Sports

High school sports: Top teams making moves

ADDISON COUNTY — Wins for several contending teams — Middlebury boys’ lacrosse, Mount Abraham-Vergennes girls’ lacrosse and Eagle softball — highlighted high school sports actions in the latter half of last week.

Other teams that made a move as they headed into this week, the last in the regular season, included Tiger softball, Tiger boys’ tennis, and Commodore baseball.

Local track and field teams all traveled to Chittendent County for meets this past Saturday.

 

LACROSSE

On this past Wednesday the MUHS boys’ lax team got past host St. Albans, 10-4, with multiple goals from Owen Lawton (four), Mason Kaufmann (three) and Jackson Gillette (two).

On Saturday the Tigers outlasted host Mount Mansfield, 8-7, despite another injury to one of the team’s three seniors. MUHS has been playing for the past three weeks without senior attacker and leading scorer Bode Rubright due to a knee injury. Coach Matt Rizzo said the Tigers will learn soon if he can return for next week’s playoffs.

On Saturday Kaufmann, the team’s leading midfield scorer and a key two-way player, went down in the first half after scoring twice, Rizzo said. The injury did not seem as serious as Rubright’s, the coach said, but his status remains uncertain.

Without the two mainstays, Rizzo said his inexperienced team — there are two juniors, with the rest of the squad seeing varsity action for the first time this spring — has shown remarkable poise in compiling a 9-3 record, good for second place in Division I with two home games left on the schedule, vs. eighth-place Rutland and first-place CVU.

“(I’m) super proud of this very young squad. The future is bright for the program,” Rizzo said in an email.

Against the Cougars the team’s third senior, goalie Jack Rizzo, came up big with 14 saves and good work in transition to set up the offense. Toby Draper notched two goals and two assists, Gillette added another pair of goals, and Cam Stone won nine of 17 faceoffs and added a goal.

Coach Rizzo was also pleased with the way his attackers killed the final 1:20 while nursing the one-goal lead. “We ran out the clock and won,” he said.

Another team that keeps winning is the Vergennes-Mount Abe girls. On Wednesday the Commodores tuned up for Saturday’s showdown with first-place Hartford (see story here) by blanking host Lamoille, 11-0.

Sydney Weber and Hannah Kelly each scored three times to pace the attack, and Elena Bronson added a pair. Goalie Ashley Tierney stopped the only shot she saw, while Lancer goalie Kayla Turner made five saves.

VUHS-Mt. Abe improved to 10-1 headed into its match with undefeated Hartford, the team that dealt the Commodores their only loss.

On Friday the Mt. Abe-VUHS boys’ lacrosse team also won, topping visiting U-32, 12-8, to improve to 3-8. Griffin Paradee (three goals, two assists) and Liam Oxford and Evan Jennison (two goals apiece) supplied the lion’s share of the Eagle attack, while goalie Aidan Danyow made seven saves. Raider Brenden Tedeschi (six goals) and goalie Callum Davis (12 saves) kept U-32 in the game.

On Friday host CVU bested the Tiger girls, 17-8. Redhawks Gretta White and Chloe Snipes combined for 11 goals and goalie Clare Stackpole-McGrath made four saves. For the Tigers (4-7) Sophie Laroque (three goals) and Ella Tucker and Alanna Trudeau (two goals apiece) provided most of the offense, and goalie Lydia Deppman made 10 saves.

On Wednesday visiting Hartford defeated the OV boys, 17-2. Hayden Bernhardt and Matt Mosley scored for the 1-8 Otters, who honored their two seniors, David Williams and Jacob Stevens, before the game.

 

SOFTBALL

On Wednesday the Mount Abe softball team cruised by visiting OV, 12-2, as Cami Willsey tossed a four-hitter and fanned 17. Willsey also contributed two hits and an RBI to the offense. Lucy Parker doubled twice, singled twice, scored twice and drove in two runs for the Eagles, who scored eight runs in the sixth inning to break the game open.

Also for Mount Abe, Madelyn Hayden picked up a pair of hits, Karissa Livingston doubled and scored twice, Eve McCormick drove in three runs, and Isabella Powell drove in two runs.

Mackenzie McKay struck out four while taking the loss for OV, and Jadynn Pope singled twice and drove in a run.

On Thursday the Eagles edged host Fairfax, 3-2, as McCormick picked up the complete-game win, striking out nine. Livingston doubled, singled, and scored twice, including the tie-breaking sixth-inning run on a Bullet miscue, and Payton Vincent singled and drove home the other two Eagle runs.

On Saturday the Eagles topped host Spaulding, 11-3, for their seventh straight victory. At 12-2 they remain just behind first place Lyndon in Division II.

