By Adam Aucoin
THE RUTLAND HERALD
The midseason of a high school football season can often bring a more clear view of what teams are bound to be at the top of the standings come playoff time. This fall, the picture remains pretty fuzzy in Division I.
There are the clear heavyweights of the first half of the season. Burr and Burton Academy is undefeated and only looks to be getting stronger and CVU has dominated every time it has played in-state competition.
It wouldn’t be shocking if those two teams met in mid-November at Rutland High School for the D-I championship, but what about the rest of the field? Who is going to rise to the level of those clubs?
Five of the nine teams in Division I enter Week 5 with a 2-2 record, so it’s anybody’s game. A high seed is up for the taking if anyone turns on the afterburners in the second half of the regular season.
Essex and Middlebury are hitting their stride at the right time. The Hornets have responded with two straight wins after close opening week losses.
The Tigers have come back from getting blasted in the first two weeks and rattled off two wins in a row. Their most recent victory showed their potential as they slowed a very strong Rutland offense Friday night.
Rutland and St. Johnsbury are two teams trying to stop the ball from rolling the wrong direction.
RHS weren’t perfect in the first two weeks, but earned wins. Not much has gone right for them in Weeks 3 and 4.
The Hilltoppers lost in a close battle against Essex in Week 3 and couldn’t keep up with the high-powered Redhawks offense in Week 4.
Hartford is the final of the .500 clubs. They gave BBA a tough battle in Week 4, but will be challenged in a big way with CVU and Middlebury up next on the schedule.
With so little separating this deep D-I group, seven of those clubs found a way into the top 10 of this week’s Rutland Herald/Times Argus football power rankings.
Let’s jump into this week’s rankings. A team’s previous week ranking is in parentheses.
1. BBA 4-0 (1). The Bulldogs weren’t dominant in Week 4 against Hartford, but still found a way to win. They have the makings of a team that could make a deep playoff run.
2. CVU 3-1 (2). It’s tough to find a better offense than the one the Redhawks have. In games against Vermont opponents, they are averaging nearly 50 points per game. Can a good Hartford team fare any better in Week 5?
3. Bellows Falls 4-0 (3). The Terriers are only getting stronger. They blasted a U-32 team that is much better than their record belies in Week 4. A showdown with fellow undefeated North Country will say a lot about the hierarchy in Division II.
4. Hartford 2-2 (6). The Hurricanes earn points for playing undefeated BBA very tough on Saturday. In a state of high-powered offenses, Hartford’s defense has been impressive outside of their Week 1 loss, holding teams to 24 points or less in their last three games.
5. Essex 2-2 (7). The Hornets had their best offensive output of the season on Friday, putting up 35 points in a win against BFA-St. Albans. Essex may be less experienced than its state-champion team of last fall, but has shown it has the juice to be a D-I contender once again.
6. North Country 4-0 (8). The Falcons are enjoying their best season in recent memory. Their closest margin of victory was 22 points and they just blasted Milton 54-0 in Week 4. It all leads to their biggest test of the year, hosting BF on Friday.
7. St. Johnsbury 2-2 (4). A Hilltoppers defense that was allowing less than 15 points per game in the opening three weeks couldn’t keep that standard against CVU in Week 4. It doesn’t get any easier playing BBA on Friday.
8. Mount Anthony 3-1 (9). The Patriots are very much in that elite tier with Bellows Falls and North Country. Good teams win the games they are supposed to and MAU had no problem with that on Friday, blowing out winless Mount Mansfield.
9. Middlebury 2-2 (UR). The Tigers’ impressive win against Rutland earns them a spot in the top-10. Middlebury’s defense shined in a way it hasn’t all season long. Essex is a tough challenge in Week 5.
10. Rutland 2-2 (5). For the second week in a row, RHS couldn’t a ton going offensively. Maybe a change of pace will do them well. Rutland plays at 3-1 Concord, New Hampshire Friday night.
On the bubble: Windsor, Brattleboro, Fair Haven, Lyndon, Fairfax/Lamoille.
TOP FIVESDivision I: 1. BBA; 2. CVU; 3. Hartford; 4. Essex; 5. St. Johnsbury.
Division II: 1. Bellows Falls; 2. North Country; 3. MAU; 4. Brattleboro; 5. Fair Haven.
Division III: 1. Windsor; 2. Fairfax/Lamoille; 3. Rice; 4. Mill River; 5. Otter Valley.
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