Champlain Valley Redhawks drop to 3-2 after loss to Essex Hornets

In so many ways in every sporting contest, the mental game is the game. So much of winning or losing depends on belief.

“If” is such a big word. Two letters seem insufficient for a word packed with so much meaning.

In his poem “If,” Rudyard Kipling addressed the vagaries of belief:

“If you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you.”

Later in the poem, he digs into the necessity of continuing to believe even when there doesn’t seem to be any reason to keep on believing:

“If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone.”
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the will which says to them: ‘Hold on!’”

The coaches of the Champlain Valley Union football team would certainly be thrilled if they could unlock the power of belief in their players. The young Redhawks have been as skilled and strong as any of the teams they’ve faced this year, but last year’s older and more experienced team had something this year’s team is still looking for a way to grab and hold onto — belief.

Essex 37, CVU 7

Head coach Frank Parisi said, after the Redhawks’ contest with Essex on Saturday, Oct. 4, at CVU, that his team was in the struggle for the first quarter, in fact for most of the first half, but then the mental game, or lack thereof, took over, and the visiting Hornets ran away with a decisive win.

“There’s great spots, but it’s just like, it’s good, good, good — breakdown — good, good, good — breakdown. So, it just continues to be the breakdowns that are killing us,” Parisi said. “But there’s some bright spots.”

About five minutes into the game, the Hornet’s Aiden Iverson took a pass 28 yards for the game’s first score.

CVU played stout defense for the rest of the first quarter and into the beginning of the second. With 10:32 left in the first half, the Redhawks snagged an interception. A couple of plays later John Saladino ran it in from one yard out to tie the game at 7-7.

However, Griffin Randall caught a pass and scampered 59 yards for another Essex touchdown.

Down 14-7, the Redhawks seemed to lose their self-confidence or swagger or mojo or will or — whatever you call it, they didn’t appear to believe that they could win.

Essex began to dominate on both offense and defense. Although Saladino continued to run strong, no longer were there any holes in the Hornets’ defensive line for even the strongest or slipperiest of running backs to get through.

With 22 seconds left in the half, Iverson kicked a short field goal attempt to make it 17-7.

Five and half minutes into the second half, the Hornets’ Adam Bent intercepted a CVU pass. Then, from under center, he lofted a 65-yard scoring pass to Iverson to make it 24-7 and effectively put the game out of reach for the Redhawks.

With 11:35 left in the fourth quarter, Essex scored again. Less than two minutes later the Hornets scored another touchdown, but CVU blocked the extra point to make the final score 37-7. It was the Hornets’ first win over the Redhawks since 2021.

Parisi said he was happiest about Saladino’s running and how the offensive line was opening holes for him during the first quarter.

“We ran right down the field on them,” he said. But then his team got tired or psyched out for the rest of the game.

The loss bumped CVU down to a 2-3 win-loss record, which is not an insurmountable margin for having a successful season.

Next up is another home game when Colchester comes visiting at 1 p.m., this Saturday, Oct. 11.