Vermont high school highlights: Defense sparks Milton football to win

MILTON - Relying on an opportunistic defense, Milton rumbled past Mount Anthony in the second half for a 32-7 victory in Division II high school football action on Friday night.

Ahead 6-0 at the break, the Yellowjackets (2-2) rode a pair of defensive touchdowns to their second straight victory.

Freshman Chaz Larivee had a 40-yard score on a fumble return and Jake Laware's 55-yard pick-six was the second defensive TD of the half for Milton.

More:Vermont Varsity Insider Athletes of the Week: Winners for Sept. 9-15

More:UPDATED: 2018 Fearless Free Press Football Forecast

Laware also threw a pair of scores and ran for another to guide the Yellowjackets. Reeve Dashnow got the first touchdown pass, from 25 yards out for the halftime lead. Colin Mathis had the other Laware TD reception, on a fade. 

Gavin Johnson hauled in a 46-yard reception for MAU’s lone score.

The Yellowjackets play host to Mount Abraham next Friday.

Burlington-South Burlington 29, Brattleboro 7: Manny Dodson powered to three first-half touchdowns, Nico Strempek piled up 165 rushing yards on 27 carries and host Burlington-South Burlington took advantage of great field position on seemingly every drive to rout winless Brattleboro.

The SeaWolves improve to 3-1. 

Dodson (89 yards on 13 carries) scored on TD runs of 21, 9 and 3 yards to give BHS-SB a 22-0 halftime lead. Robbie Mafuta closed out the SeaWolves' scoring with a 1-yard TD to cap their opening series of the third quarter.

The SeaWolves only had to go 37 yards on their first TD drive. After a blocked punt in the first minute of the second quarter, Dodson covered the distance to paydirt in two plays, gains of 14 and 9 yards, for the score.

Brattleboro then went for it on fourth-and-1 from its own 20, but Brett Bohlmann stuffed Adam Newton's outside run for no gain. Dodson made the Colonels pay, capping the short drive with a 3-yard burst up the middle for a 22-0 lead with 7:39 left in the half.

Mafuta's TD was also set up courtesy of a short field. A high snap on a Brattleboro punt gave the SeaWolves possession in the red zone.

Chris Frost ran from 3 yards out for the lone score in the fourth quarter for Brattleboro (0-4).

The SeaWolves held Brattleboro to 98 yards of total offense, including just 17 on the ground. BHS-SB picked up over 300 yards from scrimmage.

Mount Mansfield 32, Essex 6: Jehric Hackney gashed the Essex defense for a trio of touchdowns and over 200 yards on the ground as Mount Mansfield earned the road victory for its third straight triumph.

Hackney scored on TDs of 2, 4 and 19 yards, and MMU (3-1) converted all four two-point conversions. 

Silas Diamond had MMU's other touchdown, a 1-yard run in the fourth quarter.

For Essex (1-3), Tyler Millette scored from 5 yards out in the fourth quarter.

Colchester 48, Champlain Valley 7: Max Anderson totaled 142 rushing yards and three touchdowns, Bailey Olson was also involved in three scores and host Colchester breezed past Champlain Valley.

Quentin Hoskins (34 yards) and Anderson (1 yard) scored on the ground and Bos Powell hit Olson for a 27-yard hook-up as the Lakers (3-1) built a 20-0 lead after the first quarter.

The margin grew to 27-0 after Anderson dashed 43 yards for his second TD.

Alex Murray had the lone score for CVU (0-4), a 5-yard run in the second quarter.

In the second half, Olson hit Hoskins on a 39-yard screen pass for a TD and connected with AJ Bushnell for a 29-yard score. Sandwiched between those passing TDs was Anderson's third score, a 34-yard run.

Olson finished with 126 yards on offense and Hoskins had 91 yards from scrimmage for the Lakers.

Murray led CVU with 58 yards on the ground.

Middlebury 28, BFA-St. Albans 6: Visiting Middlebury scored three touchdowns in the second half to balloon a 6-0 halftime lead to 28-0 by late in the fourth quarter to topple BFA-St. Albans.

Both teams are 2-2.

Tyler Buxton ran for 109 yards on 10 carries and CJ Bryant added 86 yards on the ground for the Tigers. Simon Fischer (44 yards), Ian Ploof (32 yards) and Tim Goettelmann (29 yards) had Middlebury's rushing scores while Goettelman tossed a TD pass to Bode Rubright.

Fischer scored from 17 yards to give Middlebury a 6-0 halftime lead. Goettelmann hit Rubright (27 yards) with 2:49 left in the third quarter, and then Goettelmann (2 yards) and Ploof (5 yards) picked up the rushing scores in the final quarter to seal the victory.

For BFA, Colby Brouillette had 49 yards and a touchdown.

Rutland 21, Hartford 13: Visiting Rutland scored the game's final 21 points to rally past Hartford.

Dakota Peters ran for a 20-yard score and Ryan Moore connected with Lucas Hubbard for a 34-yard TD as Rutland turned a 13-0 deficit into a 14-13 halftime lead.

