Another school year has come and gone, but the memories of high school student-athletes playing in amazing contests and winning state titles are still fresh in our minds. What began in August 2023 ended less than a week ago at Virtue Field, where champions were crowned in D1 Boys and Girls Lacrosse and where some of the biggest moments took place. With that being said, it's time to look back at the biggest moments of the year.
First, here's a look at the 2023-24 Vermont High School sports champions:
Boys Soccer: CVU (D1), Harwood (D2), Stowe (D3), Winooski (D4)
Girls Soccer: Colchester (D1), Milton (D2), Stowe (D3), Arlington (D4)
Field Hockey: South Burlington (D1), Hartford (D2), Montpelier (D3)
Football: Burr and Burton (D1), North Country (D2), Windsor (D3)
Volleyball: Burlington (Boys), Essex (Girls)
Boys Cross Country: St. Johnsbury (D1), U-32 (D2), Craftsbury (D3)
Girls Cross Country: CVU (D1), U-32 (D2), Stowe (D3)
Golf: Rutland (D1 Boys), CVU (D1 Girls), Hartford (D2 Boys), Rice (D2 Girls)
Bass Fishing: Harwood
Boys Basketball: Rice (D1), Montpelier (D2), Thetford (D3), Grace Christian (D4)
Girls Basketball: CVU (D1), Fair Haven (D2), Hazen (D3), West Rutland (D4)
Boys Hockey: Rice (D1), Hartford (D2)
Girls Hockey: Burlington/Colchester (D1), Hartford (D2)
Indoor Track: Essex (D1 Boys), Hartford (D2 Boys), CVU (D1 Girls), Rice (D2 Girls)
Bowling: Randolph
Alpine Skiing: Rutland & CVU (Boys), CVU (Girls)
Nordic Skiing: MMU (D1 Boys), Woodstock (D2 Boys), CVU (D1 Girls), Middlebury (D2 Girls)
Snowboarding: Burr and Burton (Boys), Woodstock (Girls)
Wrestling: Mount Anthony (35-year run)
Baseball: South Burlington (D1), Middlebury (D2), BFA-Fairfax (D3), Blue Mountain (D4)
Softball: Missisquoi (D1), Enosburg (D2), Oxbow (D3), Richford (D4)
Boys Lacrosse: CVU (D1), Hartford (D2), Mount Abraham/Vergennes (D3)
Girls Lacrosse: Essex (D1), U-32 (D2)
Tennis: Middlebury (Boys), Stowe (D1 Girls), Mount Mansfield (D2 Girls)
Ultimate: Burlington (Boys and Girls)
Boys Track: St. Johnsbury (D1), U-32 (D2), Thetford (D3), Richford (D4)
Girls Track: CVU (D1), U-32 (D2), White River Valley (D3), Northfield (D4)
Congratulations to all the state champions during the seasons. Now, my picks for the top-15 moments of the season:
15--Windsor's 3-peat in D3 Football
It can be difficult to pull off a 3-peat in football, but for the Windsor Yellowjackets, they were destined for it. After they had to endure a lopsided loss to rival Woodstock in the regular-season finale, the defending champs left nothing to chance in a 36-0 win against the Wasps at Rutland High School in the state championship game.
14--Sheehan's CG helps BFA-Fairfax wins D3 baseball title
In 2023, the White River Valley baseball team couldn't get anything to drop off of Thetford Academy's Xander Oshoniyi in losing the D3 Final. In 2024, the Wildcats had a similar issue with BFA-Fairfax's Ryan Sheehan. The Bullets starter gave up just 1 hit and struck out 11 batters to help Fairfax clinch their first state championship since 2015.
13--Burlington/Colchester gets monkey off back, finally win D1 girls hockey title
The SeaLakers coop team made the D1 girls hockey state championship game for the 4th time in the last 5 years in 2024, but in 2024, they finally got to have that championship moment. Camryn Poulin scored the game-winning goal late in the second period to give Burlington/Colchester a 3-2 win over powerhouse BFA-St. Albans to give BCHS its first title in the sport.
12--Hurricane warning at the Gut: Hartford sweeps D2 Hockey
Hartford had seen its fair share of championship games in 2024 with Football, Boys lacrosse and Boys Basketball reaching the finals. But it was what they did at Gutterson Fieldhouse back in March that really stood out. First, the girls hockey program took home their first title with a 5-3 win against Missisquoi. Then, the boys completed the sweep with a 3-1 win vs. Colchester.
11--A Hornets First: Essex Girls Lax races past field for historic D1 title
Similar to Windsor football, the Essex girls lacrosse team saw their undefeated run end in their regular-season finale vs. CVU. But this squad would not be denied their goal of winning the program's first state championship, taking down the Redhawks in the championship game 12-3 to make that dream a reality.
