By DAN BARILE
Eagle Times Correspondent
Bellows Falls (4-2) at Springfield (4-2): Friday at 7 p.m.
Bellows Falls and Springfield will compete for the 111th time in a series that dates back to 1894. In Vermont, only Lyndon and St. Johnsbury have squared off on more occasions, with the two Northeast Kingdom schools set to battle for the 119th time on Oct. 19.
Bellows Falls holds a 62-45-3 advantage in the series, and they have dominated lately, winning 13 straight games over Springfield. Despite both teams entering the game at 4-2, the Terriers seem destined to continue their winning streak given the significantly stronger schedule they have faced. This year’s game features an extra wrinkle with former Springfield star Carson Clark now being featured in the backfield for Bellows Falls.
Predicted winner: Bellows Falls
Monadnock (5-0) at Stevens (3-1): Friday at 7 p.m.
Despite featuring one of the younger squads in Division 3, the Stevens Cardinals are off to an impressive 3-1 start to the season. As encouraging as the Stevens’ start has been, they have a tall task ahead with undefeated Monadnock coming to town on Friday night. Stevens has allowed only 11.25 points per game this season, and they will need their defense to come up big again if they hope to defeat the Huskies.
Predicted winner: Monadnock
Newport (3-1) at Fall Mountain (0-5): Friday at 7 p.m.
As one of the top teams in Division 3, Newport will likely cruise to victory this week over a winless Fall Mountain squad. Newport is looking for its third straight win after dominating Lebanon and Sanborn by a combined score of 68-6 over the past two games.
Predicted winner: Newport
Lebanon (1-3) at Kearsarge (1-4): Friday at 6:30 p.m.
Lebanon and Kearsarge feature similar football programs looking to rebuild after playing the majority of last season at the junior varsity level. The Cougars and the Raiders are each in pursuit of their second win of the season after grinding out victories over Fall Mountain. While this game is a toss up, I am giving Lebanon a slight advantage after a relatively strong showing against Stevens.
Predicted winner: Lebanon
Windsor (1-5) was originally scheduled to face Oxbow this week before the Olympians were forced to cancel their season due to low numbers in the program. Windsor returns to action on Saturday, Oct. 19 when they host undefeated Woodstock at 1 p.m.
VT Division 2 Rankings: 1. Bellows Falls (4-2); 2. Fair Haven (5-1); 3. Lyndon (5-1); 4. 4. Rice (6-0); 5. Colchester (3-3)
VT Division 3 Rankings: 1. Woodstock (5-0); 2. BFA-Fairfax (6-0); 3. Otter Valley (3-3); 4. Springfield (4-2); 5. Windsor (1-5)
NH Division 3 – West: 1. Monadnock (5-0); 2. Newport (3-1); 3. Stevens (3-1); Lebanon (1-3); 5. Kearsarge (1-4)