Varsity Insider

The power rankings for hockey and basketball will return next week after the holidays.

In the meantime, let’s take a look at some other sports. Today, let’s rank gymnastics. Later in the week, we’ll have a performance list for the indoor track events.

Gymnastics

1. Essex (4-0): They are the champs — four-time winners, actually — and they are still rolling this season to extend their unbeaten streak. Despite the graduation of four-time all-around champion Mary Krug, the Hornets are right there again, with Mary Parmenter (all-around winner at Rebels Invite)

2. Champlain Valley (2-1): This is the team that can challenge Essex for the title. A showdown on Dec. 15 — Essex won 132.7 to 131.3 — proved that. Ashley Bachand was the all-around winner that day — and she led CVU to a state’s best score to date this season (133.95) on Tuesday.

3. South Burlington (2-0): SBHS has wins over St. Johnsbury and Randolph, with a Jan. 8 date at Essex looming. The team’s depth should keep them in the running.

The gymnastics state meet is Feb. 13 at Essex H.S.

Merry Christmas!

Here’s our Week 3 hockey power rankings (through games played 12/23).

Boys hockey

1. Essex (6-0): After moving into the No. 1 slot last week, the Hornets solidified their ranking with a big-time win over St. Johns Prep — a highly-touted Massachusetts program — in the Doc Tulip tournament. Last week: 1.

2. Champlain Valley (5-2): After a couple of weeks of being on the bubble, the Redhawks rocket to the second spot. Since our last rankings, CVU has beaten BFA-St. Albans, Rutland and Hartford. Clearly, a deserving jump. Last week: Not ranked.

3. Spaulding (3-1): Although they have played the least amount of games of the ranked teams, the Crimson Tide’s 4-2 win over SBHS last week vaults them back into the mix. Last week: Not ranked.

4. South Burlington (5-3): The Rebels are sliding. Starting first in our rankings two weeks, SBHS has slipped each week, and now sits in fourth, after a last-minute loss to BFA. Last week: 3.

5. BFA-St. Albans (3-3): Finally. It took three weeks, but the powerhouse hockey program that is BFA-St. Albans nudges into our power rankings. A comeback win over SBHS was impressive. Last week: Not ranked.

Girls hockey

1. Essex (6-0-1): The champs remain unbeaten, earning wins of Colchester, South Burlington and Missisquoi. Last week: 1.

2. Spaulding (6-0): The Crimson Tide keep rolling along. A Jan. 6 home date against Essex looms. Last week: 4.

3. Champlain Valley (7-0): In a week’s time — Jan. 2 through 9 — CVU plays at Essex, BFA and then home to Spaulding. It’s a daunting task, but for a CVU squad that has outscored its opponents 53-10, it will likely be a welcomed challenge. Last week: 3.

4. BFA-St. Albans (5-2): One loss can make a team drop in these rankings. But the Comets, after suffering a 3-0 defeat to Spaulding last week, bounced back to blank Colchester on Wednesday. Last week: 2.

5. U-32 (7-0-1): Four wins since we released our last rankings, including Wednesday’s 4-2 win over Division II rival and previously unbeaten Stowe. Last week: 5.

Here’s our Week 3 basketball power rankings (through games played 12/21).

Hockey rankings to follow after Wednesday’s large slate of games.

Boys basketball

1. Burlington (5-0): Joe O’Shea’s stat line in BHS’ lone win last week says it all: 26 points, seven rebounds and six steals. Schedule alert: The BHS-Rice rivalry resumes Wednesday in South Burlington. Last week’s rank: 1.

2. Essex (4-1): The Hornets only played one game — a 93-57 win over BFA-St. Albans — but hold down No. 2 spot for the second straight week. Last week: 2.

3. South Burlington (5-0): It was milestone week for the Rebels. Tyler Kaczor set the program’s 3-pointers record (120 for his career) and coach Mike Kennedy earned his 100th career win. Last week: 3.

4. Champlain Valley (5-0): Jake Donnelly and Robert Russ combined for 71 of team’s 121 points during a pair of double-digit wins. Last week: 4.

5. Mount Anthony (4-0): The Patriots had two wins last week, including a 57-52 win over Rice. Last week: 5.

Girls basketball

1. Champlain Valley (5-0): Allison Gannon scored 16 and 20 points, respectively, in wins over North Country and Mount Mansfield. CVU notched its second win this season over MMU. The second time around was a 13-point win, opposed to the season-opening 55-51 triumph. Last week: 3.

2. Brattleboro (6-0): The Colonels jump to the second spot after another perfect week. One of their wins was over St. Johnsbury, the second time this month the Colonels beat SJA. Last week: 4.

3. Milton (5-0): The Yellowjackets won on Monday, Wednesday and Friday of last week, with their best win a 45-27 triumph over Vergennes. Brittaney Rice had 17 points in that win. Last week: 2.

