Williston Observer

Jan. 29, 2009

CVU gymnasts meet defending champs Friday in Essex

With recent solid performances in their portfolio, the Champlain Valley Union High gymnasts will go into Essex High at 7 p.m. on Friday for a test against the defending state champion Hornets.

The Redhawks are coming off a Saturday victory at Harwood Union High in which Ashley Bachand swept to victories on the vault, the beam, the bars, floor exercise (tie for first) and all-around.

CVU’s Kiley Bourdeau took second on the vault. Bethany Karstens was third on the beam and Sidney Hilker third in floor exercise.

Willistonian makes All-Canadian lacrosse team

David Pinckney, a Williston resident and December 2008 graduate from Montreal’s McGill University, earned All-Canadian honors from the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association. The 2003 Champlain Valley Union High grad was a midfielder on McGill’s lacrosse team. He was one of five McGill players to receive All-Canadian honors.

Pinckney majored in physiology at the university, and his father, Gary Pinckney, said his son hopes to attend medical school in the fall.

Williston youth wrestling

Williston Youth Wrestling for grades two to six begins on Monday, Feb. 2. The program will teach basic wrestling techniques and provide wrestlers with the option of competing at several regional tournaments.

The program runs through March 19, and takes place on Mondays and Thursdays at All American Fitness, located at 1881 Williston Road in South Burlington. The one-hour sessions begin at 6:15 p.m. Cost is $45 and includes a t-shirt and facility use. For more information, contact Coach Jonathan Rodd at 879-0543.

Vermont Lightning basketball tryouts

The Vermont Lightning AAU girls basketball tryouts will be held at University of Vermont’s Gutterson Fieldhouse on Feb. 7 and 15 for under-10 to under-13 teams. Schedules, forms and more information is available online at www.vermontlightning.org or by calling 865-7900.

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Jan. 29, 2009

They have not gone into the eye of the Hurricanes since the opening night of the season.

But on Saturday, the Champlain Valley Union High girls hockey team will motor down Interstate 89 to Hartford for a 2 p.m. session with the tough Hartford High Hurricanes, who bumped off the Redhawks 4-1 back on Dec. 3 at Cairns Arena.

CVU took a 6-5-2 mark into Wednesday’s scheduled contest against 4-9 Burlington High at Cairns.

“Hartford will be a test for us,” CVU coach Tom Ryan said Monday.

The latest victory for the Redhawks came Saturday night, a 9-1 bopping of 2-12 Middlebury Union High.

Amanda Armell paced the CVU assault with three goals to lift her season total to nine. Molly Howard netted two tallies and assisted on three others. Howard now has 11 lamplighters over the campaign.

Maggie Ryan notched her eighth tally, while net minder Nicole Bonneau posted 19 stops.

— Mal Boright, Observer correspondent

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Jan. 29, 2009

In an eight team meet at Sleepy Hollow in Huntington on Tuesday, the Champlain Valley Union High Nordic teams continued their rivalry with Mount Mansfield Union High.

The boys finished second to Mount Mansfield, but John Dixon won the division by 29 seconds over Peter Hegman of MMU. Sam Hughes finished eighth.

The girls won their division 13-51 over Mount Mansfield. Danika Frisbie won the meet with teammate Molly Hebert second and Johanna Fehrs fourth, Abby Stoner sixth and Virginia Farley eighth.

In a 12-school meet last weekend at the Ethan Allen Biathlon Center, the Redhawks’ girls Nordic team captured a victory, while Dixon continued to give the boys team a top two finish.

The girls, led by winner Frisbie and third place finisher Fehrs, took first place honors 25-49 over the runner-up host, Mount Mansfield Union High. Stoner also hit the top 10, taking ninth place.

Dixon came in second in the boys division, 5 seconds behind winner MMU’s Hegman (20:20).

The Cougars swept the following four places to take the team triumph, 13-70 over the second place Redhawks.

