WINDSOR — The Thetford Academy girls and boys track teams won Saturday’s VPA Division III state meet at Windsor High’s Murphy-Morse Complex by large margins, retaining the titles both programs swept in 2019 and 2021.
The girls scored 166 points for their championship, with Lake Region Union second at 85. The Panther boys racked up 158 points, well ahead of second place Woodstock with 109. The Windsor girls were third, Woodstock fourth and Oxbow fifth out of the 10 teams. The Windsor boys finished third and Oxbow fifth.
Thetford’s Madelyn Durkee won the 400- and 800-meter runs and added runner-up finishes in the 100 dash and long jump to lead the Panther girls. Her teammate, Charlize Brown, was second in the 200, 400 and pole vault. The Panthers’ Ava Hayden won the 3,000 meters, and Madison Powers took the 300 meter hurdles.
Windsor’s Janiah Young was a triple winner, claiming the 100, 200 and long jump. She also anchored Windsor’s first place finish in the 4×100 relay with Sophia Rockwood, Rhaiven-Essence Kellogg and Kiara Wildgoose. Windsor’s Audri Pettirossi won the pole vault, Woodstock’s Meridian Bremel the discus and Oxbow’s Sophia Hayes the javelin. The Woodstock 4×400 relay team of Hannah Lockhart, Quinn Stickney, Isabel Cellini and Logan Knox finished first. Woodstock’s Ella Stainton was second in the high jump, and Windsor’s Olivia MacLeay took first in the 100-meter hurdles.
For the Thetford boys, Gus Byrne won the 100- and 200-meter races with Woodstock’s Jackson Martsolf-Tan second in the 100, and Windsor’s Travis McAllister, who won the triple jump, took second in the 200.
Thetford’s Tobin Durham won the 1,500 meters — with Woodstock’s Zed McNaughton second — and 3,000, contributing second-place points in the 800 as well. Windsor’s Jonathan Dexter, Ben Gilbert, Travis McAllister and Keegan Batchelder won the 4×100 relay. Gilbert took first in the shot put and discus, and Windsor teammate Tydus Percy won the javelin.
Woodstock’s Ezra Lockhart won the high jump, Thetford’s Finn Linehan claimed the pole vault and the Panthers’ Uly Junker-Boyce was victorious the long jump on a day when Upper Valley athletes packed the podiums.
Thetford’s dual reign has only been interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which canceled the 2000 state meet.
Girls team scores (top 10): Thetford 166, Lake Region 85, Windsor 83, Woodstock 63, Oxbow 37, Enosburg 28, BFA-Fairfax 27, Mill River 26, Randolph 23, Springfield 16.
Boys team scores: Thetford 158, Woodstock 109, Windsor 97, Lake Region 62, Oxbow 42, Springfield 38, Randolph 31, BFA-Fairfax 11, Enosburg 8, Vergennes 1.
KINGSTON, N.H. — Hanover High’s Pierce Seigne finished first in the 800 meters (1:55.17) and 1,600 meters (4:17.40) at the NHIAA Meet of Champions to highlight area competitors at Sanborn High.
Lebanon’s Nyeoti Punni was second in the 100 and 200 meters, and Stevens’ Dylan Chambers was ninth in the 100. Newport freshman Maddox Lovely was fourth in the girls 300-meter hurdles and seventh in the 100 hurdles.
Other finishes included: Emma Kleber, Hanover (fourth, high jump); Tanner Ames, Lebanon (fifth, shot put); Kyle Ashley, Newport (fifth, javelin); Aidan Peterson, Hanover (sixth, javelin); Ian Solberg, Hanover (second, high jump); Opal Shinnlinger, Mascoma (second, discus; third, shot put); and Tanner Ames, Lebanon (seventh, discus; eighth, shot put).
LACONIA, N.H. — The No. 5 seed Raiders came up short against the fourth-seeded Sachems in the NHIAA Division III quarterfinal match.
Lebanon was led by Griffin Auch, who had three goals and an assist. Hunter Grant and Noah Mekus had two goals each, and Colin Maher, Finn Kopp, CJ Childs and Otto Bourne added a goal each. Bourne had two assists; Maher and Kopp also had one assist. James Barnett had 10 saves for the Raiders.
Lebanon finished at 10-5 and will graduate Auch, Childs, Grant, Mekus, Ethan Eshbaugh, Colbie Delisle and Ethan Lahaye.
DERRY, N.H. — Lebanon High brothers Mason and Nolan Arado won their three matches and moved to the semifinals of the NHIAA singles championship on Tuesday against Bedford’s top two players, who are also brothers.
Nolan Arado, Lebanon’s No. 2 singles player, won his first match, 8-1, then beat Alvirne’s No. 1, 8-3, and Hanover’s Evan Yang, 8-4. Yang had won his first two encounters by matching 8-0 scores.
Mason Arado, Lebanon’s No. 1 singles player, opened with an 8-1 win, then beat Bishop Guertin’s No. 1, 8-1, and Alvirine’s No. 2, 8-6.
