 schools involved as Milton drops to D-3, keeping it at 10 schools.  Another scenario that has played out is that some D-3 schools will play their 8th game against teams from out-of-state (Woodstock vs. Newport, NH and Springfield vs. Beekmantown, NY to name a couple) while others will stick with a 7-game season.

4---Buying tickets?  There's an app for some...

    Over the last few years, the VPA has made getting tickets to championship games more accessible with the GoFan app.  Now, schools across the state are using it to get into certain games, including home football games.

    As of August 26th, these schools are making tickets available on GoFan:  Hartford, Middlebury, Mount Abraham, North Country and Springfield.  The only difference will be a fee for getting them online.  

    It's unknown if those schools will also have people at the field or if they're only going to be available through the app.

5---...Wanna watch?  It's free for all.

    In 2025, the Northeast Sports Network got to about half of the football games that were played across the state of Vermont.  This year's plan is simple:  Get to all of them and make it free for everyone to watch.

    The first time I heard of NSN was in college, when they used what is now the electronic journalism department's facility for equipment used to cover games around the area.  Now the network has expanded so much, they'll do something no one has planned to do and give the people an option to watch the games without leaving their homes.

    Best of luck to Eric Berry and everyone at NSN as they try to get to all Vermont high school football games in 2026.

    As for what 2026 will bring to me, I hope to get to as many games as I can this year.  With work, my Fridays might be difficult to get to a game, but I hope to have most (if not all) Saturdays off and be able to catch games at some venues.  I plan to be at Rice Memorial (with the new bleachers ready to be in use for week 1) and South Burlington (2 games at Munson, 2 at Buck) while other venues will depend on availability.  

    Otherwise, I plan on watching the other games via NSN, give my 5 things every week and try to do spaces on X (formerly Twitter) once the week is up.  There's also a chance I use Instagram more this year than before, so follow me @ploofervt (same on X) for that.

    The excitement is in the air and another football season in the Green Mountain State is upon us.  Enjoy the games and I'll see you there.

5 things to know for Fall 2026 (non-football)

    The 2026-2027 School year is fast approaching and high school athletic fields and gyms have been a buzz going into the fall season.  Soccer, Field Hockey and Volleyball teams begin their seasons this week with many hoping to continue success from 2025 and others going through changes in both rosters and staff.  Here are 5 things you need to know going into the fall 2026 seasons.

1---Winooski's soccer run

    After winning their 3rd straight D4 state championship in 2024, Winooski made the decision to jump back up to D3 for 2025.  It worked out in the end as the Spartans defeated Peoples Academy in PKs to win the title.  A 5th straight banner in on their minds going into 2026 but having to face D1 and D2 powers like Rice, SB and Mount Abe will test them.

    As for the girls, after an amazing run to the title game, the Lady Spartans came up inches short of joining the boys in state champions in D4.  Now, Winooski is on the process of trying to finish their story and capture the program's first state title.

2---CVU Girls' soccer run

    Champlain Valley Union's girls' soccer team have brought home 3 of the last 4 titles in Division 1, including the last 2 in pretty convincing fashion.  Can they continue their dynasty in 2026?

3---Essex girls' volleyball closing in on century

    Looking at the schedule for the fall sports season, October 16-17 will count as the last day of the Vermont high school fall sport season before the playoffs.  The 16th could also be a historic day at Jean Robinson Court as the Essex girls' volleyball team has a chance to get to 100 straight victories, continuing one of the country's longest winning streaks.

    Then again, when you've won so many times, the target is on you.  Could their streak end before 100?

 

4---New place for XC updates

    While most of the focus will be on the main sports (🏈⚽🏐) there are those niche sports that don't get much attention.  Just like with me and Bowling in the winter, there is someone who has taken their time year after year to show their love for Cross Country.

    Now, there's a site you can go to for all information from this year and years' past.  vthsxc.com is your location for HS XC action in the state.  Right now, you can learn about who's coming back for 2026 and preview every meet taking place.

5---Athletic Department changes

    Several schools are undergoing major changes to their athletic departments.  In the north, Essex and Mount Abraham have new ADs (Devin Wendel goes from the Eagles to the Hornets) along with Rutland (Bo McDougall) and Burr and Burton (Geri Witalec-Krupa) in southern VT.  There are also some familiar faces staying where they are like at Missisquoi, South Burlington and Winooski.