— Mal Boright, Observer correspondent

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Boys hoops team survives scare vs. MMU

Jan. 29, 2009

By Mal Boright

Observer correspondent

With a long Monday night trip to Newport and North Country Union High behind them, coach Scott Bliss and his Champlain Valley Union High boys basketball combine are looking forward to Thursday night’s home rematch with Rice Memorial High, one of the masters of Vermont’s 2008-09 Division 1 universe.

In late December, the Redhawks gave the 12-2 Green Knights a load of heartburn before bowing 50-47 at Rice. Bliss is hopeful of a better outcome at the Hawks’ cozy nest.

The journey to the Northeast Kingdom was a success, CVU nudging the Falcons, 44-37 behind John Donnelly’s 17 points. The victory, their fourth straight, hiked the Redhawks’ season mark to 8-5.

In their last outing before the homefolks Friday night, the CVU quintet discovered that the cat family, even those members with a 2-11 record coming in, can be fiercely independent and averse to bowing to expected outcomes.

The Mount Mansfield Union High Cougars were the particular cats appearing at Bremner Gymnasium and, despite being down by 12 points late in the fourth quarter, bounced back to within three counters of the Redhawks with just under a minute to go, putting CVU on edge and no doubt adding some gray to Bliss’ head.

It was not until Jake Donnelly made three of four free throws to put the Redhawks up 57-51 in the closing seconds that Red and White nerves could settle down.

Even then, Mount Mansfield nailed a shot at the buzzer to close the final gap to 57-53.

The leader in the Mount Mansfield comeback was swift backcourt junior Conor Leland, whose 20 points for the day included a pair of successive treys that pulled the Cougars from a 54-43 deficit to within 54-49 with just under a minute left. Two free throws by Mike Estes at the 51-second mark made it a tricky three-point game.

Trailing 25-22 at the half after a chilly 3-for-15 shooting performance in the second quarter, in which they were outscored 11-6, the Redhawks turned up the face-to-face defense in the third period and rolled to a 44-33 lead moments into the final reel.

It was the old faithful players leading the CVU charge — John Donnelly bagged seven points, Jake Donnelly six and Jack Jesset with six points, plus three of his six steals as the Redhawks forced the Cougars into 11 turnovers. MMU got off only five shots in the period, hitting but a pair, and was outscored 20-8.

John Donnelly added another seven of his team- high 19 in the fourth quarter, which helped CVU to its apparently secure 12-point edge before the mountain men uncorked their closing blitz.

The Redhawks opened well, in a strong opening stanza, grabbing a 16-14 lead thanks to a trio of threebie pops by Ryan Poirier, a long-range specialist. John Donnelly also cranked up a three and a deuce.

CVU fell on tough times in the second period, as Bliss cleared the bench in an effort to find a hot hand. The Cougars slowly opened as much as a five-point lead before the Redhawks’ Robert Russ nailed a jumper just before halftime to cut the MMU advantage to three at the buzzer.

Mount Mansfield, troubled by 25 turnovers, hit over 50 percent from the field, knocking in 20 of 39 shots.

CVU snapped the cords on 22 of 49 shots, but went just 8-of-17 from the charity stripe.

The Cougars, fueled by their late effort at CVU, racked up a 64-47 win at Colchester High Monday, Leland notching 27 points.

Mount Mansfield (53)

Lacy 2 2-4 6, Estes 1 2-2 4, Suder 1 3-6 5, Leland 8 0-0 20, Lecours 2 0-0 4, Wright 2 0-0 4, Wilcox 3 2-2 8, Bristol 1 0-0 2, Brown 0 0-0 0. Totals 19 9-14 53.

CVU (57)

Jesset 6 0-6 12, Ja. Donnelly 3 4-6 10, Jo. Donnelly 7 3-3 19, Poirier 4 0-0 11, Russ 1 1-2 3, Beaton 1 0-0 2, Bunbury 0 0-0 0, Duke 0 0-0 0, Nigh 0 0-0 0, Rensch 0 0-0 0, Lambert 0 0-0 0. Totals 22 8-17 57.