On Tuesday in the semifinals, Mason Arado will face Bedford’s Logan Mack, and Nolan Arado will go up against the Bulldogs’ Lucas Mack.
The Arados will also play together Sunday in the doubles tournament at Memorial Field in Concord where they will be the No. 7 seed.
Meanwhile, Yang and his Hanover partner, Alex Rockmore, will also compete in Sunday’s state doubles tournament as the No. 1 seed, a first for the Bears since their ascension to Division I.
Rockmore, Hanover’s No. 2 in singles, won his first match, 8-2, before falling to Bedford’s Lucas Mack, 8-3.
SOUTH ROYALTON — The No. 2 seed Wildcats took care of business, easily winning their VPA Division IV quarterfinal game against the 10th-seeded Golden Horde.
Offensively, White River was led by Jamesen Roussel who drove in five runs and scored twice. Donovan Craven was 2-for-3 with a double, and Weston Trombly had two hits.
On the mound, Dominic Craven struck out seven over three innings, with Macin Gaudette and Robby McShinsky each going an inning.
White River will host No. 3 seed Arlington in the semifinals on Tuesday.
ORFORD — A seven-run fourth from the Raptors broke open a 7-7 game and held on in their VPA Division IV quarterfinal game.
An RBI triple by Harry Molesworth and RBIs doubles by Parker Piper and Ashton Pierson keyed the offensive outburst. Piper finished the game 3-for-4 with three RBIs.
Rivendell added a run and was up 15-8 after five innings. A comeback bid from the Mounties, who scored three runs in the sixth and two in the seventh, was shut down when Will Knowles, working in relief of Wyatt Underhill, got the last three outs.
Rivendell coach Eric Reichert said Underhill came on in relief in the second, down 7-4, and pitched 4⅓ strong innings before “running out of gas.”
“I am very proud of the way this team battled today,” Reichert said. “MSJ puts a lot of pressure on pitchers and defense, and our guys stood their ground. We had some solid defensive plays, including a 5-4-3 double play started by Braydan Larson, a barehanded charge and throw out at first by Will Knowles and several top quality picks at first base by Josh Gould.”
The Raptors will visit No. 1 seed Blue Mountain in the semifinals in Wells River on Tuesday.
THETFORD — The Panthers were down two runs in the fifth inning, 4-2, in a VPA Division III quarterfinal game before a seven-run frame that began with an Ethan Marshia home run followed by a two-run single.
Marshia was 2-for-4 and three RBIs, and Nolan Pepe had three hits, scored two runs and drove in one. Mitchell Parkman had two RBIs and Ryan Malloy one.
On the mound Thetford’s Boone Fahey, Justin Robinson and Jacob Gilman held the Chieftains to three hits.
“We were resilient today,” said Thetford coach Phil Chaput about the big inning to erase the deficit. “Ethan and Nolan were huge for us today both offensively and defensively. This team’s mental toughness is top-notch. Every player on this team stayed together today, and it showed during those make or break times. It was a big win for us.”
Thetford, the No. 4 seed, will visit No. 1 seed Hazen in the semifinals on Tuesday.
WHITE RIVER JUNCTION — It was not the Hurricanes’ day in a VPA Division II quarterfinal matchup against the fifth-ranked Tigers.
Middlebury pulled away from a 4-1 game with seven runs in the third against No. 4 seed Hartford.
Hartford finished the year at 11-7 and graduates Hailie DeFabiis.
NEWPORT — The fifth-seeded Tigers survived a close one in the NHIAA Division III quarterfinals against the 13th seed Vikings.
The win moves Newport into to the semifinals against No. 1 seed Prospect Mountain on Tuesday at 7 p.m. at Plymouth State University.
CLAREMONT — The Cardinals took the lead on a Brianna Frisbee three-run homer in the third, but Kingswood regained the advantage, 5-4, in the fourth.
“It was a close game through six, but we fell apart in the seventh,” said Stevens coach Melissa Nichols, adding that some errors hurt her team.
Stevens finished the year at 13-4 and graduates Frisbee, MacKenzie Brown, Emily Peaslee and Alexis Boisvert.
BRADFORD, Vt. — Oxbow’s strong start spelled the difference in the VPA Division III quarterfinal game.
The Olympians scored a run in the first inning on a single by freshman Anastase Bourgeois, then added three in the second for a 4-0 lead. Hadlee Allen singled scoring one run, and Oxbow scored another on a stolen base during Makenna Simmons’ at-bat, whch ended with a run-scoring single. Oxbow got an insurance run in the sixth.
Bourgeois went seven innings in the circle, allowing four runs on five hits and striking out 11 to reach 100 for the year.
Bourgeois, Faith Eastman, Simmons and Allen each had multiple hits for Oxbow.
“We had some good hits today,” said Oxbow coach Chuck Simmons. “The girls played well, and when game was on the line, the girls brought it together and closed it out. Every girl contributed to this win, and I am very proud of them.”
The top-seeded Olympians move on to host a Tuesday semifinals against No 5 seed Lake Region.