By Chris Shaban
EAGLE TIMES SPORTS EDITOR
CLAREMONT, N.H. — The sounds of pads cracking across the Vermont hillsides are only a couple of weeks away, as the official start of football takes place on the campus of Castleton University.
Nashua first hosted this game in 1954. The road to host the game has been through Plymouth, Hanover, Manchester, Burlington and Windsor. For for the last seven years, the game has been held at beautiful Dave Wolk Stadium on the campus of Castleton University. The stands are always full for this football game; fans knowing the best 76 recently graduated football players will join a long list of incredible players for this great cause.
The Eagle Times will publish stories about the 11 football players that come from 5 of our area high schools in upcoming editions. We also want to recognize people like Doug MacPhee from Bellows Falls, who has been selected as the Grand Marshal of this year’s game, and Kay Smith, this year’s Vermont Patient Ambassador to the game.
With 11 local players, the entire coaching staff from Windsor leading the Vermont team, legendary Bellows Falls sports guru MacPhee and extra special warrior Grace all part of this game, this year will have as much local flavor as any time in recent memory.
This game is all about helping others. The Shriner’s have raised nearly $5 million dollars to support its hospitals in Springfield, MA and Montreal, Quebec, Canada, along with the Boston Burns Institute.
Donations can be made by going to the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl website, www.shrinemaplesugarbowl.com.
There will be 4 players from Bellows Falls, 2 players from Fall Mountain, 2 players from Windsor, 2 players from Stevens and a player from Newport. More to come.
— We would like to hear from former players what playing in this game was like. Email us at [email protected].
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