Go to a map.  Draw a ring around White River Junction, Windsor and Bellows Falls. Not that big a ring is it? But it is big enough to hold three Vermont state champions.

When the write the story on the 2016 Vermont high school football season the story will be centered in the Connecticut River Valley. When the last whistle had blown and the last trophy had been awarded on Saturday night in Rutland the three state champions were all from the shores of the mighty Connecticut.

In Division One Hartforddid their best imitation of the Hurricanes teams that terrorized Vermont football a few years ago.  The game between them and the St. J Hilltoppers was nearly as close at the 24-14 final scored made it look. The ‘Canes are back.

In Division Two it will go down in the books as an upset … Bellows Falls topping top seed and defending champ Burr & Burton 20-14. But for a BF team that has been so close so often only to be repelled in the second season the satisfaction in this win has to be especially gratifying.

In Division Three it was Windsor … Windsor big … Windsor all the way. A very impressive 45-6 win over Otter Valley that completed an undefeated season.

Meanwhile in Northfield Saturday the Norwich Cadets won back the Maple Sap Bucket, emblematic of the winner of the football rivalry between Norwich and Castleton. The Cadets did it in impressive fashion, rallying from a pair pf ten point deficits to beat the Spartans 35-27. As often happens in these games it was a couple of unheralded players who keyed the win. Little used running back Aaron Conner broke free for a pair of touchdowns and veteran linebacker Derek Lotito came up with three huges defensive plays to push NU to the victory, their first over the Spartans in three years.