SOUTH BURLINGTON, Vt. — Brady Hathorn fired a 5-over-par round of 77 at Vermont National Country Club on Wednesday to help Hartford High earn a one-stroke victory at the VPA Division II sectional golf tournament and qualify for next week’s state championship on their home course.
Hathorn’s round featured just one birdie but a lot of steady golf, navigating less-than-ideal weather and the tough greens at Vermont National. Jared Vanderpot shot an 88 for Hartford, followed by Joseph Barwood with 93 and Logan Raymond with 96. Justin Jasmin added a 109. Four of the five Hurricanes players, including Hathorn, four-putted the treacherous green on the par-3 eighth hole.
“It’s a group of kids who are a ton of fun to be around, and their best golf is ahead of them,” Hartford coach Mike Hathorn said. “Today they shot a score that’s usually their average. It was really nice to see them play their normal games in drizzly and windy conditions.”
Harrison DiGangi (Stratton Mountain) and Jackson King (Lake Region) each shot 73 to share medalist honors.
Three of Hartford’s four scoring rounds came from seniors (Hathorn, Vanderpot and Raymond). The Canes will now look to win their first VPA golf state championship since 1994 and will attempt the feat on their home Quechee Club course on Oct. 10. Hartford joins Stowe, Lake Region, Northfield, Harwood and U-32 as qualifiers for the state championship.
The event will take place on Quechee’s Lakeland Course. With the state championship looming, the Canes have broken from a traditionally heavy rotation of play on the Highland course this fall and have practiced roughly half the time on Lakeland.
The chance to end the title drought on their home course is not lost on coach Hathorn: “It’s pretty nice to have this group of seniors get to play their last tournament on their home course. I’m looking forward to the week ahead to get ready for it.”
Mid Vermont Christian (Nick Leary, 92), Windsor (Dylan DeSchamp, 108) and Woodstock (Ethan Dean, 109) were each represented by individual golfers.
Team scores: Hartford 354, Stowe 355, Lake Region 361, Northfield 412, Harwood 419, U-32 429, Lyndon 449, Enosburg 471.
NASHUA, N.H. — Pat Daley led Hanover with a 3-over-par 38 at Green Meadow Golf Club’s Prairie front nine.
Marauders Jack Meehan, Justin Alderdice and Will Cahoon each carded a 39. Spencer Lawe and Meredith Morhun tallied a 41.
Hanover (14-6) heads back to Green Meadow on Tuesday to face Nashua South and Dover. Meanwhile, Morhun and her sister, Natalie, are in the field for the NHIAA girls championship, which is set for Saturday at Campbell’s Scottish Highlands in Salem.
Team scores: Exeter 185, Hanover 196, Nashua North 203.
Windsor 2, Springfield 0
WINDSOR — Andrew Kelly-Jacobs scored a minute into the second half, thanks to a pass from Blake Archambault, to give Windsor a lead it wouldn’t lose.
The Yellowjackets extended their lead 10 minutes later when Adam Dufor sent a header into the net off a corner kick from Dylan Hodgdon. Goalie Eli Milligan made six saves for Windsor (4-5), which visits Woodstock on Friday.
DANVILLE, Vt. — The Olympians held a 2-1 lead in the first half but couldn’t maintain it to drop to 0-9-0 on the season.
Bryce Ilsley and Cameron Boardman each scored for Oxbow. The Olympians led, 1-0, after Ilsley’s goal and then regained a lead at 2-1 following Boardman’s goal in the 14th minute.
Dylan Bearce had 16 saves in net for the Olympians, who play at Enosburg on Friday.
KUA 2, St. Pauls 1
MERIDEN — Quinn Guth scored the game-winning goal in the 75th minute on a breakaway pass from Tinashe Mtetwa to power the Wildcats to victory.
KUA fell behind early, 1-0, but senior Ethan Barrett tied the game on a volley in the St. Paul’s penalty area 10 minutes later. KUA was outshot, 17-16, but the Wildcats created seven corner kick opportunities. KUA (4-1) hosts Holderness on Friday.
WHITINGHAM, Vt. — The Raptors lost a heartbreaker in overtime under the lights at Twin Valley.
“The boys played great; it was an awesome game,” Rivendell coach Kevin Brooker said.
Zach Gould had two goals for Rivendell. Johnny Vogelien added a goal. Rivendell led, 1-0, on Gould’s early score, but Twin Valley evened things up by halftime. Gould’s second goal tied the score at 3-3 with 10 minutes left to play in regulation.
Raptors keeper Owen Masur made eight saves. Rivendell (8-2-0) hosts Green Mountain on Tuesday.
BARTON, Vt. — Touting a 2-1 lead headed into the interval, Thetford allowed two second-half goals to fall to 2-9-0 on the season.
Lake Region scored in the first five minutes, but Elliot Jones scored the equalizer in the 37th minute off a pass from Jack Hastings. The Panthers took the lead two minutes later when Hastings scored an unassisted goal.
Thetford plays Tuesday against visiting Harwood.
ORFORD — The combined effort of Mikayla Stever and Alex McFate paved the way for the game-winning goal in overtime to lift the Raptors to 6-3-0.