    These people will have a handful to deal with throughout the year.  Let's make it easier and give them all the support they need in 2026-2027.

Repeat, Redemption & Perfection: Looking back at #vthsbaseball championship Saturday

     On June 13th, 3 teams got to lift the Vermont high school baseball trophy and be crowned Division champions.  For 1 team, they went back-to-back; for another, it's a redemption story many couldn't believe; for the third, the end of a perfect season and a 4-year title drought.  Let's look back at Saturday's title tilts.

D3:  Thetford 8, Bellows Falls 0

    As I've mentioned earlier in the week, Thetford's Xander Oshoniyi was a freshman who nearly no-hit White River Valley when they won the D3 title back in 2023, their first of what it now 3 title game appearances in 4 years.  In 2025, Oshoniyi and Miles Lawrence combined to knock off the Wildcats again.  In 2026, same 2 pitchers, roles reversed and Lawrence went longer and delivered another masterpiece.

Oh, and he's a Sophomore!

The Panthers used Lawerence's brilliance and Tommy Amber's 3-RBI Day to stymie Bellows Falls and capture back-to-back titles 8-0 over the Terriers.

After a bases-loaded walk plated Thetford's first run in the second and a passed ball made it 2-0, Amber delivered with a 2-run triple deep to right field.  An errant throw allowed him to score on the play, capping off the 4-run inning.

While BF had their chances (including putting 2 runners on in the fifth), Lawrence was able to shut down the Terriers, only allowing 3 hits along with 3 walks and 7 Ks in 6 innings pitched.

Oshoniyi would come on in the 7th and strike out the side to complete his high school career the same way he ended his freshman year:  as state champion.

D2:  Mount Abraham 5, Lyndon 3

    There are few things that will make me bias when it comes to high school sports.  My alma mater and my family are at the forefront of that.  One of those family members happens to be Mount Abraham's Calvin Peck.

    So, think about how I felt when he was at the plate and the Eagles capitalized on a double steal of 2nd and home to tie the Division 2 championship game against Lyndon Institute.

    It started a 4-run 4th that would be the difference in Mount Abe's 2-year redemption story as they would finally clinch the state title 5-3 against the Vikings at Centennial Field.

    Lyndon would get on the board first in the top of the 2nd when Connor Wood laced a 2-run single off of starter Evan Corrigan.  Mount Abe would get 1 back in the 3rd on an RBI groundout from Clark Crary to score Mazur.

    In the 4th, the Eagles put runners on the corners for Peck when Brody Barnard stole second and Corrigan stole home to make it 2-2.  After a wild pitch from Ray Powers scored Barnard, Jackson Jennings scored Peck to make it 4-2.  An MAU RBI groundout made it 5-2 Eagles after 4.

    After an amazing catch from Stefan Johnson in center led to a double play to end the 6th, Abe Ready would allow a run in the 7th before getting the final out.

    When that last swing and missed happened, there was a delayed reaction before the celebration began.  Alex Abrami noted that it might have had to do with what happened in 2024, when they had the title won only to have it overturned because a runner left the lane early to celebrate the potential winning moment.

    This time, 2 years later, The Eagles can celebrate their title win.

D1:  Essex 5, Mount Anthony 0

     The 2026 Essex Hornets have been a fun team to watch.  They went undefeated through the regular season, have had amazing pitching performances from the likes of Laroche, Bent, Barber and Max Smith, and had great offensive performances from the top of their lineup.

    In their semifinal win over Colchester, their hero was Alec Davis, who batted 7th in the lineup.  On Saturday, it was #6 hitter Trevor Trombley who got the Hornets' first hit and scored their first run en route to a 5-0 win over Mount Anthony and their first D1 title since 2022.

    Before that, Essex's Sam Bent had to get out of a jam early in the 1st.  With 2 runners in scoring position, Bent would strike out the next 2 batters he faced to keep the Patriots off the board.  His counterpart, Jacoby Dicarnian, would pitch 1-2-3 innings in the first and second to keep things scoreless.

