Local Roundup: Rivendell Boys Edge Sharon, Make Vt. D-IV Soccer Semis

Orford — Not that he needed the validation, but Rivendell Academy boys soccer coach Bob Thatcher received a compliment after Saturday’s VPA Division IV quarterfinal with Sharon Academy. An observer remarked that he’d never seen the Raptors pass the ball better than they did in a 3-2 defeat of the Phoenix.

Michael Thatcher should know. As the first all-state player in Rivendell history, he once played for his father.

“That was key,” the elder Thatcher said of the Raptors’ effort. “We’ve played Sharon twice this year. It wasn’t really a new alignment but a variation of the way we attack. It worked really well to our benefit. We were getting quality shots.”

The top-ranked Raptors (14-1-1) had to do something else first — come from behind — before they sent the Phoenix (9-5-2) home for the season.

Olly Skeet-Browning’s 12th goal of the campaign, from the penalty spot, gave Sharon the early lead. Fransicso Indio leveled for Rivendell eight minutes later on a Max Haehnel pass.

The Raptors added two more goals for a 3-1 cushion in the second half. Indio netted his second goal of the day on a Lennart Burgwedel assist in the 41st minute, and Zach Gould followed 10 minutes later by comverting a Tyler Gray pass. Tom Bissaillon’s unassisted strike in the 75th minute gave TSA a lifeline, but not enough to force overtime.

Dillon Buttner, who began his day running to a 49th-place finish for Sharon at the VPA D-III cross country state meet in Thetford, recorded four saves in the Phoenix goal.

“All I can say is we had 13 kids there today, 11 of them obviously playing for the vast majority of 80 minutes,” Sharon coach Rob Stainton noted. “With five minutes to go, they were still pushing for the equalizer. The effort and energy from that group of guys was tremendous today.”

Dash Fukushima picked up the win for the Raptors’ goal.

Rivendell, which is in the midst of the winningest season in program history, will host No. 5 West Rutland in a 3 p.m. semifinal on Tuesday. The Raptors are seeking their first state championship berth, having lost all three previous trips to the semifinals, most recently in 2013.

Woodstock 3, Milton 1

Milton, Vt. — A trip north to face No. 2 seed Milton could not deter the Wasps, who won to advance to the VPA Division II semifinals.

Woodstock took control early with goals by Cullen McCarthy in the seventh minute and Taylor Plourde in the 27th. Woodstock led, 2-0, at halftime and survived the Milton charge after the break. The Wasps’ final tally was an own goal in the 75th minute.

Keeper Steven Bianchi had nine saves. Steven Townley and Emilio Montano each had assists. Coach Tom Avellino also credited the play of Lucas Picconi, Will Crompton and Charles Greene. The Wasps will visit No. 3 seed Harwood on Tuesday at 3 p.m.

Hanover 0, Pinkerton 0(Pinkerton PKs 3-2)

Derry, n.h. — The fifth-seeded Marauders (13-4-1) fell on penalties to the fourth-seeded Astros (13-4-1) in a tournament setting for the second time in four years and for the third time overall during that span in a controversial NHIAA Division I quarterfinal at Pinkerton Academy.

Hanover thought it had the match won twice in overtime. Liam Collins drilled an 18-yard shot off the goalpost three minutes from time, while an apparent corner-kick header by Sam Pych was waved off when officials ruled time had expired first.

That sent the match to the best-of-five tiebreaker. Henry Kahl and Pych converted for Hanover, while Terry Coyle, Henry Andrews and Paul Perry did the same for the Astros. Pinkerton goalkeeper Henry Fairbanks then lunged to his right to save a Dillon Bradley attempt for the win.

Fairbanks and Hanover’s Hans Williams both posted five-save shutouts. The Marauders graduate Kahl, Pych, Ben Parrado, Earl Barrowes and Sam Maynes from a squad that saw an 11-match winning streak come to a close.

Goffstown 2Lebanon 1 (2 ot)

Lebanon — The Raiders fell in double overtime in the NHIAA D-II quarterfinals in a rematch of last season’s state championship game.

Thirteenth-ranked Goffstown took down Lebanon for the second straight year, this time with a goal in the 96th minute a year after topping the Raiders in penalty kicks for the state title.

“It was soccer at its cruelest,” Lebanon coach Rob Johnstone said.

