-The Southern Vermont League (SVL) announced the all-league honorees for baseball, softball, boys' and girls' lacrosse, track and field, tennis, Ultimate Disc, and Unified basketball last week.
• In baseball, Brattleboro's Jayke Glidden and Sam Bogart were named the A Division first team, with teammates Sean Cozza, Eric Kurucz, and Senji Kimura earning honorable mention.
Eli Allbee and Will Hallock of Bellows Falls were selected to the B Division first team, with teammates Steve Joslyn and Jaden Bazin receiving honorable mention.
Green Mountain's Tanner Swisher, Mason Parker, and Andrei Solzhenitsyn, and Leland & Gray's Cody Hescock were all first-team selections in the C Division. Logan Williams and Evan Farrar of Green Mountain and Spencer Claussen, Ryder Butynski, and Logan Holden of Leland & Gray earned honorable mention.
Twin Valley's Seth Wrathall made the D Division first-team, with teammate Colton Corey receiving honorable mention.
• Brattleboro's Kayli Speno was an A Division first-term selection in softball, while teammates Rose Stone and Sal North earned honorable mention.
Bellows Falls' Izzy Stoodley and Grace Hayes were named to the B Division first team, and teammate Brielle Mulverhill got honorable mention.
Named to the C Division first team were Leland & Gray's Kristen Lowe and Sophia Hallock, and teammates Molly Bingham, Addison Eldridge, and Rihanna Dryden earned honorable mention. Sara Dix of Twin Valley was named to the D Division first team.
• In girls' lacrosse, Brattleboro's Sophia Albright and Abby Henry were first-team selections, while teammates Emerson Freshee and Parker Thibault were second-team honorees.
• In boys' lacrosse, Brattleboro's Rowan Lonergan, Alex Dick, and Carter Mialkowski were second-team selections.
• In track & field, Brattleboro's Jack Cady, Nico Conathan-Leach, and Stockton Woodruff were first-team selections in the boys' A Division, while teammates Jackson Ferreira, Galen Fogarty, Willow Sharma, and Jonas Ackerman-Hovis received honorable mention.
In the girls' A Division, Brattleboro's Teagan Thurber and Hailey Richards were first-team selections, while teammates Arama Tuma and Rae Thibault earned honorable mention.
In the B Division, Laura Kamel, Hadley Gleim, and Desi Broadley of Bellows Falls were girls' first-team selections, while teammates Nola Sciacca, Elyse Thurber, and Avery Maxfield received honorable mention. Brandon Keller and Tristan Boylan of Bellows Falls were boys' first-team selections, while teammate Conner Jones received honorable mention.
• In tennis, Bellows Falls had six of its players make the B Division first team in girls' tennis - Avery Dole, Myleigh Illingworth, Gwen Guild, Natalie Douglass, Maise Ferenc, and Gracie Patterson. Teammates Amy King, Chelsea Stockwell, and Grace Pluff were second team selections and David Chelsey was named Coach of the Year.
Brattleboro's Malo Renault, Elias Frazier Olsen, Tucker Hessel, and Jackson Pals made the boys' A Division first team, with teammates Mark Richards and Eli Welch chosen for the second team. Brattleboro's Vivian Elliot was named to the girls' A Division team.
• Brattleboro's Austin Pinette and Twin Valley's John-Michael Richard were first-team Unified basketball selections, with Brattleboro'a Jeffrey White picked for the second team.
• Brattleboro's Desmond Longsmith and Colby Bristol and Leland & Gray's Ely White were selected to the Ultimate A Division first team, with Brattleboro's CJ Tustin and Leland & Gray's Antero Brown McCoard named to the second team.
Rebels came close in championship quest
• In the pressure-packed setting of a state championship game, it helps if you've been there before. The seniors on the 18-1 West Rutland Golden Horde softball team - Aubrey Beaulieu, Bella Coombs, Peyton Guay, Cam Williams, Sohyr Perry, and Kennah Wright-Chapman - are definitely not strangers to playing on a big stage with a championship on the line.
In basketball, this group has won four straight Division IV titles. In the 2024-25 school year, they were also runners-up in the Division IV girls' soccer title game. And in softball, the Horde was making its fourth straight appearance in the Division IV finals, with their last win coming in 2022.
So when, on June 16 at Vermont State University-Castleton, the Horde fell behind to the Leland & Gray Rebels and trailed 4-3 heading into the bottom of the fifth inning, these six young women from West Rutland who have playing together since grade school knew what they had to do. They scored seven runs in the fifth and nine runs in the sixth to put away the Rebels, 19-4, and end their high school careers as champions.
For the Rebels, there was no shame in losing to West Rutland. The frustration was that it was the third straight time that they have lost to the Horde in the softball tournament -Leland & Gray had been beaten by West Rutland in the semifinals in 2023 and the quarterfinals in 2024.