    In the 3rd, after getting 2 more outs, Dicarnian would walk Aiden Iverson for the Hornets' first baserunner.  Iverson would steal second and third before scoring on a sac fly from Chris Morgan.

    Trombley's hit and a sac fly from Terwilliger made it 3-0 in the fourth and Essex would plate runs in the 5th (Lawrence sac fly) and 6th (Davis sac fly).

    Bent ended up going 6 innings, allowing 2 hits while walking 2 and striking out 7.  Jacob Laroche would come in to finish the game.  Dicarnian would go 4 innings only allowing the 1 hit but allowing 3 runs and walking 3 batters.  He did strike out 5 in the contest.

Note:  Today's D1 title game marked the final event for Essex activities director Jeff Goodrich with the school.  Goodrich will retire, but still be with the VSADA and chair the VPA bass fishing committee...Goodrich's replacement will be Mount Abe AD Devin Wendel, who's final event with the Eagles was the D2 final that took place before the D1 final.

#vthsbaseball Championship preview

     The final weekend of the Vermont high school sports season is upon us with 12 titles on the line across 3 venues and 3 days (Friday-Sunday).  The baseball finals have become a tradition at Delta Dental Diamond at Centennial Field, and the 2026 games feature all 4 top seeds advancing with a split between the 2 and 3 seeds.  So, what are the main storylines to look at and who might be the players to watch in all 4 title games?  Here's my look at the 2026 Vermont high school baseball championship games.

D4:  Mount St. Joseph's/Mill River vs. Blue Mountain (Friday @ 6:30PM)

    For the 6th year in a row, the Blue Mountain Bucks will be playing for the D4 title Friday night.  They'll be looking to finish off the state's first 4-peat in 25 years against an MSJ squad that hasn't won a title since 1949 (MRU, who co-ops with the Mounties, won a title in 2014).  The Bucks defeated Proctor 3-2 to make the final while Mount St. Joseph's knocked out Hazen 8-2 to make their first title game appearance since the Minutemen's last title.

D3:  Bellows Falls vs. Thetford (Saturday @ 11AM)

    The Thetford Academy Panthers are in their third D3 championship game in 4 years.  In their first of those appearances (2023), the state was introduced to Xander Oshoniyi, who flirted with a no-hitter en route to that year's championship.  Now as a senior, Oshoniyi and Thetford are looking to make it back-to-back titles and finish one of the state's most impressive runs.

    Bellows Falls is looking to spoil the fun and win their first state baseball championship since 1999.  Coach Lockerby already has a football state championship this school year, but a win on Saturday would be the perfect ending to a perfect year.

D2:  Lyndon vs. Mount Abraham (Saturday @ 2:30PM)

    Two years ago, in one of the most surprising conclusions to a game you'll ever see, the Mount Abe Eagles seemed to have won the D2 state title.  That moment would be overturned as the team celebrated too early and a runner was ruled out for leaving the basepath.  Their rivals Middlebury would win the game in extras and jubilation turned to heartbreak for Mount Abe.

    Now they are heading back to Centennial with a chance at redemption and their first title in 10 years.  Their opponents will be Lyndon Institute, who had a great defensive performance against Otter Valley to get here.  Keep an eye on Abe Ready for the Eagles and Logan Wheeler for the Vikings as they have played pivotal roles for their teams all season.

D1:  Mount Anthony vs. Essex (Saturday @ 6PM)

    Whenever I think about this matchup, I go back to the year 2002.  These two schools faced off in the D1 title game that year with my brother being part of the Essex team as a statistician.  It went into extra innings with Josh Santerre hitting the walk-off home run to give the Hornets the title.

    The 2026 Essex baseball team needed that same moment to get to Centennial with Alec Davis playing the hero role on Tuesday.  In an amazing pitcher duel between Jacob Laroche and Colchester's Vinny Wagoner, it was Davis (on a hit and run) driving home the winning run against the Lakers to get them to the title game for the first time since 2022.

    Meanwhile, Mount Anthony is in the same spot as Thetford:  3 title game appearances in the last 4 years.  Unlike the Panthers, the Patriots have gone 0-2 in those games with last year's matchup against St. Johnsbury likely on the mind of those who were there.  MAU knocked off CVU in the semifinals to make it back to Centennial.

