http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/bellows-falls-only-area-football-team-reach-post-season
Bellows Falls Only Area Football Team To Reach Post Season Submitted by VT Journal on Tue, 10/29/2013 - 3:18pm By BY BILL MURPHY Willie Nelson made "On The Road Again," a big hit in the 1980's and Bob Lockerby's Bellows Falls Terriers now must go and perform on that route if they hope to be Vermont State Division II Football Champions. The Falls fell to Lyndon 26-21 in a first place showdown at Hadley Field last Saturday and now must win two road games to capture all the marbles. Springfield played their final game of the season last Friday night in the Wild Card showdown with Winooski bowing 36-6. Fall Mountain was idle last week and travels to Somersworth this week for their finale on Saturday at 5 p.m. "We took the ball right down the field and couldn't put it in and that was the difference right there," Lockerby said of his Terriers opening possession march the length of the field which went unrewarded. Once the Falls gave up the pigskin, the momentum ended up being lost for the day as far as the lead was concerned. Lyndon took charge for most of the contest, but the Terriers always feel they have a chance and almost caught up at the end. Heading into the final minute of the half, the Vikings led 14-0, but the Purple and White jumped on the board then to make sure they were not forgotten. Eighteen seconds were left before halftime when quarterback Ethan Illingworth hooked up with David Dunbar on a 20-yard pass play for the score. Lyndon had tallied a touchdown and a conversion kick at 4:31 of the first and 4:28 of the second quarter for a 14-6 lead. The northern team came out and established the tempo again at the start of the second half and struck for a score this time around the four minute mark (4:52 left in the third) and with the kick failing led 20-6. For the second time in as many stanzas, the Falls scored in the waning seconds (this time five seconds left in the stanza) on an Austin Stack 4 yard run. Dunbar's conversion run made the score 20-14. Lyndon did not blink and found paydirt again with 7:01 left in the game to up their advantage to 26-14, but BF did score again, but it was too little too late. Continuing their theme of scoring in the final minute of a period, the Terriers saw Kyle O'Rourke find the end zone from 4 yards out with 34 seconds to play. Dunbar kicked the extra point to narrow the lead to 26-21. BF did what they were suppose to do next and recovered the onside kick, but it was ruled the ball only traveled nine yards and they did not have an opportunity for a last second miracle. "Lyndon's running game is tough to stop," Lockerby noted, but wondered "if we had been able to push that first score in, I think we would have been all right. We would like the chance to play them again." Those chances run through Rice Memorial, who BF has fallen to twice in the past 51 weeks. Rice defeated the Terriers in last year’s title game and also shutout the Falls 19-0 early this fall. "Rice has been such a pain in our side," Lockerby said, adding, "but now both of us have changed a great deal since our first meeting this year. We have reconstructed our line and they are playing very well, so I feel good going into the game." Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. Saturday at Rice, the same time Lyndon will face Fair Haven in the other semi-final. For Kevin Tallman's Springfield Cosmos, their loss to Winooski completes a winless season, but the truth be told, one year ago, the Green and White were a Junior Varsity program and with this full year of a young squad playing varsity football under their belt, things are definitely moving forward. Upon being asked about the Cosmos biggest accomplishment this season, Tallman responded, "The continuing growth of our sophomores." Don't be surprised if this team competes for the play-offs next year. The lone score for the locals in the finale came on a Josh Rivers 63 yard kick-off return. In summing up the loss in the Winooski game Tallman said it really came down to "their upperclassmen versus our underclassmen. That was the difference in experience and execution." Having said that the Cosmos coach said, "We had our opportunities, but fumbles and penalties cut drives short." Fall Mountain began this season with two victories, but a combination of tougher games and a program that still does not understand the full meaning of commitment as a team that is needed, such as happens across the river in Bellows Falls (players never missing practice/everyone working hard from start to finish), has kept them searching for their third win. Fall Mountain was also a Junior Varsity program a year ago, but Brown feels that commitment, as a team is still a work in progress. "I think we can win this week, but certain things will have to fall into place." BY BILL MURPHY The Vermont Journal Sports - See more at: http://www.vermontjournal.com/content/bellows-falls-only-area-football-team-reach-post-season#sthash.fKhaD328.dpuf
Anyone care to guess why that is?
ReplyDeleteI can tell you, they have a feeder program that teaches kids how to play football at an early age. Springfield doesn't.
There are a lot of feeder programs for soccer in Springfield. The athletes are very good by the time they are at the high school in Springfield. As far as football is concerned there is a flag football team for kids that just teaches them how to catch a ball and run. They obviously don't learn how to tackle or run plays. It is great that some kids are going to this however it stops at 4th grade. They don't start playing football again until 7th grade. They have to learn how to tackle and run plays in a few weeks before the first game.
When they are in high school they are still trying to learn how to tackle and be tackled, they are learning drills and plays.
So start a program! The soccer program is mostly run by volunteers and student athletes. There used to be a feeder program but it was cancelled because of rude, mouthy parents......
ReplyDeleteSure, start a program, but don't come looking for more taxpayer dollars to fund it! But beware the threat of Mild Traumatic Brain Injury (MTBI) on your children. Hmmm, perhaps some of those "rude, mouthy parents" played football in their youth and are MTBI patients themselves!
ReplyDeleteFYI soccer program is run mostly by volunteers and student athletes.... Parents pay a small fee for a t-shirt and a little administrative time...
ReplyDeleteTHE BOTTOM LINE IS SPRINGFIELD DOESN'T WANT A FOOTBALL PROGRAM!!!!!
ReplyDeleteWho in their right mind would want the job? It would take an individual that would have to work 24/7 and focus entirely on the program. No support from the district, just sitting on the side waiting to see what the political pulse is.
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