1---One high seed wins, couple of teams with close calls.
While most of the Quarterfinal matchups were mainly one-sided, a couple of games were too close for the higher seeds, including top seeds Colchester and Otter Valley. The Lakers had a high-scoring affair with Hartford (54-38) while the Otters hung on 22-13 against Woodstock after losing their starting QB to injury.
Then there was the Seawolves of Burlington/South Burlington/Winooski who got their revenge from a buzzer-beating TD a few weeks back at Essex, knocking off the Hornets 15-7 and eliminating the #4 seed in the D1 tournament. BSBW now heads to St. Johnsbury, the other top seed in the state who defeated CVU in the first round.
2---"Helmet Stickers"
Bazin & Barnett (BF): Each ran for 166 yards and a combined 5 TDs in Terriers win vs. Milton.
Easton Adams (FH): 4 TD Passes (2 to Sam Kyhill; 2 to Derek Webb), TD run in Slaters' win vs. U-32.
Maddox McFarland (SJA): Rushing TD, KO return for a TD and a safety in Hilltoppers' win vs. CVU.
Kyle Knoth (BSBW): Rushing TD, Passing TD to Colton Bramhall in Seawolves' win at Essex.
Jackson O'Dell (CHS): 3 Rushing TDs, TD Catch in Lakers' win vs. Hartford.
Cole Gagnon (MAV): 343 Rushing yards, 6 TDs in Eagles' win vs. Mill River.
3---Semifinal matchups (predictions in bold)
Division 1: BSBW @ SJA (Saturday); MAU @ BBA (Friday)
Division 2: LYN @ FH; NCU @ CHS (Both games Friday)
Division 3: SPR @ OV (Saturday); BF @ MAV (Friday)
4---Honoring a legendary official...
As the 2026 Vermont High School football year comes to an end, it also means some key members of the crew are heading off into the sunset. Among them, official George Lucia is hanging up the whistle after a very long run.
Our "colleague" Devin Rhodes was lucky enough to join George during this week's games while the Rutland Herald's Tom Haley talked about Mr. Lucia and how he got into the role. Check it out if you have time (note: may need a subscription to read).
5---...and a legendary broadcaster.
Another name to honor before the season ends is Jack Healey, a longtime Rutland broadcasting icon who has seen some exciting finishes during the year. From the Otter Valley-Springfield finish to Middlebury-Rutland in week 8, his calls confirmed that he still got it after all these years.
While I'm at it, congratulations are also in order for the folks at Northeast Sports Network who did a phenomenal job getting to every game, finding broadcasters who were able to call the games (and maybe even do more than just PxP). It's because of them that we can look back at this 2026 season and relive every moment that makes this such a great experience for all of us.