Stever got things started by taking possession outside the Chieftain’s penalty area for Rivendell. The senior striker dribbled past two defenders but then was hit hard by a third, drawing a penalty kick. McFate then stepped up and drilled the PK into the back of the net to send the hometown fans home happy.
“It was a good game. We had a lot of opportunities, but they’re a good team and their defense really came up big,” Rivendell coach Tim Goodwin said. “We had some great combination passes to set up chances; the kids were really working well together.”
Keepers Cora Day and Ryleigh Butler combined to make 11 saves for Rivendell. The Raptors visit Leland & Gray on Friday.
SOUTH ROYALTON — Sophie Howe had two goals to pace the Wildcats to a shutout of the Terriers.
Blake Southworth added a goal and an assist for WRV, which led, 2-0, at halftime. Kaylyn Scoskie and Sarah Howe each had assists. A trio of netminders (Fiona Vaillancourt, Ellie Prestridge and Julia Morse) combined for seven saves.
“We came out and worked on some fundamental things,” Wildcats coach Kim Prestridge said. “When things weren’t going our way, we tweaked some things and got back to our game. I felt like we were really solid today.”
WRV (5-4-0) hosts Windsor on Friday.
HOLLIS, N.H. — Alyssa Graber scored 18 minutes into the game, and Lebanon was able to hold on for a tie.
Olivia Lammert delivered the assist on Graber’s goal.
Hollis-Brookline tied the game with less than 10 minutes remaining. Lebanon (2-6-2) travels to Milford on Friday.
HANOVER — Charlotte Johnson had four goals to help the Marauders remain unbeaten (9-0-0).
Johnson broke the ice for Hanover in the sixth minute, scoring off a corner play with an assist to Pepper Joseph. Johnson followed two minutes later with an unassisted goal. Sage McGinley-Smith added a goal. Riley Craft had a pair of assists.
Coach Doug Kennedy praised the play of defender Ellie Stannard along with keeper Bella Bardales (12 saves).
“Pembroke is a really good team. We came out flying and got an early lead; it was a good one for us,” Kennedy said.
Hanover will visit Kingswood on Friday.
CONCORD — The Wildcats took the lead twice, but St. Paul’s took advantage of its opportunities to equalize both times.
Kyra Russman-Araya combined with Gracie Gamache to put KUA ahead, 1-0, at the half. Gamache headed in a long ball from Bella Parento on a set piece for the second goal.
KUA (2-3-1) plays at Holderness on Saturday.
TOWNSHEND, Vt. — Despite a 1-1 halftime score, the Yellowjackets faltered in the second half due to a mix of bad luck and physical competition.
The Rebels had two penalty kick opportunities in the first 20 minutes but could only capitalize on one of them in the 21st minute. Windsor answered in the 22nd when Evelyn Page set up an Olivia Rockwood goal.
In the second half, Leland & Gray was able to pull away. The game-winning goal was cored 13 minutes in when Windsor goalie Adi Prior’s goal kick was deflected off a Rebels player and bounced back into the net.
A corner kick was headed in with 12 minutes to play, stretching Leland & Gray’s lead to 3-1.
Prior made six saves for Windsor, which plays White River Valley on Friday.
ANDOVER, N.H. — KUA defeated Proctor to improve to 4-2-0 on the season. The Wildcats host Holderness on Friday.
CLAREMONT — Bri Frisbee scored four goals to guide Stevens to its third straight win.
Abbie Thurber recorded the only assist of the game on Frisbee’s fourth goal. Nicole Salls recorded her fifth shutout of the season for Stevens (6-2), which travels to Kearsarge on Saturday.
HANOVER — Maggie Logan scored the overtime buzzer-beating goal to give Hanover a bounce-back win after Monday’s loss to Lebanon.
Hanover earned a penalty corner with 10 seconds left and eventually scored on a continuation of play. Logan’s goal came off a pass from Miranda Galbraith following Macy Curtis’s corner feed. Hartford (8-2-1) created three one-on-one opportunities with Hanover goalie Ella Edmonds, but the senior made eight saves.
The Hurricanes host Mount Anthony on Friday. Hanover (8-1-1) plays at Pelham, also on Friday.
BRATTLEBORO, Vt. — Yates night for the Wasps (5-4-1) ended in happy fashion when Mackenzie Yates potted her second goal of the night with about four minutes left in overtime.
Sophie Yates converted a Lili Sorrentino pass early in the second half to erase a one-goal halftime deficit. Sorrentino set up Mackenzie Yates’ first strike, and Lily Gubbins assisted on the winner.
Maggie Parker finished with five saves for the Wasps, who host Otter Valley on Friday.
LANGDON, N.H. — Mascoma (6-2) grabbed a third-set win, 25-18, but Fall Mountain prevailed for the match win.
Fall Mountain grabbed the first two sets, 25-22, 25-17. It rallied for a match-clinching fourth set win, 25-18
The Royals host Sunapee on Friday.
ENOSBURG FALLS, Vt. — The Eagles improved to 6-3 with a sweep of the Hornets (25-11, 25-11, 25-18).
Mid Vermont Christian combined for 25 aces, with Sarah Bascom and Delaney Gross recording six apiece.
The Eagles will be back in action on Friday at Harwood.