By Christopher Shaban
EAGLE TIMES STAFF
CASTLETON, Vt — The 69th Maple Sugar Bowl Shrine Game has ended and left us with some lasting memories. I’m not sure when the area had 11 players in the game so this might be a record.
Before kickoff, the players lined up along their endzone and one by one, were introduced and jogged to midfield to meet with a player from the opposing team to shake hands.
During introductions I walked along the sidelines to get a feel of what the players were thinking. “I am so excited, this is such a great feeling, I can’t wait to get going,” said Newport’s Devyn Heino.
Every player I talked to was so proud to be in the game, all they seemed to care about was trying their best and giving their all. “This game meant so much to not only me but my community. I am here to represent them. I woke up ready for this game,” said Windsor’s Dalton Clifford, as a section of the stands were full of yellow shirts from the Yellow Jacket faithful.
Fall Mountain’s Brady Elliott wearing #1 was the first to be introduced and all he talked to me about was playing. “I’m here to hit someone and to lock up Slade,” said the tall speedster. Slade Postemski is the Vermont Gatorade Player of the Year. Postemski was limited to two catches and nine yards on the day, as Elliott and his fellow defenders kept a close eye on #31.
Springfield Head Coach Todd Aiken was on the Vermont coaching staff, and when a spot became available, he had Sam Presch on speed dial. “Coach told me to be ready, when I got the call, I couldn’t believe it, I had class on Monday morning and by noon I was at Castleton University with the team,” said Presch.
The area had two quarterbacks on the team, as Jon Terry from Bellows Falls and Luke Gay from Fall Mountain have known each other for years. “We played pee-wee football together and we know each other very well but today I’m here to win,” said Gay. “We only live a little bit apart and our schools are really close but I’m here with my boys (Bellows Falls teammates) to win,’’ said Terry.
Saturday’s game plan was more focused on the run than anything else, and we had some of the best runners and blockers on the field from our area. Bellows Falls boasted a pair of undefeated state champions in Jed Lober and Jeb Monier, while the Windsor Yellow Jackets had Ben Gilbert in the house. Monier was a bulldozer, as the blocks he threw were loud and sprung others for big important yards. There was also this big tough 225-pound offensive lineman from Bellows Falls named Pat Barbour who just kept pushing people around all day.
Speaking of the running game, Lober and Gilbert were the real deal. These horses ground down the New Hampshire defense and put Vermont in position late in the game to tie things up. “I am exhausted, but I wouldn’t trade this experience for anything,” said Gilbert. Lober was called upon during Vermont’s final drive, and he delivered with some lower-the-shoulder runs that kept the Green Mountain state moving forward. “I would have loved to finish my career going 13-0 but I guess 12-1 is still ok with all the local feel today,” said Lober, referring to his school’s undefeated state championship season.
The last player introduced was Windsor’s Austin Gauld, who said, “I am so excited and nervous at the same time,” as he stepped on the field for the last time as a high school football player, “this is just an incredible feeling.”
Note: We ran the coaches game predictions from all of our local coaches. Not surprisingly each coach chose their state for victory. The closest coach to pick a winner went to Stevens coach Paul Silva who had New Hampshire winning by five points. The final score was New Hampshire 7 and Vermont 0.
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