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   John Bonnetts Northern Sports Weekly

RICE LIGHTS UP MVU

10-10-10

SWANTON – Division One powerhouse Rice used its quick passing and a balanced attack to roll past Division Two Missisquoi Valley Union 5-0 Friday in non-league girls high school soccer action.

“That is how we have been playing,” Rice Coach St. Ambroise Azagoh-Kouadio said. “I mean in three games we have thirteen goals so we can score.

“The mistake people are making right now is they used think it was because of Brittany but as you see everybody can score on my team. Everybody is taking us lightly but we can move the ball around and it is a pleasant game to see. “

The Green Knights opened sixteen minutes into the first half thanks to a bit of trickery off a direct kick from twenty-five foot out. Rice’s Reagon Jewell and Holly Thayer both ran up and faked taking the direct kick before Angie Krywancyzk drilled the ball just over the Thunderbird wall and under the cross bar for a 1-0 lead.

“That is Brazillian style,” St. Ambroise Azagoh-Kouadio said. “We have plenty of that kind of plays, we reheased it and it is lovely.”

With the game played in a steady drizzle throughout the first half it appeared the weather was going to help keep this a one goal game through the first forty minutes. But with just under three minutes to go the Green Machine move the ball from mid-field using some perfect passing that kept the ball untouched by any MVU defender.

Just over mid-field Jewell slid the ball to Thayer who sent it right back on perfect give and go that caught the MVU defenders flat footed. Jewell than rang a 12’ footer off the cross bar but the ball bounced completely across the goal mouth where Thayer was all alone and tapped in it for a 2-0 lead.

“That was tough,” MVU Coach Krista Tatro said. “The first goal was on a free kick and there was nothing we could do about that one and then to be unmarked and to let them score that easily.

“They are a good team but we definitely did not sort things out defensively today so it was tough to give that one up. It definitely took some momentum away from anything we did have going for us.”

As the ran went from drizzle to steady down poor so did the Lady Thunderbirds offensive chances as Rice scored three times and pinned MVU in its own end for most of the second half

“We did have a couple of chances in the first half and then after that it was just minimal offensive chances,” Tatro said.

The Green machine made it 3-0 when Krywancysk slid a low shot just inside the right post with 25:55 left in the game for her second goal of the day.

Just three minutes later Rice’s Molly Flynn than redirected a loose ball in front of the MVU goal for a 4-0 lead.

“Everyone can score and you just look at our chances to see that,” St. Ambroise Azagoh-Kouadio said. “When you have a team where everybody passes than that is the beauty of the game and that is the kind of game I try to teach to the kids here.

“Everybody who know Azzie knows that Azzie always try’s to teach soccer and we will play good soccer regardless of the outcome. “

The Green Machine finished the scoring with four minutes left when Thayer netted here second of the game off of a nice feed from Alicia McCormick.

“I give credit to the goalkeeper from MVU she was busy and she had some nice saves,”  St. Ambroise Azagoh-Kouadio said of the Lady Thunderbirds sophomore goalie Laura Flint who was making her second consecutive start for MVU.

“She made some good saves back there and she is really vocal,” Tatro said. “We have two keepers that we choose form everyday and it is not something someone did wrong. “It is just a change of pace because obviously we are struggling a little bit toward the end of the season and we want to try to figure some last minute things out and get some momentum going for us

“So putting Laura in net has just picked up the pace a little for us on defense and given us a fresh start.”

Tatro said MVU (1-7) right now is looking for any change that will get things on track over the final weeks of the regular season.

“We are still struggling with procession,” She said. “So we will work on trying to make the right runs into the right places and play the ball where we need be making the runs.

 “We will be trying to protect the ball a little bit and create more offensive chances for us.  I think on defensive we need to be marking our responsibilities better and just go hard every game.”

 On the other side St. Ambroise Azagoh-Kouadio said  his team has its eyes on a state championship run and is only looking to improve on its steady play over the final weeks of the regular season.

