White River Junction
It proved to be the Colonels, however, who were beaten down by a 41-3 score during the teams’ opener, the host Hurricanes piling up 447 yards of offense and ripping off three touchdown runs of more than 60 yards.
Hartford’s Brett MacLaren rushed only nine times, but totaled 226 yards and three touchdowns. He twice broke away for 83-yard scoring runs and added another of 13 yards. Junior Kody Rhodes, not as fast as the starter but adding a dimension of diminutive power, ran eight times for 141 yards and touchdowns of 63, 40 and 5 yards.
The Hurricanes completed the only pass they attempted in 36 snaps, a 24-yard strike on their first drive. Hartford punted once, during the fourth quarter, but had so much trouble getting the right personnel on the field in that situation that third-year Matt Trombly shouted aloud that his squad looked like “a fricking eighth-grade team!”
Trombly and his staff were not particularly pleased despite the rout, citing too many penalties as a primary irritant. Still, getting through the first game healthy and with a lopsided victory brought grudging commendation.
“Everybody’s nervous and we came out with a lot of mental errors and we committed a lot of penalties, which was a problem last season,” Trombly said. “We can’t win the close ones if that continues, so we have to clean that stuff up. Part of that’s on us as coaches, but it’s all correctable stuff.
“We’ve been practicing for three weeks but it’s different playing on Friday night under the lights in front of a big crowd and we’ve got some young kids who hadn’t done it before. Hopefully now, the jitters are gone and it will become routine.”
Brattleboro played without starting quarterback Tony Martinez, an athletic senior who was one of half a dozen Colonels out because of injury or suspension. Backup signal caller Dan Petrie was also out, so into the fire went 5-foot-4, 130-pound freshman Tyler Millerick, who performed admirably in a tough situation, completing 10-of-16 passes for 79 yards. He had three passes intercepted and another pick was wiped out on a roughing-the-passer penalty.
Brattleboro managed just 130 yards of offense, but Millerick showed a nice touch on his passes and several times kept plays alive with nifty scrambles. Senior running back Cheick Diakite was one of those sidelined, so the Colonels used classmates Jack Gagnon and Kolton Ravenna, who were mostly held in check by Hartford’s defensive front.
“We have Justin Pero and Tanner Potter from last year to replace, but we have others who split time with them, so they’re not brand new to being there,” Trombly said. “It’s a cohesive group that’s been working together for a long time now.”
It’s also a stronger group, as are the Hurricanes overall. After nearly five years of not having a dedicated, on-campus weight room, the program got one back with the opening of a new field house in February. It’s allowed Trombly to pull kids in right after school and he’s sometimes had groups approaching 30 all straining and sweating, building strength and camaraderie that pays off in the fall.
“When we had that string of state titles (2010-12), it was very evident that our kids worked out a lot,” the coach said. “Then we had issues with financing and an athletic facilities bond thing with the town. The field house got put on hold and our weights were kept in storage. Now, we’re fortunate to have them back and we’ve had a good turnout. It goes beyond a physical help.”
Hartford’s power allows MacLaren and Rhodes the chance to explode through holes, suddenly sprinting for the end zone after first moving towards the sideline.
“We work on sustaining our blocks and hitting the hole fast,” Trombly said. “Last year, there were times I think we were a little slow to the point of attack so we made some slight tweaks. It’s evident that the guys running the ball are a year older and worked hard in the offseason.
“MacLaren came in after Jacob Perkins got hurt in the fourth game last year and he finished with just shy of 1,000 yards. He’s not a real big kid, but he’s deceptively fast and he’s shown he can perform. Then it’s nice to have a kid like (Rhodes) when Brett needs a break.”
Brattleboro’s points came on a 27-yard field goal by Jack Price, which made the score 14-3 during the second quarter.
Notes: Senior Gavin Farnsworth played quarterback after overcoming an ankle injury during the preseason. Trombly said he began the week anticipating that junior Tyler Hamilton would be under center, but that Farnsworth returned to full-time practicing on Wednesday. That moved Hamilton to wingback, where he carried three times for 20 yards. … The game was delayed for roughly 20 minutes during the third quarter when Brattleboro’s Chris Hall staggered and fell after a kickoff. He was driven away in an ambulance. … Hartford has a balance of ages on its roster, with 16 seniors, 13 juniors and 12 sophomores. The Colonels could be looking at a long 2017 campaign, however, for they feature 27 seniors and only six juniors. … Hartford’s enrollment is listed as 525 on its football roster sheet. … Hurricanes defensive back Austin Shepard notched one of his team’s interceptions. Teammate Hunter Perkins was successful on 5-of-6 extra point attempts, having his final one bounce off the right upright and out.
Correction
Hartford defensive back Austin Shepard made one of the team’s three interceptions. An earlier version of this story incorrectly attributed the interception to another player.