By Dan Barile
Eagle Times Correspondent
All three area Vermont teams are moving on to the semifinals after earning victories in the opening round of the playoffs. Windsor and Bellows Falls bounced back from losses in the final week of the regular season with dominating performances on their home fields. Windsor thrashed Poultney, 47-12, and Bellows Falls sent Spaulding packing by a score of 54-7. No. 6 seed Springfield pulled off an 18-12 upset over No. 3 seed Otter Valley. Springfield’s victory earned them their first trip to the Division 3 semifinals since 2017.
While Vermont was starting the playoffs, New Hampshire was wrapping up the regular season. Newport’s undefeated regular season was threatened by the aerial attack of Raymond. After not giving up more than 12 points in a game all season, Newport held on for a 44-40 victory. Fall Mountain (5-4) and Stevens (4-5) were both eliminated from playoff contention with losses in their regular season finales.
After several blowouts in the quarterfinal round in Vermont, the semifinals should provide some closer matchups on both sides of the river.
Vermont Division 2
No. 1 Fair Haven (8-0) over No. 4 Colchester (4-5): While I can’t quite bring myself to pick Colchester to pull-off the upset against undefeated Fair Haven, I wouldn’t be surprised if they made it a game. Colchester is 3-0 against Division 2 this season, but with five losses in six contests against Division 1 opponents, they enter the game with a losing record. Fair Haven’s offensive attack led by quarterback Joe Buxton appears to be too impressive for their undefeated season to end here.
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 4, at 6 p.m., Fair Haven
No. 2 North Country (7-2) over No. 3 Bellows Falls (5-4): After losing at North Country on Sept. 21, Bellows Falls heads north again for a rematch with the Falcons. North Country came away with a 27-7 victory over the Terriers but look for Bellows Falls to be more competitive this time around with Walker James maybe suiting up after missing the first contest. For Bellows Falls to advance to the state finals, they will need to protect the ball better than they did during their rainy regular season battle with North Country.
Kickoff: Friday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m., North Country
Vermont Division 3
No. 1 Woodstock (8-1) over No. 5 Mill River (5-4): While almost everyone likely has Woodstock winning this game, it should be mentioned that Mill River held a 14-13 lead at halftime against Woodstock in their matchup on Sept. 9. Woodstock went on to win, 28-21, and is riding high after ending Windsor’s 28-game winning streak a couple of weeks ago. Mill River also seems to be peaking at the right time after back-to-back wins over Otter Valley and BFA-Fairfax.
Kickoff: Friday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m., Woodstock
No. 2 Windsor (7-1) over No. 6 Springfield (5-4): For the third time in four seasons, Windsor and Springfield are facing-off in the Division 3 playoffs. Windsor has won each of those games in addition to their 32-6 victory this season over the Cosmos on Oct. 7. While the odds are stacked against Springfield, Windsor should be careful not to overlook the Cosmos with a potential rematch against Woodstock looming ahead.
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m., Windsor
New Hampshire Division 4
No. 1 Newport (7-0) over No. 4 Bishop Brady (3-4): While Newport was in a shootout with Raymond, Bishop Brady was engaged in a defensive struggle against Franklin as both teams battled for the final playoff spot. Bishop Brady converted a fourth quarter field goal to come away with a 3-0 victory. Bishop Brady will likely need more than 3 points to win this week after dropping a 35-0 decision against Newport earlier this season.
Kickoff: Saturday, Nov. 4, at 1 p.m., Newport
No. 2 Somersworth (6-1) over No. 3 Raymond (5-2): Raymond’s performance against Newport has many wondering how they were so overmatched in a 44-6 defeat to Somersworth on Oct. 7. Look for a closer contest this time around as the Hilltoppers and Rams square-off along the Maine border.
Kickoff: Friday, Nov. 3, at 7 p.m., Somersworth
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