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.