4. Rutland (5-1): It’s tough to stay on top. Ranked first last week, the Raiders fell to defending champion Spaulding by 12 points at home last week. Last week: 1.

5. Burlington (3-1): Without three starters, who were suspended, BHS rolled over BFA-St. Albans. The depth is there for the Seahorses, and now they venture into our rankings. Last week: Not ranked.

The indoor track season for Vermont high schools is officially under way.

A large turnout was on hand for the first meet at UVM. Essex swept to meet victories, with Hornet Michael DiMambro leading the way (firsts in the 55, high jump, long jump, 4×200).

The Fair Haven girls won a meet in New Hampshire. St. Johnsbury, Mount Anthony and Bellows Falls were among the Vermont schools opting for a shorter drive to the Hanover, N.H. meet. Here’s the link to the boys results of that meet.

Some people think it is a sad state of the affairs for MMU to willingly make money off the misfortune of one Otter Valley player on a single play.  This is not the NFL.

In case you missed it, here is the situation: MMU junior Jeff Sutherland picked up the football after Otter Valley’s premature celebration and ran in the winning touchdown with no time left as the Cougars stunned the Otters, 20-16, in a Division II game Sept. 26 to end a wild game.

Otter Valley took a 16-14 lead with 16 seconds left on a 20-yard field goal. MMU got off two offensive plays before it attempted a 46-yard field goal with 1.3 seconds left.

The kick fell short and an Otter Valley player fielded the ball near the goal line. He ran to the 11, where he spiked the ball to celebrate the apparent win. Sutherland scooped up the ball at the 8 and ran into the end zone. Otter Valley contended the ball was dead because it was fielded in the end zone. The referees ruled the ball was live and scored the play a touchdown because they thought the ball was caught by OV out of the end zone.

The Otter Valley player, family and team took a lot of heat for the play. It came not only from people in his community and school, but from all across the country. There were more than one million hits on YouTube in the first week of posting a television sportscast that included his name.

Just when it looked like the issue had died down, a new wave of attention happened with a contest to determine the best or worst play in high school football. The 50-second video won both the regional award and is now the overall winner in the country.

As one Northern Vermont football fan noted to in an e-mail to me: “I was utterly disgusted by MMU’s video contest winning, and appalled at their athletic department for allowing it to be submitted. Yes, it was very quick thinking on the part of the MMU player – but is anyone thinking about how devastating that whole experience was for the Otter Valley player?”

MMU athletic director Brian Cain said the video was submitted by a parent – not the school — to a national contest.

From all we have heard, the Otter Valley student-athlete is a quality kid. It looks like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. What would have happened had he taken a few more steps and had gone out of bounds, or that when he spiked it, the ball bounced out of bounds? There was a second Otter Valley player also back for the kick. What would have happened had he caught the ball? The questions are endless.

MMU, which has been without a home field, plans to use the money toward building its first permanent football field. The school needs to buy chains and yard markers, while also building a press box and a grandstand.

The planned use of the money is just one of many ironies in this story. The play came as Otter Valley was celebrating opening day of its new football facility, Markowski Field.

Wouldn’t it be a touch of class if MMU provide a share of the prize money to Otter Valley?

Half might be nice, but certainly $1,000 or $2,000 wouldn’t be out of line.

After all, isn’t it about sportsmanship?

What do you think?

There is a lot of talk about high school basketball in the Northeast Kingdom this year.

Some of the biggest chats have been about the 3-pointers that were sailing when Lake Region beat North Country, 78-69, in Orleans on Monday.

The teams connected on 23 shots from beyond the arc for 69 points – almost half of the total points in the game. Lake Region had 13 as a team with Emmitt Simpson hitting seven and Richie Hackett bombing another five. It must have been a fun game to watch.

The Lake Region girls basketball team has a dynamic back court tandem with senior Abbey Lalime, who has accepted a scholarship to play for the University of Vermont next year, and sophomore Kylie Atwood.

The Rangers, the reigning D-III champs, put a scare into Division I Burlington, 46-42, last week, and are looking to repeat.  Their bench has been shortened by injuries, including the loss of Hannah Kinsey for the season with a torn ACL during soccer.

The Rangers still have a few players in the wings by the looks of their junior varsity. Lake Region has a 45-game winning streak, including back-to-back perfect 19-0 seasons and four wins this year. The Rangers, coached by Joe Houston, who also serves as athletic director at Craftsbury, came back from an eight-point deficit to beat Burlington 29-28 in the final seconds.

Another week is in the books.

Here’s our Week 2 rankings through games played 12/12:

Boys basketball

1. Burlington (4-0): The Seahorses had to eke out a win over Rutland on Day 2 of the North-South Challenge. O’Shea was limited to eight points, but Brendan Corriveau sank the key, go-ahead three-pointer. Still the team to beat. Last week’s rank: 1.

2. Essex (3-1): Behind Demir Smajovic and Ben Ferris, the Hornets cruised to double-digit wins over southern powers (Rutland and Brattleboro) in the North/South Challenge. Last week: 3.

