The Bellows Falls field hockey team has gotten its season off to a good start last week with three straight wins. It's the first time in the school's history that the Terriers have started a field hockey season with a 3-0 record.
Their season began last Monday with a 1-0 win in overtime at home against the Woodstock Wasps. On paper, it would have been no surprise if the Terriers had lost big. The Wasps had a 5-0 win over Brattleboro two days earlier and had beaten BF by a 7-1 margin last year.
But the Terriers played splendid defense and dominated Woodstock for most of the game, with the exception of getting the ball into the net. That had to wait until 3:09 into the extra period, when Mariah Barnett scored off a Sarah Wells pass for the victory.
The next day, BF followed that performance up with a 3-0 road win against St. Johnsbury. Cassidy Santorelli and Wells each scored in the first half. Averie Lowe added another goal in the second half. Goalies Shea Wilkinson and Quinn Lawrence combined for three saves.
The Terriers finished a winning week with a 3-0 win on Friday over Burr & Burton in Manchester. Barnett picked up two quick goals in the first four minutes of the game. Wells, who assisted on Barnett's first goal, got a goal of her own midway through the second half.
• Brattleboro continues to struggle. Last Tuesday, the Colonels lost to Otter Valley, 3-1. The lone Brattleboro goal came from McKinlie Carpenter off a penalty corner. Kayla Savage picked up an assist.
Football
• Too many mistakes at inopportune times doomed Brattleboro in a 28-18 loss at Rutland on Friday night.
Nine Brattleboro penalties, three sacks of quarterback Tyler Higley, and two lost fumbles negated what was a pretty good game for Higley, who went 18-for-22 for 270 yards and three touchdowns. Josh LaValley reeled in two of those touchdown passes, while Noah Simeon caught a 61-yard touchdown pass.
The Colonels never led in the game, but almost got to halftime with a tie before Rutland's Scott Crosby kicked a 23-yard field goal. Rutland quarterback Nick Boles finished the game with a pair of touchdown passes, and he ran for another score.
Now 0-3, the Colonels face a must-win game against undefeated Hartford this Friday night at Natowich Field.
• Bellows Falls won a wild 51-44 shootout with Burr & Burton in Manchester on Friday night. BF's sophomore quarterback Ethan Illingworth more than held his own against Burr & Burton's Jake Stalcup, one of the top quarterbacks in the state. If you are a connaisseur of defense, this wasn't the game to watch.
This game was close throughout as BF had a 15-13 lead at the half. The Terriers picked up two quick scores off turnovers to start the second half, but the Bulldogs came back to cut the lead to 33-25. BF scored another touchdown to make it 39-25 heading into the final quarter. The teams then traded touchdowns the rest of the way in a penalty-filled game that featured several unsportsmanlike conduct penalties.
Now 2-1, BF travels to Windsor for an afternoon game on Saturday.
Girls' soccer
• Twin Valley played Proctor to a 2-2 tie last Tuesday. Abbi Molner scored in the first half and set up another goal by Savannah Nesbitt in the second half to give the Wildcats a 2-1 lead. But Proctor's Brody Langlois forced overtime with a goal in the final minute, and both teams came up empty after 20 minutes of extra time.
• Bellows Falls also started their week with a tie, a 1-1 decision against Mount St. Joseph last Tuesday. Addie Dailey scored midway through the first half to put the Terriers up 1-0, but MSJ's Meagan Eaton eventually scored the equalizer with three minutes left in regulation to force overtime.
• Arlington striker Rayleen Sherman scored three goals as the Eagles beat Leland & Gray, 3-0, in Townshend last Tuesday. The Rebels' only goal came off a penalty kick by Ashley Goddard in the second half.
The Rebels then rallied to beat Woodstock on Saturday, 4-3, for their first win of the season. Giannina Gaspero-Beckstrom got a pair of goals and Chelby Nystrom added another for a 3-1 lead at the half. Woodstock rallied to tie the game in the second half before Stevie Roberts blasted in the winning goal late in the game.
