The winter sports season has wrapped up for local high schools, and a lot of terrific winter athletes are now gearing up for baseball, softball, lacrosse and track.
But before those other sports really get rolling, let’s take a little time to look at the achievements of this winter.
Stowe High
Both of Stowe’s hockey teams had stellar seasons.
The girls won a total of 19 games and their first-ever state championship, which they earned by beating Missisquoi 5-0 in the Division 2 title game.
The boys team earned the No. 3 seed in Division 1, which is populated by the biggest schools in the state, and made it to the Final Four before losing 3-2 to Essex in the semifinals.
Nicole McNabb and Emmy Schoepke had excellent seasons for the Stowe high alpine ski team; both finished in the top 10 in the alpine state championship races.
Stowe High senior Hattie Moriarty was the highlight for the girls basketball team, reaching the 1,000-point mark, but the Raiders chose not to go to the postseason.
The boys basketball team won five games, a bit of a renaissance after several tough seasons, but fell to second-ranked Williamstown in the opening round of the postseason.
Peoples Academy
Athletes from Peoples were key cogs on the cooperative hockey teams at Stowe High School, which both had excellent seasons.
The girls team captured its first-ever title with a 5-0 win over Missisquoi in the title game.
The boys team reached the semifinals before falling to Essex in a close game.
Both basketball teams turned in fine seasons for Peoples.
The seventh-ranked girls team made a run through the Division 3 playoffs, winning a home game and upsetting BFA Fairfax to reach the Barre Auditorium, where they lost a tight game to eventual champ Windsor in the semifinals.
The boys team won 18 games, earned the No. 3 seed in the postseason, and reached the quarterfinals before being upset by BFA Fairfax on a last-second shot.
Junior Sofie Carlson and freshman Linden Osborne both had good seasons in Nordic skiing, with Osborne qualifying for the U-16 championships and Carlson skiing well at the state championship meet.
Harwood Union
Senior Jordi Kulis ended her Nordic ski season on a high note, winning the classic race at the state championship meets.
Erin Magill and Kyle Marie Hekeler joined her in the top 10, and the Harwood girls finished third as a team while the boys came in fifth.
Rex Rubinstein, Connor Woolley and Gretchen Kogut all had strong seasons in alpine skiing.
The boys hockey team earned a No. 4 seed in the Division 2 playoffs, but fell to Milton in the quarterfinals.
The girls hockey team lost to U-32 in the opening round of the playoffs, even though the two teams had split their two regular-season games.
The girls basketball team also fell to U-32 in the first round of the playoffs after one of its best regular seasons in recent memory.
The boys basketball team ended the season on a hot streak, but drew a tough opponent in the opening round of the playoffs, No. 2 Lake Region, and lost a tight game on the road.
Harwood is the only local school with a gymnastics team, and this year Delana Cheney won several meets for one of the youngest teams at the school.
Lamoille Union
Sophomore MegAnne Gilmore added to her impressive running career with a pair of state titles in indoor track, winning at 1,000 and 1,500 meters.
The girls basketball team reached the Division 2 quarterfinals yet again, going on the road and upsetting a 16-win team from Bellows Falls in the opening round of the playoffs before falling in the quarterfinals.
The boys team nearly notched its own first-round upset, but fell to Mount St. Joseph on the road in a heavy rain of 3-pointers in the second half.
A few athletes from Lamoille also skated for the Mount Mansfield Union High School hockey team this season, helping the boys team earn the No. 2 seed in Division 2.
The Lamoille dance team fared well at the state championship meets yet again, placing fourth in both jazz and hip-hop to qualify for the New England Championships.
The numbers increased on both the alpine and Nordic ski teams, enabling them to send full boys and girls squads to the state championship meets.
(0) comments
Welcome to the discussion.
Log In
Keep it clean. Please avoid obscene, vulgar, lewd, racist or sexual language.
PLEASE TURN OFF YOUR CAPS LOCK.
Don't threaten. Threats of harming another person will not be tolerated.
Be truthful. Don't knowingly lie about anyone or anything.
Be nice. No racism, sexism or any sort of -ism that is degrading to another person.
Be proactive. Use the "Report" link on each comment to let us know of abusive posts.
Share with us. We'd love to hear eyewitness accounts, the history behind an article.