Vermont High School Baseball predictions

     In less than 2 weeks, Vermont high school seniors will be walking down the aisle to grab their diplomas and head off to new and exciting opportunities.  For student-athletes, they hope to grab one more piece of hardware before their high school careers are over:  a medal and championship trophy.

    In Vermont high school baseball, anything can happen.  We have seen top seeds fall early and high seeds make it to Centennial Field.  We'll see games take place in the morning and others determined at night.  It should make for some exciting action and dramatic moments.

    But who will come out from all 4 divisions?  Here are my thoughts.

Division 1:

    The Essex Hornets may be the most complete team in Vermont high school baseball.  They have multiple pitchers who can carry them through 6-7 innings (J. LaRoche, B. Barber, S. Bent).  They have hitters who can get on with their speed or power.  The only team that has played them close all season has been Colchester (2 1-run wins).

    The problem:  if they want to get back to Centennial, they have to get through the Lakers squad led by Jackson Pecor and coach Tom Perry, still look for the elusive baseball title (football claimed the 2025 championship in the fall).

    The bottom half sees CVU as the favorite to make it back to the championship game.  Mount Anthony is #3, but most of their games have been against southern teams from other divisions or out of state.

Final:  Essex 5, CVU 2

    Oliver Lawrence powers the Hornets to their first title since 2022 in a grueling matchup with the RedHawks.

Division 2:

    If you're looking for a magic number in the D2 baseball tournament, it might be 6.  That seed has made the title game the last 3 seasons.  This year's #6 is Middlebury, who knocked off Mount Abraham to claim the 2024 state title.

    BTW, the Eagles are the #1 seed and have one of the state's best hitters in Abe Ready.  But as we've seen in the past, anyone could pull off an upset and make it to the final.  However, the way Otter Valley has played in 2026, it would take a perfect game (maybe not an actual one) to stop them in the bottom half of the bracket.

Final:  Mount Abraham 4, Otter Valley 3 (8)

    Eagles get the walk off win and claim their first title since 2016 while also avenging their 2024 loss.

Division 3:

    Over the last 3 years, White River Valley has made the trip to Centennial Field but came up empty.  2 of those 3 years were against Xander Oshoniyi and Thetford Academy.  The 1 difference had to be in 2024 when the schools were matched up in the same half of the bracket and the Wildcats knocked off the Panthers in the semifinals.  In 2026, that same scenario could play out as WRV are seeded 5 while TA are 1 of 2 undefeated baseball teams remaining in the state.

    The bottom of the bracket is led by Bellows Falls, who have been so close to the title game having been a top-4 seed 4 of the last 5 years.  Can the Terriers finally break through and make it to Centennial for the first time since 2016?

Final:  Thetford 2, Bellows Falls 0

    Panthers repeat as champions by shutting out the Terriers.

Division 4:

    Imagine coming in as a freshman and seeing one of your school's teams make it to the title game every year.  It has happened in many sports (Soccer, Basketball to name a couple), but it's pretty rare in baseball.

    Blue Mountain has not only made the title game the last 3 years but have won it each year.  That includes against West Rutland in 2025, a matchup that would take place in the semifinals in 2026.

    The bottom half of the bracket has Mount St. Joseph's and Leland & Gray (another school who the Bucks have defeated in the final over the last 3 years).  The Green Wave last made the title game in 2014 and neither school have won in D4 (MSJ=3 D1 titles in the 1940s; L&G=D3 win in 2010).

Final:  Blue Mountain 5, MSJ 1

    Green Wave ends their title-game drought, but the Bucks use their pitching and defense to complete 4-peat.

Costly Errors, heads up baserunning helps Essex to home-opening win

     In a game where runs became a minimum and pitchers from both the Essex and Colchester baseball teams got out of multiple jams, it would take one swing of momentum to decide the home opener at Ferrera Field for the host Hornets.

    Catcher Oli Lawrence delivered that swing to open the bottom of the fifth inning and, with the help of miscues from the Lakers defense, score the winning run for a 4-3 victory, handing Colchester their first loss of 2026.