Vincent struck out seven and picked up the pitching win, and also singled, doubled and drove in two runs. Hayden, Natalie Chase, Willsey and Powell added two hits apiece; Gabrielle LaFreniere tripled, and Parker singled and drove in three.   

The MUHS softball team also kept winning. On Thursday the Tigers picked up a big road win at Enosburg, 7-2, rallying for six runs in the sixth to deal the Hornets just their second loss. Olivia Audet struck out 10 while going the route for the win and contributed two hits and an RBI.

Riley Farrell and Taylor Betourney each poked a pair of hits, and Patience Hanley and Grace Paquette each stroked two-run singles to spark the big sixth inning.

The Tigers followed that up with another road victory on Saturday, 6-1 at Fairfax. They improved to 8-5 heading into a Tuesday game at Mount Abe.

Audet tossed a three-hitter and struck out 15. Sienna Rubright and Riley Farrell led the attack with two hits each, and Betourney doubled and brought home two runs.  

The Commodore softball team split a pair of games. On Thursday host Milton blanked VUHS, 7-0, as Yellowjacket Emma Philbrook tossed a six-hitter, striking out nine. Felicia Poirier knocked out two of the VUHS hits, while Sierra Bertrand took the loss.  

On Saturday the 5-8 Commodores took a big step toward a D-III home playoff game by hanging on to edge Rice, 9-8. Poirier went the first four innings to earn the win, allowing three earned runs, while Bertrand picked up the save with three innings of two-hit relief.

Poirier’s three-hit game included a three-run triple, and Bertrand doubled, singled and drove in two. Jordan Kimball picked up two hits and an RBI, and Audrey Tembreull and Jasmine Little each doubled and drove home a run as VUHS improved to 5-8.

On Thursday visiting Springfield topped the OV softball team, 7-4. McKay took the pitching loss for OV, and Riley Keith threw in relief.

On Saturday host D-I Brattleboro defeated the Otters, 17-5. The Otters dropped to 3-10 with a Saturday home game vs. Hartford remaining on their schedule.

 

BASEBALL

The VUHS baseball team made it four wins in five outings by winning twice. At 6-7 the Commodores look to have locked up a D-III home playoff game.

On Thursday the Commodores overwhelmed host Milton, 16-2. Tucker Stearns tossed a six-inning four-hitter, fanning 10 and walking three. Jarret Muzzy sparked the offense by homering, doubling, driving in three runs and scoring four times. Also contributing were Barret Barrows (three hits, three RBIs), Jake Russell (two hits, two RBIs, two runs) and Tim Ashley (two hits).

On Saturday VUHS edged visiting Missisquoi, 9-8, taking the lead for good when a Stearns groundout scored Muzzy in the fifth inning. Muzzy earned the pitching win, going the distance and allowing three earned runs and 10 hits while striking out five. Muzzy also doubled twice, singled twice and drove in a run.

Nate Muzzy and Xavier Deblois each had two hits and drove in runs for VUHS, while Tim Ashley walked twice and drove in two runs.

Also on Saturday host Spaulding (11-2) dropped Mount Abe, 13-2, in five innings. The Eagles managed seven hits off winning pitcher Kieran McNamara, but the traffic did not translate into runners crossing the plate as they fell to 7-7. They remain in eighth place in D-II.

On Thursday Otter Valley defeated visiting Springfield, 7-3, as Ethan Blow went 5.2 innings for the win. Caleb Whitney tripled, doubled and singled for OV; Lane Eddy doubled and singled; and Blow added a double.

On Saturday D-I Brattleboro topped OV, 5-2, as Colonel Zinabu McNeice tossed a complete game six-hitter, striking out nine. McNeice worked out of a bases-loaded, none-out jam in the sixth. The Otters dropped to 6-6.

 

TENNIS

The Tiger boys’ tennis team won two matches late last week to improve to 7-2.

On Wednesday the Tiger boys blanked visiting Harwood, 7-0.

At No. 1 singles, Clyde Malhotra, M, defeated Cole Baitz, H, 5-7, 6-4, 11-9.

At No. 2 singles, Andy Giorgio, M, defeated  Eric Dessureau, H, 6-0, 6-0.

At No. 3 singles, Kellan Bartlett, M, defeated Dylan Silveria, H, 6-1, 6-0.

At No. 4 singles, Aidan Chance, M, defeated Rohin Jordan, H, 6-2, 6-0.

At No. 5 singles, Abel Anderson, M, defeated River Collins, H, 6-1, 6-0.

At No. 1 doubles, Oliver Poduschnick/Aiden Cole, M, defeated Leif Brovitette/Colin Deschamps, H, 6-2, 6-1.

At No. 2 doubles MUHS won by forfeit.

On Friday the Tigers edged host North Country, 4-3, with most individual matches competitive.

