BRISTOL — Mount Abraham’s established team sports have all started pre-season on a high note, and meanwhile two new activities are joining forces, even if registration for each is limited when schools open.
FIELD HOCKEY
The team that has made the most news on Mount Abe in recent years, and not just in the fall, is field hockey. See the article : The Gray Man: Why Netflix (NFLX) Sells $ 200 Million Ryan Gosling Film. Sticker Eagle under longtime coach Mary Stetson has won 11 Division II titles since 2000, including the last four.
The program made a headline or two more this summer: Stetson stepped down, and his daughter, Jen Myers, a program assistant for the past decade, was hired to take the reins.
Myers took charge of the team with a different look: Six seniors graduated, most of whom played a key role over the last few seasons. But the new coaches expect the Eagle classmates to step up and put their own stamp on the program.
“I am very happy to watch these juniors and seniors develop rapidly. They’ve had a great opportunity in recent years to play with a large group of six kids graduating in the spring,” Myers said. “But they learn a lot from them, and it’s fun even in the first week to make it a little bit on their own and lead this group of very young kids.”
This conversation about Eagle seniors begins with central midfielder Madi Gile, a four-year starter, post-season major goalscorer, and an athlete recognized as one of Vermont’s best two-way field hockey players.
Gile will anchor a midfield where he is the only returning starter, although two fast junior veterans will join him. Morgan Barnard will start on one side, according to Myers’ pre-season plans, and see significant time in midfield and forward in 2021. Sarah Heath takes over on the other side having served as a key member of the forward rotation a year ago.
The final midfield starter is new signing Maris LaPerle, who will line up in the defensive middie middie. Junior Grace Orvis will spell midfielders, Myers said, unless he starts at full-back.
On that defense: Myers believes it will be Eagle’s strong point. Senior Payton Vincent is a multi-year starter in the middle, as is senior Natalie Adams on the one hand. Neither the sophomore Bella Hartwell nor Orvis would start from the other side.
“I’m definitely looking forward to watching our defence,” Myers said.
He added junior Greta Jennison was “absolutely ready” to take over the net after working with the university for two years, and sophomore Rory Hendee would back her up.
Senior Olivia Campbell proved capable of scoring high goals last year and should set the tone for the young group up front, Myers said. The other front crew included sophomores Paden Lathrop and Lilyana Case and freshman Addison Wright.
Myers is aware the new-look Eagle team will once again look competitive against a challenging Metro Conference schedule with Division-I teams before reaching postseason D-II.
“It’s a very difficult league. So competing might not look super successful on a piece of paper, but it might really be successful only at the things we achieve on the pitch,” he said. “I really believe that they can really get the job done. They can really compete with everyone in our league. Now it’s their turn to believe that.”
FOOTBALL
Another big offseason news for the Eagles fall team is that the soccer team alongside Coach Jeff Stein Mount Abraham-Vergennes is being moved from D-II to D-III, where the Eagles have been receiving some buzz as potential contenders.
Stein remained cautious, especially as major skill players graduated, and the number of participants in the program was modest. This may interest you : Russell Wilson contract extension: Broncos QB gets new deal worth reported $245 million ahead of first season in Denver. Fifteen players will do most of the heavy lifting, he said, with plans to call in a number of new players to help the special team to lighten the load on the starters.
But from the start Stein liked what he saw.
“It’s been a good offseason. Pre-season went pretty well,” he said. “Our numbers are small, but I like the 15 we have. They are positive. They are working hard. And I think, knock on the wood, if we don’t get injured, we have a solid team.”
Stein also noted the Eagles will rely on some of the younger starters, especially in the offensive line.
“As long as we can get some of our freshmen on the offensive line to step up and do what we think they can do, we have to be very competitive,” he said.
That said, Stein said the move to the D-III does not guarantee the MAV will have an easy road.
“There are a lot of good teams in Division III,” he said. “And we lost a lot of talent. We lost 12 men, and 10 or 11 or they all saw a lot of minutes so there was a lot to replace.”
That search includes finding a new quarterback, who will be senior Zeke Dubois.
“He saw the pitch really well and made good decisions,” said Stein.
Dubois and Caleb Russell’s senior offensive tackle provided key leadership, he added.
Stein hopes the younger linemen can stick around and allow him to feature junior Jamison Couture as the running leader again. Junior Jordan McDowell is another top candidate for the back line.