    The score was 3-3 after 1 inning of play as a combined 17 players batted in the opening frame (8 Lakers, 9 Hornets).  The first batter of the game (Colchester's Jackson Pecor) caused some concern for Essex after outfielders Chris Morgan and Jacob Laroche (who threw a no-hitter Thursday @ BBA) collided on a fly ball to left.  Laroche was slow to get up with a knee injury but would stay in the game.

    Both Essex's Bryce Barber and Colchester's Vinny Wagoner (and John Luter in the 4th) would keep things even through the fourth.  After the Hornets got a double play to end the top of the fifth, Lawrence would start the bottom of the inning with a leadoff single.  He would go first to third on a wild throw by Luter and score on an error by the catcher.

    Sam Bent would come in to get the final out in the sixth and pitched a perfect 7th to close things out for the Hornets.

Other scores:  SJA starts the season 0-2 with losses to South Burlington (10-7) Thursday and Rice (2-1) on Saturday...CVU starts the 2026 campaign with a 22-1 (5) win over Rutland...Mount Anthony (2025 D1 Runner-ups) fall to Burlington 2-1 on Saturday...Colchester softball scores 5 runs in the seventh to pull away from Essex 13-6.

News:  Essex High School activities director Jeff Goodrich informed me today that he is retiring after the 2026 school year.  During his over 30-year tenure at the school, Goodrich was a social studies teacher, assistant principal and athletic director.  He also coached the boy's basketball program to two state championships:  1 as an assistant coach under Rob Reardon in 1998, then as the head coach in 2010.  Goodrich will remain active in retirement, which does include continuing as chair of the VPA Bass Fishing committee.

Slaters Bowling repeat in thrilling comeback

    On Sunday, Fair Haven teammates Aiden Goyette and George Stamp capped off the individual tournament at Rutland going head-to-head.  In the end, it was Goyette who took home the title with Stamp finishing runner-up.

    In Barre on Saturday, when they were needed most, coach Joe Donaldson knew who to call upon with the final tied up at 2 games apiece versus #1 seed Randolph and game 5 ending tied at 204-204.

    At the end, they delivered, striking out in the roll-off and capping off a decisive game 6 as the Slaters become the first bowling team since 2019 to go back-to-back as state champions.

    Here's a look at the remainder of the tournament from round 1 at 9AM to the final match.

Round 1

    In the first round, Craftsbury Academy faced off with White River Valley while Burlington and Brattleboro met in the other match.  WRV swept CA but only won by 1-pin in game 4.   BHS had to go an extra game against the Bears, but they were able to advance to the Quarterfinals.

Quarterfinals

    Randolph, Essex and Fair Haven swept their matches in the QF round against BHS, South Burlington/Colchester and WRV respectively.  Meanwhile, Windsor and St. Johnsbury split the first four games of their match before the Hilltoppers took the last 2 games to advance to the semifinals.

Semifinals

    All 4 teams split the first two games in their respective SF matchups (RUHS vs. EHS; SJA vs. FH).  In game 3, the Hilltoppers knocked off the Slaters by 1 pin only for Fair Haven to take the next 3 (going over 200 in each match) to advance.  Essex tried to keep things close and won game 5 in their match, but the Ghosts were just too much for the Hornets as they were knocked out in the semifinal round for the second time in three years.

Championship Match

    In the final match, Randolph got out to an early advantage while Fair Haven looked like it was starting to come undone, wondering if they were going to fall short in their repeat bid.

    Down 0-2, Coach Donaldson had a lengthy chat with his team, motivating them and the Slater crowd at Twin City Lanes to bring the energy for the rest of the match.  In addition, FH made a change to their lineup, adding Reagan Stamp (sister of George and Maddie) and JW Adams-Sliva to bowl the first and sixth frame.

    The move worked out as they would take the next 2 games prior to the 204 tie and the dramatic strike out from George and Aiden in game 5.  The Slaters would clinch the title 237-189 in the sixth game, becoming the first team since 2016 to sweep the state and individual title in the same season (Windsor).

    The Slaters one-upped their title run in 2024-25 with a perfect 300 and individual champion from the same bowler (Goyette) along with a 2nd straight championship.  With most of their entire crew returning next season, Coach Donaldson is definitely looking for a 3-peat in 2027 and, by all means, should be favored.