MMU    14    11    8    20 – 53

CVU    16    6    20    15 – 57

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Redhawks hoopsters end losing streak

Jan. 29, 2009

By Mal Boright

Observer correspondent

They emerged victorious Tuesday night after a visit to the Essex Junction Hornets’ nest, and now the 7-6 Champlain Valley Union High girls basketball team will roll into the South Burlington castle of the Rice Memorial High Green Knights at 7 p.m. on Friday for another road session with a substantial foe.

Rice handed the Redhawks their first loss of the season, 35-33 on Dec. 22 at Bremner Gymnasium.

The prospects appeared difficult for coach Stan Williams’ combine when the girls took the floor Tuesday in Essex, with a three-game losing string in tow. Essex was rumbling along with a heady 10-2 mark.

But Williams had done some scouting and came up with a 2-1-2 zone that shut down the Hornets for the first half while the Redhawks worked up an 18-9 advantage by halftime. The lead proved decisive.

“The girls played well tonight,” Williams said after the game.

The coach admitted that zones are not usually in his bag of defensive schemes. The zone, with pesky guards out front trapping and harassing Essex ball handlers, limited the Hornets to but four hoops in 23 first half shots while forcing 11 Essex turnovers. After falling behind 4-0 early, CVU, with a balanced scoring effort, went on an 18-5 run through the end of the second period.

First half help came from the entire roster. Leading the point production was Allison Gannon with seven tallies, including five from the free throw line as her inside moves to the basket drew fouls. A solid contributor off the bench was sophomore Shae Hulburt with two points, three rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Essex turned up the defensive heat with its trapping press in the second half, but after the Hornets drew to within five points (19-14) early in the third period, CVU got its cool back and slowly added to its lead, going ahead by a game high 14 points when Kate Bashaw buried a three-pointer after a nifty inside-out pass from Renick Lalancette with 1:49 left in the quarter.

With guard Whitney Elliott (14 points for the game) leading the way, Essex pulled to within 36-29 with 4:01 remaining in the game. Just as it appeared the Hornets’ full court pressure defense was wearing down the Redhawks, Hulbert found a speeding Gannon by herself at the payoff end of the court and the CVU junior veteran nailed the layup and resulting free throw to restore a 10-point lead and the outcome.

“That was a big play,” Williams acknowledged.

Gannon led the winners with 21 points and nine rebounds, hitting 11 of 14 free throws. Kendal Kohlasch chipped in with seven points and six rebounds plus at least two assists.

The Redhawks were 17-of-23 from the charity stripe while Essex went 5-for-7.

In gaining the triumph, CVU was able to bury the sour taste of a 67-39 defeat at the shooting hands of Burlington High on Saturday afternoon.

Burlington put the game into the victory column in a second period in which the Seahorses outscored the Redhawks 23-7 by going 9-for-9 from the floor, despite eight turnovers produced by an aggressive CVU defense. In the perfecto from the field, the Seahorses nailed three three-pointers and at least three layups under serious defensive pressure.

Burlington went 21-for-40 for the game while the Hawks, led by Gannon’s 13 points and Lalancette’s nine, were 15-for-46.

CVU (44)

Kohlasch 2 3-4 7, Lalancette 2 1-1 5, Gannon 5 11-14 21, Russ 0 1-2 1, Evans 0 0-0 0, Berry 1 0-0 2, Bashaw 1 1-2 4, Kinneston 1 0-0 2, Hulbert 1 0-0 2, Giles 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 17-23 44.

Essex (35)

McNamara 1 0-0 2, Armstrong-Laird 0 0-0 0, Elliott 5 2-4 14, Panton 2 0-0 5, Tremblay 0 0-0 0, Visker 2 0-0 5, Hetling 2 3-3 7, Greene 1 0-0 2, Brooks 0 0-0 0, Barford 0 0-0 0, Broughton 0 0-0 0. Totals 13 5-7 35.

CVU    7    11    14    12 – 44

Essex    4    5    12    14 – 35

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