The Vermont Football Network, the quarter pole, Sox – Yanks elimination game baby!
By Eric Berry

The VFN
The Vermont Football Network on NSN launched this season and the energy and excitement has been palpable from coaches to players and to the NSN crew! Viewership has been incredible from our first game on Thursday, September 4th when Middlebury and Essex kicked off the season with over 2,000 viewers. In one of our most recent games, SJA at Rutland there were nearly 6,000 viewers! We thought there would be a thirst for more high school football coverage but couldn’t have imagined, even in our wildest dreams, it would be this popular. But, it’s good for the athletes – who it’s our mission to serve and promote – and for the coaches and schools we cover! It’s good for families who can’t make the game and it’s good for coaches and players to go back, after the game, and look at the video to find ways to improve, or to talk about a great play!

Our goal when we started the VFN was to get to a point where we cover EVERY game by 2026. That’s still our goal – and with everyone’s help we can bring that to fruition. Then it’s on to every other sport in Vermont – then who knows – all of New England? Dream big or go home right?

The Quarter Pole
OK, which teams have been the biggest surprises through week 4 of the season, and are there a couple of divisions that are already a foregone conclusion? Even though we are a little beyond the quarter pole at the time of this writing it is safe to say that Middlebury is a bit of a surprise in that they are undefeated in D-1 to date. Probably not to the Tigers themselves but certainly to the rest of the VIFL and state who might have believed they’d have at least one blemish. However, credit the Tigers as they have executed in games down the stretch and have shown the ability to move the football on the ground time and again. Rutland, Burr and Burton, and SJA round out the top 4 and it’s really how I see it shaping up in the end – the order is still to be determined. BBA had a two touchdown lead on Rutland a couple weeks ago and couldn’t hold on. After seeing Mike Norman’s Rutland squad first-hand his squad just doesn’t give up. They play all four quarters with a vengeance. In their win that I called last week over SJA, Grady Gallagher Rutland’s workhorse running back kept pounding the line of scrimmage until he eventually broke through. Rutland is big on both sides of the ball, they are talented, and they are going to be tough to beat in the end. Honestly, it’s a toss up between those top four teams. I don’t think we’ve seen the best of SJA yet – which is a really scary thought for their upcoming opponents. If Memphis Mastine comes back and plays offense he will add the downhill running coach Rich Alercio can use to compliment his high flying offense. He will complement Maddox McFarland’s ability to run – and man can he RUN, and he will open things up for Davis and Vinnie Palmieri, Jamal Sabou, Kohl Guinard, and Cole Lemieux. SJA is loaded with talented players. Meantime, BBA is also loaded and can put some big time points on the board. They have averaged 31.50 points a game through the first four contests but have notably scored almost half of those points on the road – with 30 against Rutland. Tom McCoy also has a high powered offense(doesn’t BBA always seem to?), and one that can catapult them to a championship. Two teams you can’t rule out are Mt. Anthony and also defending champion CVU. Essex, who has gone 2 and 1 since their opening night loss, also has the talent to upset someone in round one!
In division two the Lyndon Institute Vikings and Hartford Hurricanes are both 4 and 0 with LI holding the top spot due to the quality points rating(QPR). Lyndon’s very talented senior class has played very impressive defense complimented by “timely” offense. They have lived a bit of a charmed life living through several turnovers through four games but, give them credit, they have made the plays when they had to. First-year coach Colin Wells will face the gauntlet, BF(the soon to be Division III champions), and SJA(possible DI champs) before the DII playoffs get underway – not to mention rival North Country as well! Colchester, U-32, and Fair Haven reside in the 3, 4, and 5 spots respectively. The Lakers have two games on their schedule that will provide an issue but they literally could go undefeated until their week eight matchup with Hartford – which may be a preview of the DII title game – depending upon how the bracket lines up. Sorry to the rest of the division, DII is officially the Hartford Invitational tournament. Might make everyone else mad reading that but it’s 1000% true. Frankly Hartford and Colchester in division two prove my longtime belief that there needs to be four divisions in Vermont High School football. More on that in another blog to be written soon. As for the rest of DII, Rice has righted the ship a bit and could be dangerous late season – remember Chad Cioffi’s team made a run at the end of last year to the finals!

In DIII it’s literally the Bellows Falls Invitational – with Woodstock, in my opinion, the only team that can knock off the Terriers in the playoffs weeks from now. A bold statement but BF in DIII supports my argument for four divisions. Mt. Abraham is playing well and could run the table as their schedule shows Rice as their toughest game the rest of the way. A win there and they could be 8 and 0 heading into the playoffs. BF will play Fair Haven this week and finish with three consecutive road games after that, at LI, at MMU, at Woodstock. As for the rest of DIII BFA-Fairfax always plays well down the stretch under head coach Craig Sleeman and Springfield has played well through the first four games, but to me, Woodstock and BF look to be on a collision course.

It’s too early to crown, or predict, a champion at this point as injuries always factor into things in the latter part of the year – which stinks as I hate injuries!

You know what, I’m going to jump into how alignment should be in Vermont Football. This will make some people happy!
DI – Rutland, BBA, SJA, Essex, CVU, MAU, Seawolves, Colchester, Middlebury
DII – Hartford, BFA – St. Albans, Brattleboro, U-32, Fair Haven, Rice, MMU
DIII – Lyndon Institute, Spaulding, Milton, North Country, Bellows Falls, Mt. Abe, Woodstock
DIIII – Missisquoi, Poultney, Otter Valley, Mill River, Windsor, BFA-Fairfax, Springfield
Some teams would move each year, but it shouldn’t be many. One perhaps each year, up or down, based on a realistic approach of the health of the program.
In my opinion, this would allow for a better long term health of Vermont Football. It may also allow a school like Oxbow to come back to a DIIII and have a chance to compete. Oxbow playing the likes of Woodstock and Windsor and other DIII powers for years doomed them – plain and simple.

Elimination Game – Sox and Yanks
It’s a lot of fun watching the Sox and Yankees play in the playoffs. It’s absolutely not good for my health watching them play, however. The stress level is ridiculous. When you talk to each team’s fans before the game this is what it sounds like. Yankee fan – It’s over. The Sox have our number. Red Sox fan – We can’t beat the Yankees in Yankees stadium(won 9 of last 11 playoff games btw). Yankees fan – Sox in 3. Sox fan – Yankees in 3. We are both an insufferable fan base albeit Sox fans have a reason. I have a feeling tonight we(yes, us Sox fans) will have another reason to be insufferable. Judge and Stanton will pummel Early, our rookie pitcher, and the rout will be on early in the Bronx. Wait, the Sox will pummel Schlittler, the Yankees rookie pitcher, and the rout will be on early in the Bronx! Either way, instead of living to 63 it will be 62 for me – these two teams have already taken 10 to 15 years off my life. By the way, today marks the 47th anniversary of Bucky ‘effing’ Dent’s homerun at Fenway Park. I wish we(Sox fans) could have one of those moments tonight!

The opinions expressed by EB are his own and do not reflect those of NSN.
To contact Eric, email: eberry@nsnsports.net
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