In the second half, Moore scooted 25 yards to seal the win for the Raiders (3-1).

Reece Thompson recovered a blocked punt in the end zone and Nick Porter also scored for the Hartford (2-2) touchdowns.

Lyndon 22, Mount Abraham 14: Steven Ferraro hit Peyton Barlow for a 37-yard touchdown pass late in the first half and visiting Lyndon never trailed in defeating Mount Abraham.

Mount Abraham closed to within 8-6 at halftime when Parker Hines found Jacob Thomas for a 21-yard TD with seven seconds left before the break.

In the second half, Ferraro fired a 20-yard TD to Brandon Stone for a 16-6 Lyndon lead. Ira White scored on a 12-yard reverse to trim the Eagles'  16-14 midway through the third quarter.

But a Stone 94-yard fumble return in the first minute of the fourth quarter carried the Vikings to victory.

Hines (81 yards) and Nevin Jemison (68) led the Eagles' rushing attack. For the Falcons, Ferraro passed for 91 yards and picked up 111 yards on 20 carries.

North Country 36, Spaulding 21: Alex Haugwitz had two rushing touchdowns as North Country beat visiting Spaulding to improve to 3-1.

The Falcons, ahead 8-6 at the break, outscored Spaulding 28-15 in the second half.

After Spaulding pulled to within 20-14 in the fourth quarter with 7:29 remaining, on a 12-yard pass from Jackson Pierson to Sam Bigglestone, North Country responded swiftly. Colby LeMay returned the ensuing kickoff 70 yards for a touchdown.

North Country then pulled away late in the fourth on a Sam Austin 9-yard TD rush. Ethan Sarault also had a rushing score.

Bigglestone added TD catches of 24, 12 and 63 yards for the Crimson Tide.

Girls soccer

Champlain Valley 5, Burr and Burton 1: Sydney Jimmo picked up two goals and an assist and Champlain Valley got its offense rolling in the rout of Burr and Burton in a rematch of last year's Division I final.

After their biggest scoring output of the season, the defending champion Redhawks improve to 5-0.

Josie Pecor scored two first-half goals for a 2-0 intermission lead. Jimmo then fired in her two tallies and Sara Kelley made it 5-0 less than 18 minutes into the second half.

Sky Woodard scored late in the contest for the BBA tally.

CVU's Maryn Askew made one save. Carol Herbert turned back nine shots for BBA (1-4).

Burlington 1, St. Johnsbury 0: Sage Smith scored from 20 yards out with 15 minutes to play and Burlington left St. Johnsbury with the narrow win.

Klara Martone had two saves for the Seahorses (5-1). Keisha Bedor stopped a dozen shots for the Hilltoppers (4-2).

Rice 2, Vergennes 1: Madison Goddard scored her first varsity goal, Alex Dostie provided a much-needed second-half cushion and Rice bested visiting Vergennes.

Goddard and Dostie scored 1:12 apart early in the second half before Emily Rooney tucked away Vergennes' goal in the 52nd minute.

Maddie Houston stopped six shots for Rice. Vergennes' Kate Gosliga made three saves.

Colchester 1, Essex 0: Madison Finelli's unassisted goal in the fourth minute was all Colchester needed in the win at Essex.

Yasmine Nsame made 14 saves for the 3-2-1 Hornets, playing their fifth one-goal game of the season.

Olivia Moore collected six saves for the Lakers (5-1).

Mount Mansfield 3, Brattleboro 0: Will Clark scored on a second-half direct kick and also had an assist as Mount Mansfield blanked Brattleboro.

Sabrina Goslin and Sydney Sears gave MMU a 2-0 halftime lead.

Anna Betz worked a two-save shutout for the Cougars (5-1).

Montpelier 3, Spaulding 2 (OT): Melanie Winters's overtime goal lifted Montpelier over host Spaulding in a back-and-forth contest.

Isabella Boutin's two second-half goals gave Montpelier a 2-1 lead before Ella McCarthy tallied the second of her two tallies with eight minutes left to force overtime.

Lindsey LaPan made eight saves for the Crimson Tide. Montpelier goalie Georgia Schiff stopped one shot.

Peoples 1, Harwood 0 (OT): Wesley Carlson struck for the winning goal in the 99th minute and Peoples left Duxbury with the triumph.

Paige Pierce made 12 saves for PA. Amaya Rogers stopped six shots for Harwood.

Oxbow 5, Enosburg 1: Avery Barton had two goals and Oxbow won at Enosburg.

Rilee Wadsworth, Zoe Barton and Rachel Spear also scored for Oxbow.

Enosburg's Erin Diette scored and Alison Dash made 13 saves.

Northfield/Williamstown 1, Lyndon 1: Lyndon's Claudisha Curtis and Northfield/Williamstown's Piper Mattsson had the goals as the teams battled to a draw.

Mattsson provided the equalizer in the 70th minute.