The Raiders held a 12-3 advantage in corners and a 15-4 edge in shots, yet the Grizzlies held the lead for most of the game following a goal in the 18th minute. Lebanon pushed across the equalizer on Logan Falzarano’s direct kick from 21 yards in the 76th minute.

Keeper Chris Nulty (two saves) was outstanding at corralling long throw ins and loose balls throughout the game, according to Johnstone. Lebanon finished at 12-5-1 and will graduate 10 players.

KUA 1, Worcester 1 (ot)

Worcester, Mass. — Khenrab Norgay scored an unassisted goal in the 71st minute to help the Wildcats (9-2-1) earn a draw. Keeper Kosta Maniatis had six saves for KUA, which hosts New Hampton on Wednesday.

Girls Soccer

Raymond 5, Stevens 0

Raymond, n.h. — The top-seeded Rams shut out the No. 9 seed Cardinals in the NHIAA Division III quarterfinals.

Stevens finished at 11-7 overall and graduates four: Kelsey Belisle, Raquel Madeja, Alexis Ford, and Hillary Pellerin.

Green Mountain 2, Windsor 0

Chester, Vt. — The No. 9 seed Yellowjackets gave the No. 1 seed Chieftains all they could handle in the VPA Division III quarterfinals. The loss drops Windsor to an overall mark of 8-8.

KUA 1, New Hampton 0

New Hampton, n.h. — Taylor Soule scored to lift the Wildcats (9-1-3) over New Hampton. KUA hosts Holderness on Wednesday.

Football

Hanover 22, John Stark 12

Weare, n.h. — The Marauders wrapped up an undefeated regular season by forcing five turnovers and sacking John Stark quarterback Parker McQuarrie seven times.

Graham Penfield led the Hanover defense with three interceptions, returning one for 34 yards and another for 23 yards. The Marauders also had another interception and a fumble recovery.

Caleb Putnam led the Marauders’ ground attack with 89 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. Calen Thomas had 51 yards rushing, including an 18-yard touchdown. Alex Mosenthal had 24 yards, including a score from seven yards out. Moises Celaya had a 22-yard field goal and was 1-for-2 on extra points. Hanover (8-0) will open the NHIAA Division II playoffs at home with a top-four seed.

Newport 48, Newfound 8

Newport — John Thibault had four touchdowns to lead the Tigers (7-1) to a blowout victory over the Bears to close the regular season.

Thibault ran for three scores and was on the receiving end of a Kyle Rossiter pass on another. Thibault eclipsed the 1,000-yard rushing barrier for the season as well, the first Upper Valley back to do so. Cody Turgeon added a pair of rushing touchdowns. Rossiter also ran one in for six. Dylan Palmer kicked a pair of extra points, and Ethan Houde and Thibault had 2-point conversions.

Sophomore middle linebacker Blake McKinney led the dominant Newport defense, according to coach Rich Boone. McKinney had two sacks and multiple tackles behind the line of scrimmage to stymie the Newfound ground attack in its tracks.

The Tigers will open the NHIAA Division III playoffs at home on Saturday at 1 p.m., likely as the No. 4 seed hosting expected fifth seed Epping-Newmarket.

Mascoma 26, Fall Mountain 0

West Canaan — The young Royals (2-6) finished up the regular season with their best performance of the year to shut out the visiting Wildcats.

Colin Cacciatore led Mascoma with two touchdowns. Alex Howe and Tyler Warner each had one score. Adidas Murphy converted a pair of extra-point kicks. The Mascoma defense provided its share of highlights with four interceptions, three by Dakota Decocq and another by Joe Stone.

Bow 40, Lebanon 7

Bow, n.h. — Jack Corriveau had four touchdowns to lead the Falcons over the Raiders (1-7) in the regular season finale.

Beset by injuries to key players, the Raiders also played perhaps the toughest schedule in NHIAA Division II. Lebanon’s losses included three to undefeated teams (Plymouth, Hanover, Windham) and two to 6-2 squads (Bow, John Stark). Lebanon opponents combined for a 46-18 record this fall.

The Raiders lose six to graduation.

Field Hockey

Kimball Union 5, Hebron 1

Meriden — The Wildcats improved to 8-5-1 with the win. KUA will visit Phillips Exeter on Wednesday afternoon.