Williston Observer

By Mal Boright

Observer correspondent

As the winter grows colder, coach Scott Bliss’ Champlain Valley Union High boys’ basketball team are heating up.

With 10-1 Rice Memorial High coming to CVU’s Bremner Gymnasium Thursday evening (7 p.m.), the Redhawks hold a four-game winning streak and have captured eight victories in their last 10 starts. In the meantime, Rice rolled on Monday, rapping North Country Union, 75-38.

The second of a two-game home stand will bring a big 8-5 Spaulding High Crimson Tide outfit to the Hawks’ nest on Monday. This past Monday night, Spaulding topped Burlington, 60-47.

CVU was also busy Monday, cranking up a 69-51 thumbs-upper at South Burlington High, its second win over the 1-12 Rebels.

The Redhawks zoomed out to a hefty 21-10 advantage in the initial eight minutes and ruled the remainder of the night. Veteran forward Brad Bissonette paced the CVU scorers with 17 points, while point guard Austin Busch, hampered by fouls in recent games, broke out with 12 points.

After last Thursday’s home 46-35 triumph over 4-7 Burlington High, Bliss had high praise for the CVU defense that held the Seahorses to 12 hoops in 39 flings at the basket.

“This was our best defensive game,” the coach said.

It was a grinder of a contest until the Redhawks snapped a 20-20 third period tie with a 12-3 run in the closing minutes of the period, fueled by reserves Big Ryan Beaudry (four points, three rebounds) and Zach Evans (five points, two steals), plus Scott Bissonette’s two buckets and steady floor work by brother Brad.

Brad Bissonette added eight points and three rebounds in the final reel to keep the Seahorses under water, so to speak.

With center Lucas Aube sitting out, the Bissonettes paired up for 14 vital rebounds, Brad grabbing eight. Brad Bissonette also led scorers with 12 points, while Scott had seven.

Forward Joe Chevalier hit double figures with 12 points. The senior authored a flurry of three hoops in the first quarter, including a trey to get CVU going after BHS broke to a 9-2 edge in the opening minutes.

Freshman guard Josh Hale led Burlington with 12 points, which included two of the Horses’ six triple pointers.

In the preliminary, coach Seth Emerson’s junior varsity team improved to 10-2 with a 38-33 win over the BHS juniors.

Boys basketball box scores (Jan. 24)

Burlington High (35)

Vachereau, 3 1-2 9; Montgomery, 0 0-0 0; Konjuhovac, 2 0-0 4; Hale, 4 2-2 12; Boera, 3 0-0 8; Wright, 0 1-2 1; Heimert, 0 0-0 0; Agorrea, 0 0-0 0; Parent, 0 1-2 1

Totals: 12 5-8 35

CVU (46)

B. Bissonette, 5 1-2 12; Chevalier, 5 0-1 11; Carroll, 0 1-2 1; S. Bissonette, 3 1-2 7; Busch, 1 0-0 2; Beaudry, 2 2-2 6; Evans, 2 0-0 5; O’Connell, 0 0-0 0; Lynn, 1 0-0 2; Myers, 0 0-0 0

Totals: 19 5-9 46

BHS 9 5 9 12 – 35

CVU 9 6 17 14- 46

By Mal Boright

Observer correspondent

The quest for that elusive first victory had the 0-10-1 Champlain Valley Union High girls hockey team playing host to Rice Memorial High Wednesday night, after the Observer’s press deadline. A trip to Essex High (6-5-1) is slated for Saturday afternoon at 4:30.

Last Saturday, the Redhawks were home to the Burr and Burton Academy Bulldogs, a team they tied 1-1 earlier in the season in Manchester. But this time, the Pups had early bite, jumping to a 4-0 lead by the end of the first period and skating on to a 9-4 victory to hike their season mark to 5-6-1.

It was a case of Burr and Burton making the shots while Bulldogs’ goalie Meg Chandler kept the Redhawks at bay for much of the game, as shots on goal were even at 24 for each team.

Just 30 seconds had elapsed in the first stanza when Burr and Burton’s Erin Thompson knocked in a rebound to put the Bulldogs up 1-0. It was the beginning of a swell afternoon for the Green forward, who finished with three goals and a pair of assists.

A little more luck or less skill by Chandler in the B & B net and CVU’s Molly Dunphy might have had a similar day.

Dunphy had several opportunities stymied by Chandler before she broke away five seconds into the third period to fire in a short-handed score on a spectacular end-to-end rush.

That closed the gap to 6-2, but Burr and Burton scored on the power play 27 seconds later to restore command in the game.

