Quechee
The Mid Vermont Christian School center finished last season with 996 career points, forcing her to wait until Wednesday’s season opener against Twin Valley to get to 1,000. She achieved it on a free throw in the second quarter, joining older sisters Abbie, Anna and Phoebe in the four-figures club.
The game was halted briefly as Seale, of West Lebanon, enjoyed the moment with Abbie and her father, Perry, on hand. (Anna and Phoebe are both in Lynchburg, Va., as students at Liberty University.) Perry Seale had been the Eagles’ coach from 2009 until the beginning of last season.
“I wanted to (get to 1,000) as a junior, but came up just short,” Rachel Seale said after Thursday’s practice. “It was kind of funny, because we waited all offseason, and then I got it on a free throw. It would have more exciting if it was on a nice jump shot or something like that.”
Perhaps Seale desired to achieve the feat on a jumper because of how diligently she’s worked to be more than one-dimensional. Normally the tallest player on the floor at 6-foot-2, Seale’s impact beyond the post is thanks to her own ambition. When she was fouled for the free throws that led to her 1,000th point, Seale was attempting a 3-pointer.
“She’s actually great off the dribble. I think that’s important for her,” second-year Mid Vermont coach Chris Goodwin said. “She’s great at posting up, but she can hit from midrange and will probably hit 10 3-pointers this year.”
The youngest of five siblings in total — her three sisters, plus a brother, Eli — Rachel grew up playing countless pickup games with them in the front driveway and has naturally incorporated elements from all of their styles into her own. While closest in age to Anna, a 2016 MVCS graduate with whom she played for three seasons for the Eagles, Rachel Seale attributes her jump-shot capabilities to Eli’s influence.
“That was always a big part of his game, so he kind of showed me how important that was,” Rachel Seale said. “Watching Abbie play when I was younger, she just had no fear. She conquered everything she put her mind to. Phoebe brought a lot of enthusiasm for the game that was contagious, and Anna really showed me how to drive hard for layups.”
Both Perry Seale and Goodwin pointed to Rachel’s powerful work ethic as her biggest aid. She places similar effort into her other athletic passion, volleyball, as well as into her Christian faith and schooling.
“I want to do everything I can for my family, for God, for myself,” said Rachel, who will suit up for an Essex, Vt.-based AAU volleyball team beginning in March. “Being valedictorian is something that’s important to me as well.”
The Eagles, who play in VPA Division IV with no league affiliation, went 8-11 last season in the first campaign under Goodwin, a Litchfield, Conn., native who played for the men’s program at NCAA Division III Gordon College in Wenham, Mass.
Along with regional matchups against Central Vermont League teams such as South Royalton, Whitcomb-Rochester and Chelsea, the Eagles test themselves against several D-III foes from the Marble Valley League, including opening-night opponent Twin Valley — the Eagles prevailed, 55-37 — and Black River.
Mid Vermont is extraordinarily young, with Seale being the lone upperclassman. Forward Hanna Blankenship is the only sophomore; the other six are freshmen or in eighth grade.
In spite of their youth, the Eagles are quite experienced. The program’s two top scorers from last year, Seale and freshman Sydney Goodwin (8.3 ppg), return. Goodwin, her eighth-grade sister, Hayley, and guards Nyah Jenks and Charlotte Crouse were all part of the Galaxy Girls middle school AAU team that won the Vermont state tournament and placed sixth at nationals last summer. Hayley Goodwin scored 14 points, Jenks 10 and Sydney Goodwin nine in Wednesday’s win.
Another eighth-grader, Rachael Horner-Richardson, has shown flashy athleticism and scored her first career points in the opener.
Chris Goodwin, Sydney’s and Hayley’s dad, is looking for improved clutch play this season.
“In all but one of our losses last year, we were either leading or behind by one or two baskets in the fourth quarter,” the coach said. “We lost all but one of those games. This year, we need to take the step of learning how to finish those games well.”
With Seale leading the way, Mid Vermont figures to regularly deposit 50 points or better. It’ll be up to the Eagles’ defense to help solidify success.
“Like any coach will tell you, if a team plays good defense, rebounds well, does not turn the ball over and takes good shots, that team is usually going to come out on top,” Chris Goodwin said. “All of those things are important, but defense is what’s really going to be the key for us this year. If we hold our opposition to 45 points or less, we will more than likely win that game.”
The Eagles aren’t shy about their desire to reach D-IV’s final four at Barre Auditorium. Goodwin even created laminated cards listing the tournament venue and dates next to an MVCS symbol.
“It’s a realistic goal,” he said.
Jared Pendak can be reached at jpendak@vnews.com or 603-727-3225.