3. South Burlington (3-0): The Rebels have started well without Josh Varney. A quick glance at their schedule and they should be 6-0 by the time they meet Essex on December 30. Last week: 2.

4. Champlain Valley (3-0): The Redhawks have been consistent — never allowing more than 49 points nor scoring more than 65 — during their 3-0 start. Last week: 4.

5. Mount Anthony (2-0): So the Patriots have racked up wins of 79-21 (over Windsor) and 63-33 (over Massachusetts’ Mount Greylock). The jury is still out on how good the Pats are, but they certainly fit nicely at No. 5 at this point in the season. Last week: Not ranked.

Girls basketball

1. Rutland (4-0): They’re beaten a feisty Rice team twice thus far this season — and edged a very good BHS squad in overtime. Last week: 2.

2. Milton (2-0): The Yellowjackets didn’t play last week. Doesn’t help their cause to stay No. 1 – not with Rutland playing so well. Last week: 1.

3. Champlain Valley (3-0): The Redhawks are off to a good start. Allison Gannon’s 17 points led CVU’s comeback vs. SBHS last Tuesday. Last week: 4.

4. Brattleboro (3-0): A third-quarter surge lifted the Colonels past previously ranked Spaulding. Bratt also has wins over St. Johnsbuy and Windsor, but last Tuesday’s comeback win over Spaulding was a marquee triumph. Last week: Not ranked.

5. Burr and Burton (2-0): The defending D-II champs are now in D-I. So we will have to wait and see how they stack up against the higher-division opponents. For now, defeating Bellow Falls 72-9 is nothing to overlook — that’s impressive no matter what. Last week: Not ranked.

Boys hockey

1. Essex (2-0): The Hornets are buzzing: Nice wins over South Burlington and BFA-St. Albans gives us no reason not to place Essex in the No. 1 slot. In Saturday’s win over BFA, Essex converted power play chances. Coach Bill O’Neil must like that. Last week: 3.

2. South Burlington (3-1): The Rebels bounced back from a loss against Essex to edge Burlington. Tom Royer has scored in three straight games (four goals total) and Charlie Vallee has been solid in net. Last week: 1.

3. Harwood (3-0): The Highlanders have crushed Peoples on back-to-back Saturdays. Nik Laskaris has been a scoring machine. Will it continue against D-I competition? Last week: 2.

4. Rutland (2-0-1): How’s this for a turnaround: The Raiders tie the Lakers in the season-opener, then rout them for a 8-1 win 10 days later. It was the second straight game Rutland has scored eight goals, and Taylor Porrier has five of them. Last week: Not ranked.

5. Burlington (2-2): Although they lost to SBHS 3-2, the Seahorses stay in the top 5 on the strength of the previous week’s wins. Plus, no other team has a better resume to displace them. Last week: 5.

Girls hockey

1. Essex (3-0-1): The Hornets finished second in BFA’s tournament, claiming a 4-1 win over N.Y.’s Salmon River and falling to Hanover, N.H. in a shootout. (although, it goes down officially as a tie). Chelsea Normand scored twice during Day 2 of the tournament. The Hornets have scored 13 goals in four goals, while yielding just 2. Last week: 1.

2. BFA-St. Albans (3-1): The Comets were within a period of winning their tournament, before falling to Hanover, N.H., 3-2. That said, one-sided wins over Missisquoi and Salmon River, N.Y. put BFA near the top of this ranking Last week: 5.

3. Champlain Valley (3-0): Gotta like CVU’s resolve. Down 3-0 entering the third period, the Redhawks rallied past South Burlington for a 5-4 win. After winning a pair of blowouts earlier this season, CVU showed it can comeback and win a close game. Last week: 3.

4. Spaulding (3-0): Should the Crimson Tide be ranked higher? Their latest win — a 5-3 triumph over Hartford — saw the return of all-state goalie Kaitlyn Lague. Spaulding will be a force with her back. Last week: 4.

5. U-32 (3-0-1): The Raiders bumped off previously ranked Montpelier to capture the 11th annual Dr. Dick Butsch tournament. Other teams could — and likely will — knock U-32 from this list. But, for now, the Raiders earned some recognition. Last week: Not ranked.

First meet of the year was yesterday. Although, as usual, only a small collection of teams ventured to Williams College in Massachusetts.

Most schools that competed were from the south, but scouring the results briefly it appears Essex, Rice and St. Johnsbury also sent a small contingent.

Here are the results.

Next meet at UVM this Saturday.

It’s the end of the year. Time to start thinking about the best sports stories from 2009.

And we need your help.

Send in your suggestions/nominations for bests sports stories — it can be high school, college, whatever, as long as it pertains to Vermont — to our email (sports@bfp.burlingtonfreepress.com). You can also use the comments section below to give us your choices.

We’ve started compiling a list, but readers’ suggestions are highly encouraged.