CVU Girls Basketball win championship

This fifth title ties them with Essex for the longest Division I title streak in the history of the state. Is number six on the horizon? Photo by Bob Neeld.

Seeds are for birds when it comes to high school basketball
With CVU men’s basketball team ranked #1 and the women ranked #2 in the top division of the state tournament, both headed into the finals picked to finish well. As luck would have it, the final game flip-flopped their rankings with women knocking off top-seeded St. Johnsbury Academy for their fifth state championship in a row and the men losing to second-seed Rutland by six. It was only the men’s second loss up to this point, one of those being to a New York team early in the season. Despite the close score, it was not an easy one for the Redhawks to absorb, since it capped off far and away the best season in the program’s existence. Josh Bliss led CVU scorers with 10 points. Charlotte’s Collin Monsey and his teammate Walker Storey followed Bliss in scoring. Storey hit a long three-pointer on a feed from Bliss to bring the Hawks within two points with under two minutes to play. He stole the ball for a lay-up to tie the game 35-35 with just over half a minute and sent things into overtime. Unfortunately for CVU, Rutland started the extra period blanking their opponents while gaining six points themselves. It proved to be a deficit that the Redhawks could not overcome, losing in the end 43-37.

The women, on the other hand, after going four-plus years accumulating 100 wins and state championships each of those years, headed into this season’s final game ranked just behind top-seed St. Jay. Able to say they at least made it this far didn’t seem to fulfill the Hawks’ desires. Another state championship was in order. As previous years showed, the team was aided by a batch of experienced seniors, a mix of underclassmen and some highly successful strategy by Coach Ute Otley. Marlee Gunn, Abby Thut, Katie Usher with help of underclassman Shannon Loiseau, who hauled in 10 rebounds, showed their skills, teamwork, confidence and shear determination to pave the way to victory, 36-33. Quoted in the Free Press, Otley said that this victory was particularly sweet because it was the “first season of trying to find our own way and coming out from behind the shadows of all the seniors who just graduated.” This fifth title ties them with Essex for the longest Division I title streak in the history of the state. Is number six on the horizon?

CVU shows numbers five and nine in Alpine ski championships
Behind a first-place finish by Rebecca Provost and 17th by Naomi Diamond, CVU women Alpinists finished fifth in the Giant Slalom run in the Middlebury Snow Bowl. The men were ninth with Caden Frost tied for 11th among individuals.

Rice’s Anna Schibli from Charlotte finished sixth to help the Green Knights finish second as a team behind winners from Stowe.

CVU’s Dan Shepardson honored for his “officialdom”
Recognized for being a fine basketball official and high school soccer coach, Redhawk Athletic Director Dan Shepardson was named to the Vermont Principals’ hall-of-fame class for 2017. He joins 13 other inductees with their recognition ranging through categories from 1) athletes, 2) coaches/advisors, 3) administrators, 4) contributors and 5) officials.

Men’s hockey ends in semi-finals
Maybe it’s the travel toward Canada. Maybe it’s the legacy of John LeClair. Whatever, BFA-St.Albans seems to post a hockey powerhouse nearly every year. This was no exception with the second-ranked Bobwhites knocking off the third-ranked Redhawks in the state semi-finals. Jennings Lobel tied the game at one for CVU before St. Albans scored a second goal followed by an open-netter to give them a final 3-1 win. CVU’s season record ended at 12 wins, 7 losses and 3 ties.

Charlotte Recreation Coordinator to get new title
At a special meeting, the Selectboard chose to change the position currently titled “Recreation Coordinator,” to “Recreation Director.” Nicole Conley will continue in the new position with greater responsibilities and a revised salary.

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