Catching the ball will be done by senior tight end/wide receiver Benjamin Brown; junior wideouts Ian Funke, Connor Meacham and Jamison Huizenga; and second-year wide receiver Tyler White.
Joining Russell on the O track are seniors Spencer White, juniors Connor Meacham and Wyatt Allenson, sophomore Gerrit Beenen and freshmen Tyson Hallock and Gabriel Roussin—and possibly Couture.
Especially if the Couture line up at the back, Stein says the Eagles are probably running a little more often than in recent years, maybe 40% of the time.
“We will keep throwing the ball. But we understand our personnel and what we have and what our strengths are. We had two or three good offensive linemen and moving on to Jamison to run back, we could obviously have more ground-and-pound running games,” said Stein.
The MAV defense will use what Stein calls “a bit more of a deployment scheme” that will rely on the speed and aggression of the basic three-line display, with more lightning strikes.
Russell, Couture, Allenson, Beenen, Roussin and Hallock will circle through the D line. The back line will be seniors Lucas Allen (who can also play it safe), McDowell, White, and possibly Allenson.
Brown, Dubois and White are the safeguards, and Funke and Meacham are defenders.
Stein says there are at least half a dozen contenders in D-III, but “the bar is set” for the program to host playoffs.
“But I think for us to do that, apart from (avoiding) injuries, it’s just the kids playing hard. I know we have a skill level,” said Stein, adding, “It’s going to be a great season, and a fun group to compete against.”
GIRLS’ SOCCER
After field hockey, the most successful program at Mount Abe in fall 2021 will be the women’s soccer team coached by the school’s Physical Education teacher Dustin Corrigan, who is now the university’s longest-serving Eagle head coach. On the same subject : The 12 (or maybe 13) teams that could actually win Super Bowl LVII. The Eagles abandoned a 0-5 start against D-I competition to reach the D-II semifinals, and Corrigan in pre-season saw what could be a better group this year.
“Our technical capabilities have improved tremendously,” he said. “We have some new players in the mix and returning players who have raised their level.”
The schedule didn’t change much, and the Eagles had another early storm to deal with. Corrigan said as long as athletes understand they will not emerge with a clean record from that range, the intense competition will again help raise their level of play.
“I like to start the season against a Metro level opponent who will really challenge us,” he said. “That helped us, in the end.”
One key return is Lake Division all-star goalkeeper Joy Toy, a junior. In front of senior Patricia McNerney, sophomore Mackenzie Griner and freshman Lillian McClain appear to be locked in early roles, with sophomore Brailey Livingston and senior Dakota Larocque challenging the times.
Senior Lucy Parker and junior Annie Dufault are back and will start in midfield, with junior Ellison Thomas and freshman Isla Underwood on the wings, and Thomas ready to spell midfield. Senior Abigail Stoddard, junior Piper Guilmette and sophomore Hazel Guilmette were also in midfield.
Corrigan said he believes the Eagles need to be solid back and center with the newcomers quickly playing with their more experienced teammates.
Corrigan plans to start three veterans up front, seniors Maia Jensen and juniors Natalie Atkins and Piper Guilmette, with sophomores Hazel Guilmette, Safi Camoura and Hazel Stoddard spelling them out.
“We have a lot of good attacking players,” he said, adding, “I think we will be able to score goals.”
If all goes well, Corrigan said those early games should prepare the team for another final wave of the season.
“If the main goal is to win the Lake Division championship, to win the D-II championship … we have to fight hard,” he said.
BOYS’ SOCCER
In 2021, Coach Rider MacCrellish’s Eagle boys’ soccer team mingled in difficult setbacks with encouraging victories, including an away win at Middlebury. But the Eagles lost a tough rubber game to the Tigers in the first round of the D-II postseason.
MacCrellish is hoping for more this year after his seniors took the initiative to run the team’s training sessions this summer.
“This is a very dedicated group,” said MacCrellish. “They come with a lot of energy to have a better season, especially the seniors.”
The hard work carried over into pre-season, he says, and the Eagles appear to have tied the knot
“They show up to training ready to work hard, and they take the feedback really well,” MacCrellish said. “And they get along well with each other.”
