VERGENNES — Not only did the Vergennes Union High School boys’ basketball team make history on Saturday afternoon when the Commodores completed their 24-0 season and won the Division II title.
So did their coach, Peter Quinn.
According to veteran Rutland Herald sports writer Tom Haley, only one other coach has won state basketball titles with both girls’ and boys’ teams, Chris Hughes of Proctor High School.
Quinn, of course, coached the Commodore girls to back-to-back titles in 2005 and 2006.
Quinn also assisted Coach Gene LeBeau’s 2001 VUHS boys’ basketball team that went 23-1 and won the 2001 D-II championship.
On Sunday, Quinn discussed how close those Commodores came to becoming the first VUHS team to go undefeated: They lost at Colchester in a game only decided when a last-second shot wouldn’t fall.
In that contest, the Commodores were missing a starter: senior Richard Krayewsky. For the record, the other starters were seniors Logan Becher, Ben Epstein and Liam Quinn, and sophomore Jesse Epstein. Future 1,000-point scorer Eric Evarts, a sophomore, came off the bench.
Back to this year: How consistently good were the Commodores?
Their average margin of victory was 24.5 points, and only two teams led VUHS during the second half all season: Champlain Valley in the Commodores’ opening 61-55 home win on Dec. 7, and Middlebury on Feb. 1 in the Commodores’ 58-52 victory.
Of course, after the Commodores dismissed Burr & Burton with a 36-9 mid-game surge on Saturday, they were greeted in Ferrisburgh on the way home by fire, rescue and police vehicles, which escorted the team bus and dozens of fan cars in a victory tour of Vergennes.
For those who missed it, a look at the procession may be found here, courtesy of the Vergennes Commodores Spirit Facebook page:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=spldThhp7y4&feature=youtu.be
Andy Kirkaldy may be reached at [email protected].