Boys soccer
• Jackson Batchelder scored on a free kick in the 50th minute to give Brattleboro a 1-0 win over Mill River in North Clarendon on Sept. 8. Galen Finnerty got the shutout in goal.
The Colonels then dropped a 2-1 decision to Springfield in their home opener at Tenney Field last Tuesday. Jesse Brown scored Brattleboro's only goal, with an assist by Benson May. Despite Brattleboro outshooting the Cosmos, 20-5, Springfield managed to get both of their goals off direct kicks.
Brattleboro bounced back with a 3-2 overtime win again Arlington in the first round of the John James Tournament last Thursday in Bennington. Batchelder was the hero again with the game-winning goal in overtime off a pass from Brown. Sam Kochinskas scored off a Conner Elliot-Knaggs feed for an early 1-0 lead for the Colonels. Arlington rallied for two unanswered goals before Elliot-Knaggs headed in the equalizer in the 65th minute to force overtime.
However, in the John James final on Saturday night, the Colonels came up short against Burr & Burton, 2-0. The game was scoreless until the 49th minute, when Reid Conde took a long pass from his brother Ian Conde, and then tucked in what turned out to be the game-winner.
Axel Sapera got an insurance goal in the 53rd minute to give the Bulldogs their second straight John James title and their 13th overall.
• Twin Valley is off to a 3-0 start this season after rolling over Green Mountain, 5-0, last Wednesday. Nick Nilson, Dal Nesbitt, Eli Park, and Tony Tarr all scored in the first half for the Wildcats. Tarr added another goal in the second half. Kyle Murdock needed to make only six saves to earn the shutout.
• Bellows Falls lost the opener of the annual Josh Cole Tournament in Ludlow on Friday night to Green Mountain, 4-2. The first few minutes of play were a nightmare for the Terriers as the Chieftains scored four times.
BF tightened up defensively the rest of the way, and Liam Shaw twice scored on breakaways in the second half to make the final score more respectable.
Cross country
• The Brattleboro boys finished second behind Mount Anthony in a three-team meet in Bennington last Tuesday.
Arturo Gutierrez finished sixth in 19 minutes, 18 second to lead the Colonels. He was followed by Spencer Olson (eighth in 19:30), Austin Lester (10th in 20:15), Josh Parro (16th in 21:20), and Graham Glennon (18th in 21:53).
The Brattleboro girls didn't have enough runners to qualify for a team score. Catey Yost placed 11th in 25:52 to lead the Colonel girls. Olivia Hamm was 14th in 27:58, and Dana Alexa was 27th in 32:37.
Hunter safety course in BF
• The Polish American Club and the Vermont Department of Fish and Wildlife will present a hunter education and safety course at the club on Rockingham Street in Bellows Falls. Mandatory registration will be held on Saturday, Sept. 22, promptly at noon. All students must be present to enroll.
Classes will be held on Tuesday and Thursdays, plus a half-day on Saturday, Oct. 13 at a firing range. Class size is limited, so first come, first served. This is a free program and certification is recognized internationally. For further information, contact Vinnie Cherico at 802-463-9314.
Connecticut River Paddle Battle is Sept. 23
On Sunday, Sept. 23, the Bellows Falls Rotary Club is holding their fourth annual canoe/kayak race - the Connecticut River Paddle Battle.
The location of the race is Herrick's Cove in Bellows Falls. For those who are serious racers, the race is for NECKRA points. The course for these competitors is 7.5 miles. For our paddlers who just want to be a part of the fun, there will be a 2-mile recreational course.
Registration starts promptly at 8:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. The race will start at 11 a.m. sharp.
The fee for the race is $20 per paddler, which includes the cost of the barbecue after the race. The barbecue will be available for a small fee for non-participants. Proceeds benefit the BF Rotary's scholarships for local graduating seniors.
For information, contact Ed Dinanny at eds@vermontel.com, Ryan Ostebo at ryanostebo@gmail.com, or the club at BellowsFallsRotary@gmail.com.