BURLINGTON – In a Friday night battle of Division II high school football teams that switched divisions during the offseason, host Burlington took a 35-0 halftime lead on the way to a 41-8 win over Mount Abraham in the opener for both squads.
The football coaches’ association moved Burlington down to D-II from D-I this past winter, while at the same time bumping the Eagles up to D-II from D-III. The Seahorses had struggled in D-I, while the Eagles had consistently earned playoff berths in D-III.
Seahorse quarterback Peter LaBracio connected on 8-of-11 passes for 187 yards and three touchdowns, and BHS receiver Josh Hale made four catches for 95 yards and two touchdowns.
Seahorse back Kevin Garrison ran 14 times for 111 yards and a touchdown and also caught a 7-yard touchdown pass, while Alex Cate had two 1-yard touchdown runs in the second quarter.
The Eagles showed flashes of potential running the ball. Sophomore fullback Casey Kimball led the Eagles with 85 yards on 11 attempts, and he scored on a four-yard, fourth-quarter run to cap a 25-yard drive. But sustaining marches proved to be a problem for Mount Abe, in part because of a few untimely penalties. 
The Eagles will look to bounce back at Bellows Falls this Friday night. The Terriers opened this past Friday by blanking Springfield, 48-0.