At No. 1 singles, Malhotra, M, defeated Ian Applegate (NC) 4-6, 6-4, 12-10.

At No. 2 singles, Bartlett, M, defeated Max Roberts (NC) 7-6 (10-8), 6-7 (6-8), 10-4.

At No. 3 singles, Chance, M, lost to Jeff Blais (NC), 5-7, 7-6 (7-4), 10-7.

At No. 4 singles, Poduschnick, M, won over Will Brandich (NC), 6-2, 6-2.

At No. 5 singles, MUHS won by forfeit.

At No. 1 doubles, Brian Newton/Henry Weston, M, lost to Corbin Brueck/Cooper Brueck (NC), 6-1, 6-1.

At No. 2 doubles, Sasha Meyers/Elliott Slavin (M), lost to Chris Johnson/David Gratton (NC), 6-2, 6-1.

 

TRACK & FIELD

Members of the Middlebury, Vergennes and Mount Abraham union high school track & field teams won events on May 21 at meets hosted by Mount Mansfield and Burlington.

At MMU, Tigers Greg Wilhelm, Nicholas Suchomel, and the girls’ four-by-800-meter relay team of Sofia Stefani, Seina Dowgiewicz, Ella Landis and Hannah Turner placed first.

According to former MUHS track coach Ed Blechner, Stefani also became the first Tiger female runner to break 5:00 in the 1,500-meter run in 16 years. The MUHS senior earned second place is 4:56.52.

At BHS, Commodore runner Ben Huston and Eagle thrower Eliza Bent struck gold.

The Commodores will be competing this Saturday at the Division III championship meet at Windsor, while Eagle athletes will attend a meet at Essex on Saturday before a number of Tiger and Eagle athletes will on June 1 compete at MMU.

MOUNT MANSFIELD MEET

GIRLS’ RESULTS

The host Cougars won the girls’ meet with 110 points, followed by North Country (36) and MUHS (26).

Tiger girls with top-four results were:

• 100 Meters: 2. Viviana Hammond, 13.99.

• 200: 4. Hammond, 29.20.

• 400: 2: Turner, 1:03.32.

• 1500: 2. Stefani, 4:56.52; 4. Dowgiewicz, 5:25.83.

• 100 Hurdles: 2. Zoe Noble, 19.07.

• 4×800: 1. MUHS, 10:39.1 (Stefani, Dowgiewicz, Landis, Turner).

• High Jump: 2. Mary Johnson, 4-02.

BOYS’ RESULTS

The host Cougars won the boys’ meet with 106 points, followed by North Country (44) and MUHS (30).

Tiger boys with top-four results were:

• 200: 4. Ethan Foster, 25.71.

• 400: 1. Greg Wilhelm, 55.55; 2. Eliot Schneider, 56.71.

• 800: 2. Thomas Nevins, 2:18.19; 3. Lucas Nelson, 2:18.39; 4. Ronen Silberman, 2:18.95.

• 1,500 Meters: 3. Ben Seaton, 4:29.37; 4. Lucas Nelson, 4:44.80.

• 3,000 Meters: 4. Toby Wells-Spackman, 11:10.80.

• 110m Hurdles: 1. Nicholas Suchomel, 18.21.

BURLINGTON MEET

At the larger meet hosted by BHS, the Champlain Valley boys prevailed with 156.5 points, followed by Burlington (98), U-32 (84), Essex (77), VUHS (44), Milton (39.5), Mount Abe (24) and South Burlington (22).

Eagle and Commodore boys posting top-four finishes were:

• 200: 3. Branden Reynolds, Mt. Abe, 24.44.

• 400: 3. Aiden Gebo, VUHS, 54.26.

• 800: 2. Gabe Praamsma, VUHS, 2:00.95.

• 1500: 1. Ben Huston, VUHS, 4:09.69.

• 3000: 2. Huston, 9:10.36.

• Javelin: 3. Alex Yaggy, Mt. Abe, 36.78.

The Champlain Valley girls won with 128.5 points, followed by U-32 (122), Essex (87), BHS (84.5), South Burlington (66), Mount Abe (35.5), Milton (9.5), and VUHS (7).

Eagle Eliza Bent won the discus with a toss of 28.53 meters, and teammate Abigail Roy took third in the same event at 20.72 meters.

Share this story:

More News
Sports

Panther women roll on with two victories

The Middlebury College women’s lacrosse team picked up two more one-sided victories late l … (read more)

Sports

MUHS hockey players honored

Two members each from the Middlebury Union High School girls’ and boys’ hockey teams recei … (read more)

Sports

Trout season opens April 13

Despite lingering snow cover in some areas of the state, the Vermont Fish and Wildlife Dep … (read more)

Share this story: