Varsity Insider

Readers see our high school football predictions every week during the fall. Well, now that it’s championship weekend, it’s time for the Free Press staff to share some soccer predictions, too. Here are our title-game picks:

(Check back later as more of our staffers chime in. …)

Division I girls

No. 2 Champlain Valley (13-1-3) vs. No. 5 Burlington (9-2-6)

Kevin Commo: CVU 1, Burlington 0. The first goal is bound to decide this one and the Redhawks have more weapons.

John A. Fantino: Burlington 0, CVU 0. Seahorses win the title the same way they did a year ago — on PKs

Alex Abrami: CVU 1, BHS 0. The Seahorses have had the advantage over the Redhawks the last three seasons. However, CVU’s balanced effort is the difference.

Division I boys

No. 1  Champlain Valley (15-1) vs. No. 2 Burr and Burton (16-1)

Kevin Commo: CVU 2, Burr and Burton 0. Redhawks’ defense caps a perfect postseason with a seventh straight shutout.

John A. Fantino: CVU 3, Burr and Burton 1. BBA’s inaugural Division I tour comes to an end against a CVU program hungry for its seventh crown in eight years.

Alex Abrami: CVU 3, Burr and Burton 1. I picked CVU in my playoff predictions. If anything, the Redhawks have only strengthened their case with nearly flawless play, particularly in the semifinal win over BFA-St. Albans.

Division II girls

No. 2 Milton (14-3) vs. No. 4 Harwood (11-4-2)

Kevin Commo: Milton 1, Harwood 0. Championship experience provides the difference in matchup of Milton’s balanced offense and Harwood’s rugged defense.

John A. Fantino: Harwood 1, Milton 0. Highlanders’ 10th shutout of the season results in first title.

Alex Abrami: Milton 2, Harwood 0. Although Harwood knocked off top-seeded Montpelier, the defending champion Yellowjackets have that experience — and the talent — to repeat.

Division II boys

No. 1 Springfield (14-2) vs. No. 7 Missisquoi (10-6-1)

Kevin Commo: Springfield 2, Missisquoi 1, OT. Cosmos’ potent offense prevents Missisquoi from completing upset sweep of top three seeds.

John A. Fantino: Springfield 1, Missisquoi 0. Springfield cools off Thunderbirds with early goal and notches 11th shutout of season.

Alex Abrami: Springfield 3, Missisquoi 1. One of Springfield’s two losses? Division I finalist Burr and Burton. Yeah, I like the Cosmos.

Division III girls

No. 1 Mill River (17-0) vs. No. 3 Peoples (14-3)

Kevin Commo: Mill River 1, Peoples 1 (MR wins in PKs). It comes down to finishing skills as two battle-tested teams prove their mettle.

John A. Fantino: Peoples 2, Mill River 0. Veteran-laden roster + quick-strike offense = title defense.

Alex Abrami: Peoples 2, Mill River 1. An experienced Wolves squad is too much for Division III newbie Mill River.

Division III boys

No. 2 Stowe (12-2-2) vs. No. 4 Winooski (12-4)

Kevin Commo: Stowe 3, Winooski 2. Two years of finals experience serves the Raiders well in a tight game.

John A. Fantino: Winooski 3, Stowe 2: After overcoming three-goal deficit against No. 1 Lake Region, Spartans appear destined to claim first title.

Alex Abrami: Stowe 4, Winooski 2. Winooski has the feel-good story going for them. Stowe, however, owns this division and will show no sympathy.

Division IV girls

No. 1 Arlington (16-1) vs. No. 2 South Royalton (16-0-1)

Kevin Commo: Arlington 3, South Royalton 1. All those matchups with Division III opponents, both in this year’s regular season and past postseasons, give the Eagles an edge.

John A. Fantino: Arlington 3, South Royalton 2. When in doubt, go with the higher seed.

Alex Abrami: Arlington 2, South Royalton 1. I picked Arlington before the tournament started. No reason to jump now.

Division IV boys

No. 2 Sharon (17-0) vs. No. 4 Black River (13-3-1)

Kevin Commo: Sharon 2, Black River 1. The Phoenix cap perfect season by gaining revenge for last year’s finals defeat.

John A. Fantino: Sharon 1, Black River 0. Players on the only unbeaten, untied boys team in the state are smarting from last year’s title-game loss.

Alex Abrami: Black River 2, Sharon 1 (OT). Black River stays on top and beats Sharon again.

Football fans are still talking about the four safeties that Mount Anthony scored in the 36-0 win over Burlington High at Buck Hard Field on Friday night.

“How is it possible?” or “How did they do it?” was the most asked question wherever I’ve gone over the last couple of days.

 What is interesting is that Mount Anthony scored each in a different way.

The first safety was a backwards toss by the quarterback that went out of the end zone in the second period. The second happened after an ill advised attempt by BHS in the third quarter to run an interception out of the end zone ended up near the goal line.   A few plays later Mount Anthony tackled a BHS runner in the end zone. The third safety happened when the ball being snapped over the BHS punter and swatted out of the back of the end zone. The last safety happened when the BHS punter dropped the snap and there was a hog pile in the end zone.

The coaches, referees, sportswriters, sportscasters and fans that have called, written or that I have come across all say they are hard pressed to even think of anything close to what everyone concedes must be a state record.

It’s hard to say definitively because of the lack of a central repository for high school football records. Yet it does seem like a pretty good guess.

 Anybody know know anything even close or more?

The Essex Hornets and the Burlington Seahorses meet in a pivotal divisional game at Buck Hard Field Friday night.

The high school football game is particularly important to the Seahorses, who at 3-1 in Division I, are on the outside of the playoff seedings, sitting one back of the final spot.

Regardless of their position, there’s still four weeks left and the Seahorses — a year removed from a winless campaign — have built an impressive resume in the last several weeks leading up to playing the state’s top team.

Here’s a look at BHS’ season results:
Week 1: BHS 26, Brattleboro 21
Week 2: Spaulding 28, BHS 21
Week 3: BHS 49, MSJ 6
Week 4: BHS 21, Rice 0
Week 5: BHS 26, SBHS 0
The all-around play of Cooper Wile has BHS averaging 28.6 points per game while holding opponents to 11 points.

As for Essex? What can you say? Call it the Air-Raid offense or The Max Librizzi Show — whatever you want, because this high-flying, no-huddle spread attack has lived up to its pre-season billing.

Here’s a look at the Hornets’ five wins:
Week 1: Essex 54, MMU 12
Week 2: Essex 66, MSJ 8
Week 3: Essex 33, BHS 10
Week 4: Essex 53, Mt. Anthony 7
Week 5: Essex 34, Brattleboro 12
Offense: 48 points per game. Defense: 9.8.

I got a hold of Essex coach Charlie Burnett Thursday evening and he gave me some individual statistics I thought I’d share with Varsity Insider readers.

Through five games:
QB Librizzi – 106 for 170 (62 percent) for 1,573 yards and 25 TDs and 6 INTs.
WRs Pat Nee (23 catches for 374 yards, 7 TDs); Kevin Jenko (25 catches for 325 yards, 4 TDs); Adam Picard (16 catches for 229 yards, 2 TDs).

Will Essex continue its march, storming opponents with its utempo, fast-moving style? Or Will BHS shake up the Division I landscape with an upset victory?

Game time is 7:30 p.m. Be sure to check our Web site and Saturday’s print edition for coverage of this exciting, mid-season matchup.

End zone: Burnett said Jenko’s 11-catch performance in last week’s win over Brattleboro was a school record. Jenko broke Gerry Greene’s 1971 record of 10 catches. … Starting RB Picard is likely back in the lineup after missing last week’s game while David Valley, a backup WR and starting safety is questionable, Burnett said.

Second year Burlington High football coach Brennan Carney has the Seahorses off to a 3-1 start this year after taking over a struggling program in 2008 that went winless.

Carney, a former three-sport standout at South Burlington, now has to prepare for Friday night when he hosts his old coach Joe McDonald. McDonald was in the top row of the Rice grandstand scouting on Saturday in the 21-0 win over the Green Knights.

Carney, who turned a winless Spaulding program in his first season into state champions the following year, said  BHS needs to take its next step after beating an inspired Rice squad.

“Other guys have to step up. It just can’t be Cooper (Wile) all the time. Andrew (Cane) played really well for us. Andrew is a good player. He is playing great and doing a lot of different things for us. We have a lot of guys that have to play a little better, a little crisper and we’ll be a better team,” said Carney after the win at Rice.

Kick-off at the D.G. Weaver Athletic Complex has been bumped to 7:30 Friday night because BHS is hosting Rutland in boys soccer at 4 p.m. on the turf field.

Junior forward Mike Clayton, who stayed on the sidelines last year with a broken femur, is making up for lost time for the undefeated Champlain Valley Union soccer team this fall.

 Clayton tallied two goals in the opening 12 minutes today in a 4-0 win over defending state champion Burlington as part of the Homecoming Weekend celebration.  He later added an assist for CVU, which improved to 5-0.

 “He was at every single practice last year,”  Redhawks coach T.J. Mead said about the dedicated student of the game.

 Clayton has scored eight goals and three assists in five games this year as the Redhawks leading scorer. He has at least one goal in each game with his best effort against Mount Abraham when he scored three goals and one assist.

Jim Provost is in his second year at the helm of the Champlain Valley Union football program. He has the Redhawks off to a 1-0 start after last week’s win over Burr and Burton.

Now, in week 2, Provost brings his squad to familiar territory: Rice Memorial. Provost collected two Division II football titles during his 20 years — 14 as head coach — at the South Burlington school. He stepped away after the 1999 season, only to return to the sidelines in 2008 at CVU.

“It will be weird being on (visitors’ sideline), looking towards the bleachers instead of the baseball outfield,” Provost said.

And with the 1989 team being honored on the 20th anniversary of its championship, Saturday’s game has heightened meaning for Provost.

“The novelty isn’t lost on the kids and it’s certainty not lost on the coaches,” Provost said. “It’s a business trip and the whole going back and homecoming … maybe that will mean something after, but once we kickoff, I think it’s going to go away.”

Provost was quick to say that despite his long history with Rice, he bleeds red and white now.

“It’s not a homecoming for me. (CVU) is my home now.”

Note: Burlington coach Brennan Carney is also making a homecoming visit. The BHS coach’s previous stop was Spaulding where he led the Crimson Tide to the 2007 Div. II crown. The Seahorses travel to Barre for a 1 p.m. game today.

The Burlington High School girls soccer team won its first championship in program history in 2008. The Seahorses knocked off defending Div. I champion Essex in a penalty shootout — which complemented the BHS boys victory earlier in the day — on their home turf.

Now, a year later, the Seahorses look to defend the crown when their season opens today at home vs. Div. II Montpelier.

But they will have to win without three big-time contributors from last year: Janelle McCann and sisters Anna and Sara Kikut. McCann left for prep school and the Kikuts are enrolled at Green Mountain Valley School, where they are lighting up the scoreboard.

And Essex, the D-I finalist, lost perhaps the state’s finest player in Natalie LeClair to graduation (She’s playing at Div. I Richmond).

Of course, the players I mentioned were all offensive-minded and both teams relied heavily on goalie play and defense. While Burlington has its top goalie back (Stephanie Jaques), the Hornets have their ultra-athletic fullback returning (Katie Polakowski).

At any rate, I expect both teams to be in contenders, plus you can’t count out CVU or a Brittany Pfaff-led Rice squad.

What do you guys think?