By Adam Aucoin
RUTLAND HERALD
The first day of high school football practices is set for August 14, exactly two months from Wednesday’s date.
The Vermont Interscholastic Football League released an updated schedule for the fall season on Wednesday.
As announced during the winter, there is a major shakeup in Vermont high school football with some divisional shifts and the introduction of leagues, which breaks the state’s 31 teams into five different leagues and will drive regular season play.
Teams play each team in their league and then fill out their schedule with non-league opponents.
The league breakdown was as follows:
Metro: BFA-St. Albans. Colchester, CVU, Essex, Seawolves and St. Johnsbury.
SVL: Brattleboro, Burr and Burton Academy, Hartford, Middlebury, Mount Anthony and Rutland.
Mountain: Bellows Falls, Fair Haven, Lyndon Institute, Mount Mansfield, North Country and U-32.
Lake: BFA-Fairfax, Milton, Missisquoi, Mount Abraham, Otter Valley, Rice and Spaulding.
CVL: Mill River, Oxbow, Poultney, Springfield, Windsor and Woodstock.
VIFL scheduler Sean Farrell noted that there could still be shifts in game times and dates, due to an officials shortage.
He also noted a point in this year’s Football Guide that outlines points awarded for a loss to a higher division opponent in the Quality Point Rating system that is used to decide postseason seeding.
That section states, “A school shall receive 10 points for defeating any D-I team, 7 points for defeating any D-II team, 5 points for defeating any D-III team. This will constitute a team’s own value. For teams playing a higher division, they will be awarded the differential of a divisional victory if they lose the game. Ex: D-II playing a D-I team will earn 3 points for a loss, and D-III playing a D-II team will earn 2 points for a loss.”
A team earns two points for each win earned by an opponent, which constitutes a team’s opponent value. A team’s own value and its opponent value divided by the number of VIFL games a team has played determines their QPR.
Let’s take a trip around the gridiron in Rutland County, and outside of it at Springfield and Middlebury, and see what may be some of the highlights this fall.
Week 1
Friday, Sept. 1: Essex at Rutland, 7 p.m.; Middlebury at Brattleboro, 7 p.m.; Springfield at Bellows Falls, 7 p.m.; Otter Valley at Woodstock, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 2: Fair Haven at Poultney, 1 p.m.; Lyndon at Mill River, 1 p.m.
Highlights: Springfield and Bellows Falls have been playing for more than a century, so there’s no better way for the rivals to open up the season. The Terriers are elite every single year and are coming off another state finals appearance, so the Cosmos will have a huge test on their hands in this one.
Week 2
Friday, Sept. 8: Mount Anthony at Fair Haven, 7 p.m.; BBA at Middlebury, 7 p.m.; Concord (NH) at Rutland, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 9: Otter Valley at Mount Abraham, 1 p.m.; Poultney at Windsor, 1 p.m.; Woodstock at Mill River, 1 p.m.; Springfield at Oxbow, 1 p.m.
Highlights: There are a pair of revenge games on that Friday. BBA will be out to avenge two late-season losses to Middlebury last fall, where the Tigers used that momentum to make the state finals. Fair Haven will also have revenge on the mind, playing defending D-II champion MAU, a team that knocked them out and is moving up to D-I this year.
Week 3
Thursday, Sept. 14: Rutland at Middlebury, 7 p.m.
Friday, Sept. 15: Otter Valley at Spaulding, 7 p.m.; Woodstock at Springfield, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 16: Mill River at Poultney, 1 p.m.; Fair Haven at North Country, 7 p.m.
Highlights: Rutland and Middlebury have developed a major rivalry and they’ll have the stage all to themselves on that Thursday. The Tigers controlled much of their game last year, but more often than not, these matchups are close.
Week 4
Friday, Sept. 22: MAU at Rutland, 7 p.m.; Middlebury at Essex, 7 p.m.; Mill River at Springfield, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 23: Fair Haven at Lyndon, 1 p.m.; Fairfax/Lamoille at Otter Valley, 1 p.m.; Poultney at Oxbow, 1 p.m.
Highlights: MAU makes its return to the same field it ended a 28-year title drought last fall against a Rutland team that is always competitive. The Mill River-Springfield game that same night could good one as well. The Minutemen were one of the state’s most improved teams last year and the Cosmos have a dynamic signal caller in Carson Clark.
Week 5
Friday, Sept. 29: Middlebury at MAU, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 30: Rutland at BBA, 1 p.m.; Fair Haven at Bellows Falls, 1 p.m.; Milton at Otter Valley, 1 p.m. Fairfax/Lamoille at Mill River, 1 p.m.; Missisquoi at Poultney, 1 p.m.; Mount Abraham at Springfield, 6 p.m.
Highlights: There are a lot of fun matchups on that Saturday. Rutland has had mixed results playing at BBA’s Taylor Field over the last two years. In 2021, it was all Rutland, and in 2022, it was all Bulldogs. The Fair Haven-Bellows Falls matchup could mean a lot in the D-II playoff chase as both figure to be strong once again this fall.
Week 6
Friday, Oct. 6: Hartford at Middlebury. 7 p.m.; Poultney at Woodstock, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 7: Rutland at CVU, 1 p.m.; Otter Valley at Rice, 1 p.m.; Oxbow at Mill River, 1 p.m.; Springfield at Windsor, 1 p.m.; Peru (NY) at Fair Haven, 6 p.m.
Highlights: Fair Haven welcomes a really strong team from New York to town on that Saturday night. Peru went 10-1 and had a powerful offense in 2022. Earlier on that day, Rutland pays visit to the defending D-I champion Redhawks.
Week 7
Friday, Oct. 13: Rutland at Brattleboro, 7 p.m.; Middlebury at Seawolves, 7 p.m.; U-32 at Fair Haven, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 14: Springfield at Fairfax/Lamoille, 1 p.m.; Mill River at Windsor, 1 p.m.; Missisquoi at Otter Valley, 1 p.m.
Open date: Poultney
Highlights: Springfield and Mill River have big games that Saturday where they could make a statement by hanging with a perennial Division III championship contender.
Week 8
Friday, Oct. 20: Hartford at Rutland, 7 p.m.; CVU at Middlebury, 7 p.m.; Mount Mansfield at Fair Haven, 7 p.m.
Saturday, Oct. 21: Mill River at Otter Valley, 1 p.m.; Poultney at Springfield, 6 p.m.
Highlights: The Mill River-Otter Valley rivalry is one of better in Division III. Their matchup last year in North Clarendon was a defensive struggle with Mill River winning 12-7.
The Otters will surely want revenge playing on their home field in this regular season finale.
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