By Christopher Shaban
[email protected]
CLAREMONT — After originally floating the idea of a statewide football schedule, the Vermont Principals Association (VPA) has pivoted to a regional schedule that puts our local schools in one of the four divisions that will include Hartford, Woodstock, Windsor, Springfield, Bellows Falls and Brattleboro. The “Hartford Area” division has a nine-game schedule that offers two games per week played on Tuesday/Wednesday and Friday/Saturday. The other divisions are Burlington Area, Rutland Area and the St. Johnsbury Area. Thirty schools in Vermont currently offer football.
This new alignment looks a lot like the Connecticut Valley League (CVL) which was a very popular and successful league that consisted of school in our immediate area that played teams in our region on both sides of the Connecticut river. Most of these games were played in front of huge crowds with intense rivalries. Over the years for some reason, the VPA and New Hampshire Interscholastic Athletic Association (NHIAA) changed scheduling procedures to make it more difficult for the CVL to exist. The league eventually went away but the “old timers” remember the competition fondly and a revival could be something to consider going forward.
The 7-on-7 football games will eliminate offensive and defensive line play and collisions/tackling using guidelines from the VPA. Springfield head coach Todd Aiken said” everything we’ve been taught about football is out the window and we all need to adjust to this type of game.” Each team will have 7 players on the field at a time and the format will be a running clock with passing only allowed during the (four) 15-minute quarters. Helmets will be the only protective equipment while the Lineman group will play Quarters 1 & 3, Backs & Receivers play Quarters 2 & 4. Defensive players in quarters 2 & 4 who also are offensive lineman can play offense during quarters 1 & 3. All plays on offense must be passes and blocking and tackling is not allowed and the Receiver/Ball carrier is legally down when touched with one or both hands by a defensive player. “We’ll take what we can get and our team is extremely excited about playing football no matter how it looks” said Windsor head coach Greg Balch.
On offense, teams will line up with a center and quarterback plus five receivers while the defense can only defend the player with no contact. “This is all new to us as we have never played a 7-on-7 style before but I expect that strong quarterback play and a speedy receiving core will be the focus on offenses” Balch said.
“I’m getting everyone ready to be flexible with positions and Aiken said that his team will be ready. This will be a speed game and conditioning and depth will be important. We’re excited to play and with all the community support and feeling that Springfield is back on the map, how can you not want to play football.”
The scoring rules have not changed and there will be NO film exchanging for this season between teams but according to Balch, “this should be fun.”
There is no postseason planned as of yet but wouldn’t a CVL-type tournament be something if things go well?
2020 Vermont local football schedule
9/25-Springfield hosts Brattleboro 7pm
9/26-Windsor hosts Hartford 1pm, BF hosts Woodstock 1pm
9/29-Springfield at Woodstock 6pm
9/30-BF hosts Hartford 4pm, Windsor hosts Brattleboro 4pm
10/2-Springfield hosts Woodstock 7pm, Windsor at Brattleboro 7pm, BF at Hartford 7pm
10/7-BF hosts Windsor 4pm, Springfield at Hartford 6pm
10/9-Springfield hosts Hartford 7pm
10/10-Windsor hosts BF 1pm
10/13-BF at Brattleboro 6pm
10/14-Windsor hosts Springfield 4pm
10/17-Springfield hosts Windsor 7pm, BF hosts Brattleboro 1pm
10/20-Springfield hosts BF 6pm
10/21-Windsor hosts Woodstock 4pm
10/23-BF hosts Springfield 7pm, Windsor at Woodstock 7pm
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