Trailing 9-2, CVU got goals from Sylvie Shanks and Rachel Pitcher in the closing two minutes, Pitcher’s tally on an end-to-end charge.

Eva Dunphy pocketed the Redhawks’ initial score late in the second reel.

Chandler finished with 20 saves, while CVU netminder Laurel Hubbert-Severance had 15.

With an upcoming schedule that includes such options as a classic race Thursday at Morse Farm in East Montpelier and a night relay Wednesday at Colchester High, coach Sarah Strack’s Champlain Valley Union High Nordic skiers, varsity and junior varsity, are ready for all comers.

Last Friday, in what Strack called “a big race,” both boys and girls triumphed over nearly a dozen opposing teams at Jericho Center.

Taylor Spillane earned victory in the girls’ division, posting a time of 15 minutes and 29 seconds to edge second place teammate Autumn Eastman by 14 seconds.

CVU’s Cally Braun was fifth and Kayla Servin came in ninth.

The Redhawks posted a four-point win over runner-up Mount Mansfield Union in the girls’ team scorers as the Cougars’ Annavitte Rand and Molly Carson posted third and fourth place finishes. Some 11 teams competed.

The CVU boys rolled to a convincing triumph in the 13-team boys’ division with 18 points to second place Woodstock Union High’s 57.

Redhawks took six of the top 10 positions, led by Forest Hamilton in second. Behind Hamilton were fellow Redhawks Emmett Peterson (fourth), Sean Delaney (fifth), Cooper Willsey (seventh), Parker Francis (eighth) and Thomas Clayton (ninth).

That was a crowd of Birds up front. The boys JVs, however, topped that feat by sweeping all top 10 slots in their event.

—Mal Boright, Observer correspondent

It was a huge home game against 7-2-1 Essex High at Cairns Arena Wednesday night, after the Observer’s press deadline, but for the 8-2-1 Champlain Valley Union High boys hockey team, another important clash comes Saturday at 6:25 p.m., when the Redhawks play host to 4-6-1 Bellows Free Academy of St. Albans.

Coach Mike Murray’s combine nipped BFA 4-3 at St. Albans in mid-December.

CVU carried a four-game win streak into the Essex contest, the latest victory a 3-0 blanking of the Middlebury Union High Tigers on the road Saturday.

The combination of Jeremy Lerner (two goals) and Jack Hall (set-up passes on both scores) helped ruin Middlebury’s day. Kirk Fontana fired in CVU’s third tally and Brendan Gannon collected two assists.

Redhawks’ goalie Greg Talbert had nine stops to gain the Big Zip. CVU unloaded 32 shots on the Tigers’ keeper Edgar Sherman.

—Mal Boright, Observer correspondent

CVU gymnasts vault into busy part of season

The Champlain Valley Union High gymnastics team—the 2012 Vermont Interscholastic runners-up—is into the stretch run of their quest for the 2013 crown.

Coach Bob Abbott’s Redhawks will be in Middlebury for a meet with the Middlebury Union High Tigers at Middlebury Middle School on Friday. On Wednesday, they will play host to U-32 at Green Mountain Gymnastics in Williston.

Then will follow the annual regular season showdown with defending champion Essex, this year at the Hornet’s nest the following Wednesday (Feb. 13). The State Championship meet is Feb. 23 at Essex High.

In their latest meet on Jan. 23, the Redhawks dispatched South Burlington High, 134.80 to 119.85, with Megan Nick winning the bars and floor exercise.

CVU’s Sarah Kinsley won the beam and took second in floor exercise, while Jackie Casson was second on the bars and the beam. Grace Carey was third in floor exercise and also third in all-around, which was won by South Burlington’s Kelly O’Brien.

CVU soccer girls nationally ranked 

The Division 1 champion Champlain Valley Union High girls soccer team has been ranked 22nd in the country and fifth in Region One. The ranking were recently announced by the National Soccer Coaches Association at its annual meeting.

CVU wrestlers at Mount Anthony duals Saturday 

Following a four-team home contest Tuesday, coach Gunnar Olson’s Champlain Valley Union High wrestling team goes south on Saturday for the Mount Anthony Union High duals and then travels to Essex with Colchester and Milton Wednesday night.

Last Saturday, the Redhawks took fourth place in the Colchester High Laker Invitational, the top Vermont team in the competition.

Connor Brown won his weight class, while Liam Bowley took a runner-up slot.

Alex Craige and Kienan Kittredge were third place finishers in their weights.