If we can just play a little quicker,

” He said. “Asyou noticed the more we pass the ball the better we are, so we are just looking to go to the playoffs being ready.”

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Colchester used some big brakes to knock off BFA-St.Albans

10-3-2010

Colchester – Colchester scored twice is the first ten minutes and then used some big brakes and timely calls to knock off BFA-St. Albans 4-1 Saturday afternoon in Colchester.

“We just could not get a call in our direction either way,” BFA Coach Luke Laroche said in frustration. “Whether it was inside the box or outside the box it didn’t matter we could not get anything for it.

“It is tough not to get brakes when we do the best we can and we work out buts off out there and then we get nothing to help us out.”

The Lakers first brake of the day came just under four minutes into the game when Dustin Whitcomb used his head to redirect a long pass right on to the foot of Brendan DeOrsey ten feet in front of the BFA goal.

DeOrsey’s then drilled a shot that beat Bobwhite netminder Kolby Dunesmore and struck the post.  But instead of the ball bouncing away it struck Dunesmore in the back of the leg and rolled back across the goal line for 1-0 Laker lead.

The just over five minutes later the Lakers made it 2-0 when Zach Dandurand headed a nice centering pass from DeOrsey.

“Previously we have been more of a second half team,” Colchester Coach Dan McCannell said. “But today we wanted to come out strong and we scored two goals in ten minutes which I was happy about.”

Despite being down by two early the Bobwhites appeared to find their stride late in the first half. Senior Nick Williams picked up the ball and beat two Colchester defenders before blasting an eighteen footer from top of the box but the ball hit the inside of the post and bounced all the way to the right side of the field.

Then with just over a minute left in the half there was a scramble on the Colchester goal line but BFA just could not get the ball past Laker keeper Matt McBride and the scored remained at 2-0 after forty minutes of play.

“We hit on off the post had a couple in front and then we had one on the goal line.” Larcohe said. “That could have been a huge momentum change.

“If we had actually put one of those in or maybe even two and tie it up at the half then it makes a totally different game.”

The Lakers (6-2) took that momentum right  back just over a minute into the second half by using some nice touch passes in front of the BFA goal before Colin Burns slipped a perfect shot just under the cross bar for a 3-0 lead.

But the Bobwhites did not give up junior Camilo Cuadra who finally got BFA on the board with 33:47 left in the game. Caudra stripped Colchester’s Burns of the ball just outside the Laker box and then took two quick dribbles before slipping the ball just inside the right post.

“He (Caudra) worked hard for the ball,” Laroche said. “He applied pressure, which is what we want our guys to do, and he was rewarded with a goal.

“It comes down to just wanting it more then the other team and doing whatever is necessary all of the time.”

Then Lakers final goal came on a controversial play just three minutes later. Colchester was awarded a corner kick off of a shot that had appeared to goal wide of the goal without being touched.

Then as Whitcomb lofted the corner kick for the Lakers Dunesmore was held and unable to jump to make a play and the ball landed just past him and was easily redirected into the net by Burns to finish the scoring.

As they head into the final weeks of the season the Bobwhites (0-8) are still looking for their first win but Coach Laroche is still looking for his team to keep their head up and work hard.

“We just need to keep learning and trying to get better and understand what we are trying to do,” he said.

Colchester on the other hand has their eyes set on the Metro crown and McCannel said his team needs to be more consistent over the final couple of weeks.

“We are just looking to maintain consistency,” he said. “Before today’s game we talked about controlling a team from beginning to end because we have been inconsistent.

“Previously we have been more of a second half team but today we wanted to come out strong . We had talked about scoring early today which we did but we have to be consistent going into the other Metro games. “

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Powder Puff Football Brings Two Communities Together to Fight Cancer...  

9-27-2010

St. Albans – As high school sports rivalry’s go anytime BFA- St. Albans and MVU do battle it is a game the entire community comes out to see. But on Saturday night the two schools were not just battling each other but a far bigger rival: CANCER.