Seniors Kristen Lowe, Rihanna Dryden, Samantha Morse, and Sophia Durocher led a young Rebels team that grew up fast this season. And even though they lost both regular season games to the Horde, the Rebels thought they had a chance and they did come close to upsetting the champs.
West Rutland got its first two runs off Lowe, the Rebels' starting pitcher, on RBI singles by Williams and Emily Hopp in the third inning. The Rebels responded with four runs in the fourth. Morse started things off with an RBI single, and a wild throw on an infield grounder hit by Sophia Hall scored two more runs. Eighth-grader McKinley Bertram followed with an RBI single to put the Rebels ahead, 4-2.
The Horde got a run back in the fourth inning when Coombs scored on a passed ball. Then the West Rutland bats came alive as Wright-Chapman and Hopp each had an RBI single to put the Horde ahead. With two outs, Hayley Raiche, Beaulieu, and Perry then all hit RBI singles. After Lowe had to leave the game after she was hit in the hand by a line drive, Bertram took over and Williams hit a two-run triple to extend the Horde's lead to 10-4. The Rebels never recovered.
Guay, Vermont's all-time leading scorer in high school girls' basketball with 2,279 career points, was the winning pitcher. Williams finished with four hits and three RBIs, Coombs had three hits and two RBIs, and Hopp had two hits and three RBIs. Morse had two hits to lead the Rebels.
Rebels coach Mike Bingham is set to see 14 players on this year's roster come back next season. And the eighth- and ninth-graders on the team got some valuable experience in helping the Rebels reach the state championship game for the first time since 2017 while finishing with a 13-5 record.
Can this group of young Rebels compile as illustrious a record as the departing group of West Rutland seniors who leave after delivering six championship banners in the school gym? It should be a lot of fun to watch them try.
Post 5 opens Legion season with a pair of wins
• Brattleboro Post 5 opened the 2025 American Legion Baseball season with a 9-3 win over Rutland Post 31 on June 17 at St. Peter's Field in Rutland. Spencer Claussen, a standout with Leland & Gray this season, made his Post 5 debut with a base hit in the first inning. He later scored on a passed ball. Jayke Glidden followed with a two-run single that scored Harper Cutler and Ryan Peloso for a 3-0 lead.
Claussen made it 5-0 in the third inning with a two-run single. Peloso, another Leland & Gray player, was Post 5's starting pitcher and threw two shutout innings, but got into trouble in the third inning by giving up three runs. Reliever Alex McClelland came in to stop the Rutland rally, and Sean Cozza followed with three innings of no-hit relief. Leland & Gray's Ryder Butynski then provided the final inning of scoreless relief for Post 5.
Post 5 then faced Manchester Union Underground on June 19, and came away with a 6-0 win. Cozza had an RBI single in the third inning, part of a 2-for-4 day with a pair of RBIs for the first baseman. John Satterfield (2-for-3, RBI) also drove in a run as part of a three-run third that gave Brattleboro a 4-0 lead.
Glidden was the winning pitcher, limiting Manchester to four hits over six innings while striking out eight and walking two. After giving up a hit to the first batter he faced in the seventh inning, Sam Bogart then struck out the next three batters he faced to end the game.
Brattleboro will be on the road this week with games at Ludlow Post 36 and White River Junction Post 84, before hosting Bellows Falls Post 37 at Tenney Field on Monday, June 30 at 5:30 p.m.
'Brattle Paddle' is June 29
• The eighth annual Brattle Paddle races on the Connecticut and West rivers return on Sunday, June 29. There will be races for canoes, kayaks, SUPs, surf skis, and outriggers, and all skill levels are welcome.
According to Sandy Harris, one of the race organizers, last year's event attracted 80 participants from all over the Northeast and the event raised more than $3,000 for Interaction (formerly known as Youth Services). Proceeds from this year's race will again benefit Interaction.
Races will begin at 10:30 a.m., with separate starts for each class of racers. Awards and a light lunch for all registered participants will follow the race. The entry fee is $25, which includes t-shirts, lunch, and awards. Register at paddleguru.com or on the day of the race from 8:30 to 10 a.m. For more information, contact Harris at 603-762-2046 or [email protected].
Little League playoffs begin this week
• The Little League District 2 tournaments for the 10U and 12U All-stars from Brattleboro, Bennington, and Rutland County begin this week. Both the 10U and 12U teams will begin with round-robin play to determine seeding for the knockout round. The top two teams in each tournament will face each other in a best-of-three series to determine the district champion.
