Woodstock
Woodstock’s offense dominated with shifty backs Caden White, Micah Schlabach and Patrick Potter doing what they do best with time and space and sophomore quarterback Trevor White developing into a passing threat. The Wasps’ defense was just as good, not giving up a U-32 first down until two minutes before halftime. The Wasps also sacked Raider quarterback Logan Wolf four times.
Sure, Woodstock gave up four fumbles that left head coach Ramsey Worrell sighing heavily after the game. But Worrell’s squad has spent the fall finding ways to overcome adversity. Four turnovers, even against a D-II squad, didn’t seem to hurt them.
The Wasps, once again, were in control from the opening kickoff.
Ahead is their biggest test yet. The Wasps (6-1 overall, 6-0 in Vermont) enter their final week of the regular season with a new dimension to the offense ahead of their season finale with defending champion Windsor next weekend.
“We have a saying around here: ‘Who cares, what’s next?’ ” Woodstock senior lineman Dylan Carnehammer said. “This year is different from last year. This year, I feel like we have a better shot at taking those guys (Windsor) on.”
The Yellowjackets, who are also undefeated (5-0) ahead of this afternoon’s home game against Poultney-Mount St. Joseph (1-4), defeated the Wasps, 27-20, in their only meeting a year ago. Carnehammer said this year’s team is entering the week with revenge on its mind in a matchup that will likely determine the No. 1 seed in D-III.
“We’ve got a chip on our shoulder this year,” Carnehammer said. “We’re going to play like it.”
White opened the scoring in the first quarter against the Raiders (4-3), finding speedy Harrison Nunes on a inside slant route for a 26-yard touchdown pass. The sophomore quarterback finished his night 3-for-7 for 45 yards in the air.
“That slant to Harrison, he hit right on the money,” Worrell said. “We haven’t hit a slant for a touchdown in I can’t tell you how long. It’s been a long time.
“We do have faith in (White) to make any pass play that we call,” he added. “He’s coming along strong. He’s still learning.”
White, who went to the Albert Bridge School in Brownsville and came to Woodstock via school choice, is conscious of the uniqueness of his situation. Woodstock is not known for its passing game; Worrell’s quarterbacks normally spend much of the night handing the ball off to a slew of sprinters out of the backfield. But White’s accuracy and unique instincts — rare for an underclassman, Worrell said — gives the Wasps’ offense a dimension it didn’t have a year ago.
“I used to play baseball, so I’ve always liked to throw the ball — pitcher, catcher, shortstop,” White said. “Throwing’s just always been a part of my life.”
“I know we’re not known for (throwing) at all,” he added. “I’m really happy that we’re throwing it more.”
Carnehammer said White’s emergence has made the offense better.
“Trevor really works hard,” the lineman said. “He comes out to practice with an intention to get better. And he does exactly what we want from a sophomore like him. He’s a great athlete. … We (as a line) want to give him as much time to throw as possible. That’s what we’re working on in practice.”
The rest of Woodstock’s offense was done on the ground. Schlabach finished his night with two touchdowns, both from short yardage after long, sustained drives. The Wasps led 14-0 at halftime and 21-0 after the third quarter.
U-32’s lone touchdown, a pass from wide receiver Daniel Greene to fellow wideout Andrew Proteau, came with 2 minutes, 50 seconds remaining in the game following a fumble by Woodstock junior Charlie Amato that put the Raiders within the 20-yard line for only the second time all night.
“I couldn’t be happier with the way our kids played tonight,” Worrell said. “We played sound defensive football. We played disciplined football. I was really proud of them for that.”
Notes: Worrell praised his defensive line — particularly junior Gabe Marsicovetere — for putting pressure on U-32 quarterback Wolf. “He was a different kid tonight,” the Woodstock coach said of Marsicovetere. “He has talents and abilities that he’s still learning. He has no idea how good he can be. Tonight, you got a little flash of it.” … Woodstock honored seniors Carnehammer, Patrick Potter, Brendan Schwartz, Gardner Gottsegen and Elliot Shoemaker before the game. … Members of the undefeated 1957 Woodstock football team were presented to the crowd at halftime for the 60th anniversary of its championship season. They were also part of the Wasps’ postgame huddle outside the locker room.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.