It was the second annual Powder Puff Football games featuring seventy-six senior girls from the two schools doing battle on the football field in an effort to raise money for those battling the deadly decease.

“These girls put everyone on the line for this,” said MVU Athletic Director Dave Rousseau. “They are out here doing something they are not accustomed to do in front of a huge crowd. We have a bunch of senior girls here who are willing to work hard for a good cause.”

The Power Puff game was founded last year after BFA Alum Ross Toof was diagnosed with cancer. Members of the 2009 senior classes, led by Ali Burno, wanted to do something to raise money for him and his family.  But why football?

“It was a natural fit,” BFA Athletic Director Dan Marlow said. “It did not count toward anyone’s standings so it was just about two schools with a competitive edge using a game to benefit others.

“At a time when people are quick to criticize kids for their actions it has a tremendous effect on them and the community when you realize what you can do to reach out for others.”

Just too participate in the game each girl has to raise their own sum of money which is set by their school. In total the inaugural game raised just over $6,000.00. That money was meant to go to the Toof.

But he wanted this game to be about more than just him and he requested it be to go to the Jim Bashaw Cancer & Catastrophic Illness fund which provides assistance to families who are facing catastrophic illness from cancer.

“It (this game) is part of the Comet and MVU philosophy, which places an emphasis on giving back to the community,” BFA Hockey Coach and Power Puff Football Official Luke Cioffi said. “Some of these kids are not even athletes they just want to be a productive member of the community.”

This year’s game proceeds will be at least double the dollar value of the first. As coming into the game the two schools has already raised just under $10,000 just from what each girl needed to raise to be part of it.

The only difference this year is that the money is being split with the BFA portion again going to the Jim Bashaw Cancer & Catastrophic fund while MVU’s portion will go Camp Ta-Kum-Ta, which provides a free camp for children who have been diagnosed and are battling cancer.

“It (this game) was a lot of fun but it was a lot more work than I thought,” MVU Senior hockey and soccer player Ghislaine Lykens-Bonnette said. “But I wanted to be part of this because a lot of my relatives have either survived cancer or died from it so it was worth the work to help others .”

BFA senior hockey player Taylor Girard echoed those comments.

“For those with cancer this was a great opportunity to show we care,” she said. “It is a great way to honor them.”

But of course this was also a game in which the girls for both schools would retain bragging rights over their rivals, friends and in some cases relatives and on Saturday it was the BFA ground game which outdueled MVU and found the end zone three times while shutting out MVU.

“These girls will never know how many people they have touched just by being part of this game,” Marlow said. “It has nothing to do with how big or strong you are but how big your heart is and your willingness to help others.”

The hope is that this game will expand beyond Franklin County to schools throughout the state.

“Other schools are looking at this and seeing how they can apply it toward their own rivalries and use it to help others in need,” Marlow said.

In just the time it took to play this game over one hundred people died of cancer and over 569,000 people in the United States die from it each year so anyone who would like help those who are fighting this decease can still donate by contacting either Dan Marlow at BFA or Dave Rousseau at MVU.

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BFA Takes a huge step forward.

9-18-2010

St. Albans – Friday night’s BFA-Essex Division I battle was more than just a homecoming game. It was for than just it battle of two Division I rivals. It was a changing of the guard, a statement from the Bobwhites to the rest of Division I: THE BOBWHITES ARE BACK.

Bellows Free Academy used its three headed running attack and huge defensive plays to knock off the defending states champions from Essex 24-7 on homecoming night at the Collins-Pearly Sports Complex. It was the first time that the Bobwhites have beaten Essex since returning to Division I four years ago.

“Obviously Essex has athletes all over the field,” BFA Coach Geoff Murray said. “There are the defending state champions so we knew it was going to be a challenge. “It was a great win, it was homecoming so it meant a lot to our seniors. I am happy for the kids, they really wanted this game tonight and they earned it.”