• This year's Brattleboro 12U All-Stars are Gavin Carpenter, Soren Cheslawski, Ayden Deyo, Cooper Deyo, Brayson George, Ben Hettrick, Dominic Houle, Owen Malouin, Niko Papadimitrio, Cole Systo, Mason Vollinger, and Zealand Wentworth.
The 12U district tournament gets going on Friday June 27, with Rutland at Bennington at 5:30 p.m. Brattleboro is at Rutland on Saturday, June 28, at 1 p.m., before Bennington plays at Brattleboro on Sunday, June 29, at 4 p.m. at South Main Street Field. June 30 is the rain date for any makeup games.
The second half of round-robin play gets going on July 1 with Bennington at Rutland at 6 p.m. Brattleboro is at Bennington on July 2 at 6 p.m., before Rutland plays at Brattleboro to wrap it up on July 3 at 6 p.m.
• Round-robin play in the 10U district tournament begins Friday, June 27 with Rutland playing at Bennington. On June 28, Brattleboro heads to Rutland, and on June 29, Bennington is at Brattleboro at 1 p.m.
The second half of round-robin play gets rolling on July 1 with Rutland playing at Brattleboro at 6 p.m., with Bennington playing at Rutland on July 2 at 6 p.m., and Brattleboro at Bennington on July 3 at 6 p.m.
On the roster for the Brattleboro 10U All-Stars is Emmett Cleveland, Emerson Deyo, Brayden Earp, Shane Gallagher, Brayden Gouger, Brodie Houle, Nicholas Libardoni, Jasper Miller, Justin Rivera, Major Rodriguez, Jace Snow, and Bradley Zolonoski.
• There's no district tournament for the Brattleboro 11U All-Stars. As the only 11U team in District 2, they get an automatic berth in the state tournament, which begins on July 12 in Chittenden County. On the 11U roster are Drew Alexander, Grayson Boudreau, Patrick Carroll, Dylan Crowley, Jacob Gallagher, Logan Gray, Bryson Letourneau, Teddy McKay, Simon Potter, Mason Rea, Hayden Scott, Jordan Torres, and Benson Urban.
Wright, Lonergan to play in Make-A-Wish Classic
• Brattleboro's two best boys' hockey players this season - forward Evan Wright and defenseman Rowan Lonergan - were named to the Vermont men's roster for the Make-A-Wish All Star Hockey Classic, which will be played on Saturday, June 28, at 6 p.m., at the University of Vermont's Gutterson Fieldhouse in Burlington.
Wright surpassed the 100-goal mark for his career and Lonergan set a new school record for goals and assists by a defenseman (30) as they led the Bears into the Division II semifinals.
The Make-A-Wish Hockey Classic showcases top graduated high school seniors from Vermont and New Hampshire. All proceeds from the event go to fulfill special wishes for children with life-threatening medical conditions. The Hockey Classic has raised more than $345,000 toward those wishes over its 33 years.
The women's all-star game will begin at 3:30 p.m. Tickets for both games are $15 for adults, $5 for students (ages 7-17), and free for children age 6 and under, and will be available at the door. All teams will participate in a skills competition on Friday, June 27 at 7:15 p.m., with free admission for spectators. Further information is available at allstarhockeyclassicvtnh.org.
Senior bowling roundup
• Week 8 of the spring/summer season of the Brattleboro Senior Bowling League at Brattleboro Bowl on June 19 saw Slo Movers (28.5-11.5) have a 0-5 week, but still remain in first place. Team 7 (26-14) had another 4-1 week and now share second place with Dims (also 26-14), followed by Cyclones (25.5-14.5), 4 Queens (23.5-16.5), Wayne's World and Leftovers (both 16-24), Having Fun (14-26), I.D. Care (13-27), and Strikers (11.5-28.5).
Pam Greenblott had the women's high handicap game (245), while Debbie Kolpa had the high handicap series (654). Stan Kolpa had the men's high handicap game (258) and Mike Pavlovich had the high handicap series (711). Dims had the high team handicap game (910) and series (2,541).
Chuck Adams had the men's high scratch series (597), with games of 204, 201, and 192, while Pavlovich had a 591 series with games of 215, 192, and 184. Robert Rigby had a 590 series with games of 214, 196, and 180, Gary Montgomery had a 542 series with a 202 game, and Milt Sherman had a 541 series with games of 202 and 182. Stan Kolpa had a 501 series with a 202 game, Warren Corriveau Sr. had a 500 series, and Eric Brown rolled a 189.
Greenblott had the women's high scratch series (452) and game (182). Shirley Aiken, Mary Parliman, and Debbie Kolpa each rolled a 167 game.
Randolph T. Holhut, deputy editor of this newspaper, has written this column since 2010 and has covered sports in Windham County since the 1980s. Readers can send him sports information at [email protected].
This Sports column was submitted to The Commons.