What to know for the 6 Vermont high school semifinal football games

Posted by Admin October 31, 2024 Football

We are down to 12 Vermont high school football teams still standing with a chance to book a trip to St. Johnsbury Academy to compete for a state championship on Saturday, Nov. 9.

The quarterfinals were full of action with No. 6 Hartford pulling off the weekend’s biggest upset taking down No. 3 Essex in Division I. Over in Division II, top-seeded Rice survived a scare from No. 8 U-32. The Green Knights blocked an extra point late to pull out the one-point win.

Let’s take a look at the six semifinals matchups. Plus, see below quick-hit previews for links to the weekly Fearless Free Press Football Forecast and how to stream select matchups on NFHS Network.

DIVISION I FOOTBALL SEMIFINALS

No. 6 Hartford (6-3) at No. 2 Rutland (7-1)

Date: Friday, Nov. 1

Game time: 7 p.m.

▶ Rutland is looking to return to the championship game for the first time since 2018 and win its first football state championship in nine years. They host the lowest remaining seed left in all of Vermont high school football, No. 6 Hartford. The Hurricanes finished last year as the D-I runner ups and this year have one of the most dominant running backs in the state in Nick Daniels. Against Essex in the quarterfinals, Daniels gained 188 yards on the ground, scoring all three touchdowns for Hartford. These two teams clashed in Week 8 with Rutland’s Jayden Graham rushing and throwing a touchdown in the win.

No. 4 Middlebury (6-3) at No. 1 Champlain Valley (9-0)

Date: Saturday, Nov. 2

Game time: 1 p.m.

▶ This is another rematch from earlier this season and a replay of the 2022 D-I championship game. In the first match up this season, the game was briefly tied at 7-7 in the first half before Champlain Valley found its groove scoring 34 unanswered points. The Redhawks forced numerous turnovers not allowing Middlebury to establish any kind of rhythm. Let’s see if the Tigers can get their rushing game going against the D-I favorites who have outscored their opponents 400-41 this season.

DIVISION II FOOTBALL SEMIFINALS

No. 4 Lyndon (6-3) vs. No. 1 Rice (8-1)

Date: Saturday, Nov. 2

Game time: 1 p.m.

▶ Either way one of these teams will earn their first championship appearance in about a decade injecting some new blood into the D-II championship game. Rice is looking to return to the championship for the first time since 2014 when the Green Knights won the D-II championship while Lyndon has not been to the championship since 2013. This will be the first meeting between the teams this year. Lyndon’s quarterback Ethan Lussier played one of his best games of the season last week, throwing for 389 yards and six touchdowns to five different receivers. The Green Knights only put up 14 points in their quarterfinal win, matching their season-low with one touchdown coming off a kickoff return. Rice shouldn’t be overlooked though as they have Dallas St. Peter, who makes plays on offense and defense.

No. 3 Fair Haven (7-2) at No. 2 Bellows Falls (6-2)

Date: Saturday, Nov. 2

Game time: 1 p.m.

▶ During the teams’ Week 5 showdown, Bellows Falls eked out a 14-7 victory over Fair Haven in a defensive struggle. Both teams are capable of big offensive performances, but this clash will likely come down to who controls time of possession and the line of scrimmage and who limits mistakes when one big scoring drive might be the difference. Quarterback Eli Allbee and running back Carson Clark powered the Terriers into the program’s 25th semifinal appearance. For Fair Haven, QB Cody Adams and brothers Max and Sam Kyhill were instrumental in their quarterfinal triumph.

DIVISION III FOOTBALL SEMIFINALS

No. 3 Springfield (5-3) at No. 2 Woodstock (7-0)

Date: Friday, Nov. 1

Game time: 7 p.m.

▶ Springfield survived Poultney in a quarterfinal clash, needing Dmitri Jasinski’s blocked extra point late in regulation to preserve a 21-10 win. The Cosmos are in the semifinals in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2008 and 2009. But Woodstock enters this matchup as the favorite. The Wasps blanked Springfield 34-0 during the regular season, one of five shutouts this fall. Caeden Perreault has 13 touchdowns, including four in the return game, and 1,191 all-purpose yards, while Vince Petrone has 1,222 rushing yards and 17 TDs on the ground to pace Woodstock’s season leaders.

No. 4 Otter Valley (4-4) at No. 1 BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille (9-0)

Date: Saturday, Nov. 2

Game time: Noon

▶ Fairfax/Lamoille put together its first undefeated regular season since becoming a cooperative program in 2018. The Bullets have scored at least 25 points in eight of their nine wins. In the lone game they didn’t reach 25 points, the Bullets toppled Rice, the top seed in the D-II tournament, in a 20-14 road triumph back in Week 7. Fairfax/Lamoille’s line play, physical defense and a stable of bruising running backs have made the Franklin County program a dominant force this fall. Otter Valley started 1-3, including a 35-0 season-opening loss to Fairfax/Lamoille, but have claimed three of four games, topped by the quarterfinal rout of Mill River.

Fearless Forecast predictions for Vermont high school football semifinals

This week’s statewide media predictions and updated standings are available for Free Press subscribers. Click the link below to read this week’s poll.

How to watch Vermont high school football semifinals

The NFHS Network is the place to stream Vermont high school football. Click link below to see the schedule for semifinal games on NFHS Network.

Vermont high school football semifinal games on NFHS Network

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5.

Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com. Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @Judith_Altneu.

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