10--Redhawks revenge tour: Boys Lax return to top in dramatic fashion
In D1 Boys Lacrosse, the CVU Redhawks have been the top team for more than a decade. A run of 9-straight championships came to an end last year when they lost to Middlebury in the semifinals.
In 2024, CVU had to endure OT finishes in their final 2 games to reach the mountain top again.
First, against Woodstock, the Redhawks scored just over a minute into the extra period to reach the final. Then, in the championship game against Middlebury, CVU ended the Tigers' hopes of completing an incredible comeback with a goal just seconds into overtime to clinch the Redhawks' 10th state title in 11 years.
9--Milton wins first D2 Girls Soccer title since 2018
Yellowjackets defeat Harwood 2-1 in 2023 state championship game.
8--Seahorses Boys Basketball's Cinderella run ends just a few points short against rival Rice
The Burlington/Rice D1 boys basketball rivalry is one of Vermont's oldest, going back to when the latter was known as Catholic high school. The Seahorses had a pretty decent 2023-24 season, but a win against the Green Knights gave them momentum going into the state tournament, where they would defeat #3 St. Johnsbury and #2 CVU to make the final and a rematch with Rice. But the Knights did just enough to defeat Burlington and win their 4th D1 title in the last 5 years.
7--North Country's run to end a 27-year title drought in D2 Football
After defeating Bellows Falls in OT, North Country scored the game-winning TD with 2 minutes left in regulation to knock off Colchester 21-14 and win their first state title since 1996.
6--Randolph's first ever bowling state championship
For more on this topic, check out my recap on the Bowling state tournament.
5--Addison County Controversy: Middlebury outlasts Mount Abe in D2 baseball final
It was one of the most surreal moments of championship weekend. Tied at 5 with the winning run at 3rd base, Mount Abraham seemed to have won the game on a walk-off BB. However, the batter didn't immediately go to first, deciding to celebrate with his teammates.
In all the confusion, the batter was ruled out and the game continued to the 8th inning, where Middlebury would score 3 runs in the top half and stop the Eagles' comeback hopes in the bottom half to win 8-7 for the first ever D2 state championship.
4--Colchester Girls Soccer's quest to end 30-year D1 title drought
In 2023, the best feel-good moment may have come from Laker Land. Colchester's Girls Soccer team had been waiting 3 decades for a state championship. With help from some perfectly-timed upsets in the D1 tournament, coach Jeff Paul and his team were able to reach the promise land with a 2-0 win over Essex in the finals.
I encourage you to read this piece by Alex Abrami of the Burlington Free Press for more on the Lakers' championship win, which ended up being coach Paul's last game as he announced his departure earlier this year.
3--D1 Football final to remember: Hartford comeback bid falls short
The Hartford high school football program had an amazing 2023 with an undefeated regular season, including a blowout win over Burr and Burton. When the Bulldogs and Hurricanes reached the D1 final at Rutland High School, we didn't know what to expect: would it be a repeat of their first game or a very close contest?
Turned out, we got both in 1 game.
After BBA took a 28-6 lead, Hartford made their ultimate comeback, including a 95-yard TD on a fake punt to tie the game. The Bulldogs would answer with a game-sealing drive, ending with Jack McCoy's TD pass to Carter Cave with 2:17 left to end the Hurricanes' undefeated run and clinch their first D1 title since 2019.
2--D1 boys soccer finale sequel: CVU stuns SB in regular season, wins title in PKs
In 2022, the South Burlington boys soccer teams knocked off CVU in the final seconds of their regular season finale to secure the #1 seed in the D1 tournament, en route to a state championship.
In 2023, the Redhawks flipped the script by knocking off the Wolves in the final seconds of their regular season encounter in Hinesburg. Then, in the state championship game at UVM's Virtue Field, CVU and SB needed penalties to win it and, after 3 straight conversions from the PK spot, the Wolves' fourth shot hit the post. The Redhawks made their next 2 for a 5-4 shootout win and their first title since 2019.
1--Kelly and the Wolfpack: South Burlington wins first D1 baseball title since 2018
When covering high school sports, there may be a team you're invested in for a long time that you want to see them overcome adversity and finally win a state championship. For me, at least in this decade, there have been two: 2022 Essex baseball and 2024 South Burlington baseball
In both cases, mission accomplished.
The 2024 Wolves program only lost 3 games all season and were able to clinch the #1 seed in the tournament. A comeback against Burr and Burton in the semifinals and an explosive start to the final vs. CVU helped SB finally reach the pinnacle of Vermont high school baseball and claim the program's first title in 6 years.
In both cases, Nick Kelly dominated on the mound, allowing 2-runs each while going the distance. His performances (both in this tournament and over the last three years) will no doubt be some that we'll remember for a long time and, as he moves on to Fairfield University to continue his baseball career, leave a lasting impact on the state and South Burlington high school.