The Bobwhites rushed the ball 56 times for 335 yards and one touchdown on the ground with Connor Roberts  leading the way with 27 carries for 171 yards. Same Rose (14-for-44), Caleb Menard (10-for-68) and Sean Connor (4-for 57, 1 touchdown) also helped the Bobwhites sting the Hornets.

“It feels great,” said Connor of his teams dominating win. “Our (offensive) line won the game for us today. They controlled the line of scrimmage and that is why we won the game tonight.”

The Bobwhites drew first blood on their first drive of the night when Connor nailed a 16 yard field goal with 6:08 to go in the first quarter. On the drive BFA ran the ball 12 times and drove the ball from its own 21 yard line all the way to the Essex four before a great goal line stand forced the field goal.

“Our plan going into tonight was that we really wanted to control the clock,” Murray said. “It was a great effort from our offensive line. It (the game plan) worked out and I am happy that we were able to execute it.”

On the following drive the Essex offense looked to get on track as they quickly drove the ball 72 yards on seven plays and had a first-and-goal from the BFA 5-yard line. But the Bobwhite defense stiffened as they stopped the Hornets on four straight plays including sacking Essex quarterback Ryan Mitchell for a three yard loss and then stopped Ammon Doney in the backfield for a seven yard loss.

“Hats off to BFA,” Essex Coach Charlie Burnett said. “They came in here ready to play, they have a great team and it was their day today and we just did not make enough plays.”

After taking over on downs the Bobwhite rushing attack again took control as they marched the ball down the field with seventeen straight running plays and ended with Connor going 29 yards on a keeper for a 10- BFA lead. On the touchdown run Connor  looked to handoff inside but when that wasn’t there he broke around the right end picked up a huge block from Junior Mike Schreiner and then raced 29 yards untouched for the score.

“That was a broken play,” he said. “The tailback slipped  so I kept the ball and saw an opening and went for it. That was a first year player that made a great block to open get me through there.”

Despite being down the defending state champs were not done as they marched the ball 64 yards before Mitchell hit Mike DiMambro for a 5-yard touchdown pass to cut the score to 10-7 just before halftime. The touchdown was setup by two fourth-down conversions and a huge pass interference penalty against the Bobwhites.

“(At the half) we talked about the penalties because we felt if we could stop putting ourselves in bad situations we could have success,” Murray said. “We felt pretty good because we were controlling the line of scrimmage and moving the ball.”

BFA came out flying in the second half as they started from their own 40-yard line and marched the ball 60 yards on 10 plays before Connor found Senior Jeff Lawler streaking down the left sideline for a 27-yard touchdown pass and a 17-7 Bobwhite lead with 8:30 left in the third quarter.

“They were coming up in the box and we felt like we had a chance downfield,” Murray said. “We talked about it at halftime and almost hit it on the first play but then we got in for the touchdown.”

From that point on it was the BFA defense we took control of the game as four of Essex last six drives ended with Bobwhite interceptions. Including one by Senior Colin Menard, his third pick of the night, that was returned 30 yards for a touchdown to finish the scoring with 3:28 left in the game. The Bobwhites, who intercepted Mitchell five times, also got picks from Lawler and Junior Oliver Manning.

“We were fortunate tonight,” Murray said. “it was slick and guys for falling down but the nice thing was that when we had the chance to make the play we made it.”

The undefeated Bobwhites (3-0) who now travel to Spaulding next week, have outscored their opponents 105-33 in three games including previous victories over Mount Anthony (26-12) and Brattleboro (55-14).

 “Historically we take it day by day, week by week and every year is different. Our game plan is that we always want to have a chance in the fourth quarter. We feel like if we can have chance late then we can make a play to win.”

“We have to move on from here,” Murray said. “We will be back at work on Monday, they (Spaulding) have a tough team and an offense that we haven’t seen a lot of so we will have a lot to do to get ready for them.”

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