Sharon
The longtime track and field coach at the South Royalton School — now reorganized into the White River Valley School — took over the Wildcats’ program early last week after Fred Dieffenbach, who began the season with the team, stepped down for what White River Valley athletic director Sean Murphy called personal reasons. Palone’s first game at the helm was on Friday, a 1-1 tie with Twinfield. A new coach midway through a season, Palone admitted, comes with some transitional uneasiness.
Against Sharon Academy on Monday, the Wildcats let it fly. They piled on five goals in the second half for a 7-0 win, outshooting the Phoenix, 18-3.
“Probably one of the better games we’ve had this season, for sure,” said White River Valley senior forward Kylie Hebard, who finished the game with a hat trick and an assist. “Obviously, we got some shots off, and they were off of quality passes. That’s something we’ve been working on, so I’m proud of the team for that.”
Sarah Howe scored twice for the White River Valley, which improved to 3-4-1. Emma Gillette finished the game with a goal and an assist, and Sylvie Coltey netted the other goal for the Wildcats.
“We’ve had some issues with the team,” Palone said. “The girls are working together, which is one of the things we’ve been talking about.
“We still have to work a few things out. I think we’re getting there. I hope the rest of the season looks like this.”
Rory Livingston made 11 saves for Sharon, which dropped to 2-9-2. Livingston was bombarded throughout the afternoon, including a sequence of four consecutive shots just before halftime that was eventually finished off by Howe with a delivery off the bottom of the crossbar. Phoenix defenders blocked 11 shots.
“Honestly, we came out really flat and not our best game,” said Sharon head coach Camilo Gaston-Greenberg. “We had a string of games (where) I felt like we were turning it around. We were struggling, and I thought we were kind of getting over the hump.
“Our defense has always been solid. We just couldn’t put together any passes today.”
Gaston-Greenberg, in his first season at the helm, said he’s seen some positives out of a campaign that has largely been a struggle, recognizing similar qualities in teams he’s coached in the past.
“I myself went to a small private school in Brooklyn, and we went from my first year being last in the league to winning the championship my senior year,” he said. “I’ve experienced how quickly a program can get turned around. … These things sometimes take time.”
Sharon ends its regular season a week from today at Twinfield.
Palone’s season, however, seems like it has just begun.
“I think the biggest thing is we’re learning,” Palone said. “They’re learning me; I’m learning them. … We’re talking now; we’re passing. We’re really working on our strengths, and I think because we have a such a strong team, sometimes we butt heads. But we’re working on that, too.”
It’s been an odd season for the newly formed Wildcats, Hebard admitted. A new school, new jerseys, new colors and some new teammates would have been enough to try and manage. An unexpected midseason coaching change was something else entirely.
Hebard said she now hopes the team can press the reset button.
“The beginning of the season was a rough start, for a lot of different things,” she said. “I’m hoping this game is the start of a big finish for us.”
White River Valley travels to Blue Mountain on Thursday.
Josh Weinreb can be reached at jweinreb@vnews.com or 603-727-3306.