The Eagles have leadership and experience on the defensive end, although there is also one health question. Captain Jake Lucarelli is one of two defensive central midfielders along with sophomore Jonah Howell, and MacCrellish plans to field veterans Chance Denecker and Gavin Bannister at centre-back.
But Bannister is being treated for a pre-season injury. Until Bannister may be ready, MacCrellish says junior Owen Frizzell will partner Denecker.
He added Sawyer Shepard and junior Sam Mangini are likely to start at outfield, while saying new signing James Graziadei will start somewhere, either in midfield or defence, and junior Finley Kaeck is also available at D.
The defense will line up in front of two candidates to start in goal, senior Domenic DeNapoli or junior Luke Bleich.
Senior Sam Tropp will start in the middle of the offensive, with junior Noah Ladeau spelling it out there as well as filling in on the flanks. The wing midfielders include senior Noah Kirshenbaum, juniors Luke Mayer and Jack Breault, plus Graziadei and Kaeck.
Junior Judah Jackson will start as a striker, with the versatile Graziadei the top choice to spell it out, according to MacCrellish.
In addition to chemistry, the Eagles have skill and speed, according to their coach.
“We have a lot of similar technical capabilities across everyone,” MacCrellish said. “Many men have good physical ability and speed.”
And he explained the team’s mission.
“I really want to see these guys compete hard and grow consistently every game,” said MacCrellish. “That’s really our goal.”
Achieving that goal should have the desired side effect.
“That will pull us into the postseason with confidence,” he said.
CROSS COUNTRY
Eagle cross-country coaches Eva Friend and Brent Crum are looking forward to spending the next season with a group of athletes who they say are fun to work with.
“We have an amazing group of students right now,” said Crum. “As far as gelling as a group, they are team A. They cheer each other on during training on the hills. When it gets tough, they clap to each other. This is a strong group of children.”
Most returning from the 2021 state gathering are on the women’s side. Sophomore Kayla Friend broke the top 30 in D-II, and she and her seniors Ruby Jean Hall and Maisy Hill all came in under 30 minutes on the tough Thetford course.
Senior Norman Benoit was the only player to return from the team to score at Thetford, finishing 60th in less than 22 minutes. Seniors Sean Davison and William Iliff also performed well last year for the men’s team.
Coach Friend said athletes, including Davison and Iliff, should step in to fill the scoring shoes after spending time in the off-season.
“We’ve worked with other runners over the summer who have worked really hard,” said Friend, citing, for example, Morgan Barnes, Benoit, Davison, Iliff, Dustin Lavigne and Ryan Cross on the boys’ side. “I’m kind of happy to see this varsity team.”
Coach Friend also said his daughter had taken a step forward.
“Kayla worked really hard over the summer,” he said. “He’s currently running with the top boys.”
Crum said Hall and Hill helped set the tone for the other women’s team.
“They are great to have in the team. They push themselves hard,” he said.
Crum said among those who could join the three veterans as goalscorers in the women’s side were freshman Emily Fritz, who excelled for the Mount Abe high school team, and sophomore Isabella Shea, qualifying for the D-II state gathering in the 100-year-old. meter resistance.
The coaches admit the team are slightly lower in numbers than in years, but say the group had a strong pre-season. And Friends say there are some pluses for smaller groups.
“We have several runners, but we can work with runners more individually. It’s been good this past week,” he said. “The training plan going into pre-season is I think a little bit more difficult than I did last pre-season, and everyone seems to be pretty good with that.”
However, they will welcome more runners.
“We have room for more athletes to come out,” said Crum. “This is a sport about personal growth and improvement and gelling as a team.”
NEW SPORTS
Mount Abe is also launching two new sports this fall, bass fishing and golf, but the number of participants is small. Three students signed up for bass fishing, which relatively recently received VPA approval as a university activity. They are junior Jordan Schroeder, sophomore Riley Coffey and freshman Owen Jenkins.
Coach Phil Wade will lead all three—and any late registrations to two scheduled sporting events, both at the John Guilmette Access Area at South Hero. One is the VPA Classic High School Tournament on September 17, and the other is the championship tournament on October 8.
Senior Brenden Oxford is the only Eagle golfer, and he can compete as an individual in this fall’s Metro Conference event. Shawn Oxford, his father, will serve as program coach, but plans are reportedly calling for Oxford to train with the Vergennes golfers under the tutelage of their coach, Basin Harbor professional Jason Hughes.
