Six semifinal football games are on tap for this weekend across Vermont. All twelve high school teams are just one win away from a trip to Castleton next Saturday. Interestingly, five of the six games are rematches from the regular season—South Burlington at Hartford being the only exception.
There are two unbeaten 9-0 teams left in Vermont. Both grabbed top seeds in their respective divisions: BFA in D-I and North Country in D-II:
All football games will be played tonight at 7:00pm, except for Windsor at Mill River which will be played Saturday at 1:00pm.
Vermont Scoreboard will be in St. Albans tonight covering the BFA-Middlebury clash.
DIVISION I:
(4) South Burlington (7-2) at (1) Hartford (9-0)
Hartford is the defending Division I champion and is unbeaten so far this season which makes the Hurricanes the team to beat. They play host to South Burlington in the semifinal round for the second year in a row. The Hurricanes racked up over 400 yards rushing in a 36-7 win over the Rebels.
If you had to find something to knock Hartford for this year, perhaps their schedule could be scrutinized. The combined record of the teams Hartford has beaten this year is 34-47. The Hurricanes beat BFA 21-0 in September while also beating Colchester and Rutland.
That said, Hartford outscored their opponents 412-99 so far this season. Quarterback Tucker Stone has been solid all year while the Hurricanes run game continues to dominate. Troy Bell and Josh Claflin run the ball with ease behind Hartford’s stout offensive line.
South Burlington hopes to match up offensively using the run game of Connor DeVarney. Sophomore Hunter Riehle has shined in the second half of the season while Will Thompson is major threat both running the back and in the receiving game.
(3) Middlebury (8-1) at (2) BFA St. Albans (8-1)
Middlebury is the lone team left that played in Division II last season. The Tigers fell to Rice in the final and will have to overcome a talented BFA team that most people already have penciled into the championship game.
However, the Tigers led BFA in the third quarter when the two teams met a month ago, before falling 23-7. In addition to eventually topping Middlebury, the Bobwhites have big wins on the season vs. South Burlington and CVU.
Middlebury quarterback Dillon Robinson is a throwing and running threat along with tail back Marshall Hastings. The Tigers’ run game has been great all season but will be tested against an underrated BFA defense.
BFA counters with tail back Doug Saffo who has racked up over 1000 rushing yards in his last six games. Sam Rose also runs the ball very well for the Bobwhites who are quarterbacked by Nick Jaslowich.
DIVISION II:
(4) Burr & Burton (6-3) at (1) North Country (9-0)
North Country beat Burr & Burton two weeks ago 36-26. Stud tail back Nick Leclair scored two touchdowns in the win. The 1000 yard back is part of an offense that averaged over 40 points a game. Burr & Burton’s spread offense can score points as well. Bulldogs Jake Stalcup is one of the best QB’s in the state.
(3) Fair Haven (7-2) at (2) Milton (7-2)
Milton topped Fair Haven 28-19 last month. Robert Coloutti, quarterback of the Slaters, accounted for all three touchdowns for Fair Haven while Milton running back Michael McClellan had a big game. The Yellowjackets have lost two games in a row.
DIVISION III:
(4) Mt. Abraham (5-4) at (1) Woodstock (7-2)
Woodstock bounced back from a 0-2 start to win their last seven and claim the top seed in D-III. Mt. Abraham was one of those early losses, a 20-0 shutout.
(3) Windsor (6-3) at (2) Mill River (7-2)
Mill River lost at Windsor in the first week of the season 64-43. Mill River has only lost one other game since to earn them a home rematch.
GO EAGLES!!!!!!!!! Hoping for great games tonight for all the teams!