MVU Boys (Division I, #1, 12-1-1)
*The criticism of MVU's #1 seed is somewhat unfair. No, the Thunderbirds are probably not the best all-around team in the state and would probably have more than one loss had it played more games against the likes of CVU, Colchester or Burlington. But Missisquoi won every game it should have, and there's something to be said for that.
*It would have been fun to see MVU play a Metro schedule, but you can't say they absolutely should be in the Metro. Missisquoi had a high school enrollment of 637 for the 2010-11 school year, which would make it the smallest school in the Metro (Colchester is currently smallest with 754 students) and does not make it the largest school in the lake (that honor goes to 659-student Middlebury). So Missisquoi is small enough to justify its position in the Lake, not to mention the T-Birds would get killed in the Metro in years without the likes of Matt St. Amour, Caleb Lothian and Chasen La Shure on its team.
*That #1 seed (which went to MVU only because CVU lost its final game of the season) means plenty to the T-Birds. #16 Lyndon probably can't beat Missisquoi. #15 Brattleboro would have a much better shot at the upset.
*Top seed or not, MVU has to play its absolute best to beat the rest of the top 5 (Burlington, CVU, South Burlington and Harwood -- South Burlington handed MVU its only loss of the year).
*If MVU can pull off a second straight championship despite being moved up a division, it may be the first time a #1 seed has ever been referred to as "underdog" champs.
BFA St. Albans Boys (Division I, #13, 6-8-0)
*The Bobwhites picked up right where it left off after a dismal year in 2010, losing its first three games by a combined score of 9-2. Since that third loss, BFA closed its season on a 6-5 run and never lost two consecutive games again.
*Things turned around with a 2-1 overtime road win at Milton in September. Both Bobwhite goals that day came from someone making the "extra" pass, which was a trait missing from BFA's playbook for quite some time. The Bobwhites clearly applied the lessons learned that day in the rest of its season.
*BFA is an above-average team when they players and coaches are getting along and everyone is playing unselfishly, I don't think many other teams are aware of just how much talent the Bobwhites really have. But when playing individually and distracted by personal issues, BFA is almost unwatchable.
*As talented as some of its players are, BFA isn't talented enough to beat good Metro teams without 11 kids playing together.
*The Bobwhites proved with a 2-0 win at Essex and 2-0 loss to Burlington (who had beaten the Bobwhites 5-1 to kick off the season) its ability to play with and even beat top tier teams.
*BFA's range is unbelievable; on any given day BFA could beat the #1 team in Division I or lose 3-0 to a midlevel Division II team depending on which BFA shows up that day. The Bobwhites are fully capable of upsetting (#6)South Burlington in round one and even making a deeper run if all parties involved remember that they play for the same team.
Milton Boys (Division II, #8, 5-7-2)
*Milton had one of the unluckiest starts in all of Vermont. The Yellowjackets started the season 1-7-2 and only two of those seven losses came by more than one goal (a 2-0 loss to Division I Colchester and a 3-0 loss to Division I South Burlington).
*Since that brutal start, Milton ended its season with four straight wins and salvaged a home playoff game with rival Lamoille in the opening round.
*Milton's tough start can be blamed somewhat on its youth (7 freshmen/sophomores). The season began with a slew of overtime games, settings Milton's young squad might not have been ready for quite yet.
*The Yellowjackets have a great on-field leader in Chayce Phillips. A young team needs a leader with skill, heart and brains and Phillips has all three. Phillps' presence helped turn what was on pace to be a transition year into a potentially strong playoff run (Phillips' co-captains, Everett Gander and Taylor Gingras desereve credit for getting this team to an #8 seed as well)
*Regardless of what happens in these playoffs, expect Milton to be strong for the next few years. But never bet against a team which ended its season with four straight wins.
BFA Fairfax Boys (Division III, #1, 14-0-0)
*Fairfax was certainly the best team in Franklin County this year and perhaps in all of Vermont. From goalie to striker and every spot in between, the Bullets do not have a weak link. As good as the MVU boys and Milton girls are, both of those teams have weak spots which could be exploited in the coming weeks, I've yet to see such a spot on this BFA team.
*An opponent only came within a goal of beating Fairfax three times all season. BFA outscored the opposition 49-7 in its 13 played wins (Richford forfeited its second contest with the Bullets).
*BFA racked up 8 shutouts and only allowed more than a single goal one time.
*Fairfax's biggest advantage is its versatility -- BFA doesn't rely on one or two players for all its scoring. If Justin Bolam or Nicolas Figuera are being double teamed, anyone else on the field is capable of scoring.
*If someone does break through BFA's stellar defense (Nick Woodward, Luke Rebeor, Tyler McNall and Tim Rebeor), the Bullets boast one of the best goalkeepers around. Good luck slipping anything past Cameron Loller (who works harder in warmups than any goalie I've ever seen)
*BFA has some good young players, but this is a culmination season for the team. There are too many three and four year players on the roster who have experienced every kind of playoff heartbreak without a title to show for it. It was clear listening to the players after win #14 that 14-0 is a fine number, but it's championship or bust for these Bullets.
Enosburg Boys (Division III, #5, 10-4-0)
*If there's one team that should scare Fairfax, it's the Hornets. Two of Enosburg's four losses came at the hands of BFA, but a great late-season contest in Fairfax was destined for overtime until a late BFA penalty kick helped the Bullets escape with a victory.
*Enosburg was the only team to score 2 goals against Fairfax this year
*Enosburg was the only team to score 2 goals against Fairfax this year
*Enosburg absolutely wants to see Fairfax one more time, I'm not sure BFA shares the feeling. The saying goes that it's almost impossible to beat a good team three times in one year, the Hornets would love a chance to prove that adage right (Enosburg will likely need to beat #4 Rivendell on the road in the second round to earn a semifinal match with Fairfax).
*The Hornets play a smart brand of soccer and play fairly well as a team, but may depend a little too much on senior Gabino Hernandez for its scoring.
*This Enosburg team stays incredibly composed and doesn't lose its cool. That's thanks in part to perhaps the best coaching staff in the state (head coach Randy Swainbank and assistants Dave Fitzgerald, David Marlow and Steve Jette) but thanks even more to the spread of its senior leadership on the field (goalie Cody Couture, defender/midfielder Will Gleason and forward Hernandez).
*Enosburg is absolutely capable of winning a title this year. That could all depend on Hernandez's ability to transform from finisher to playmaker.
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*Finally, I would like to announce the first annual Kaufmann's Korner All County Team. This is a little different from other all star team selections for a couple of reasons. 1). Nobody really cares. 2). This is not a list of the 11 best players I cover, it is the team I think would have the most success playing together (If Vermont had a competition between each of its counties, this is the team I think would give Franklin Co. the best chance of winning).
*So just because a good defender doesn't make the team doesn't mean I don't consider him one of the best four defenders I cover, it just means I think the combination I chose would play the best team defense (example: Chasen La Shure is one of the four best midfielders in the county, but I already had three offensive-minded midfielders so I made my fourth a blue-collar type player).
* I also may have a player outside his typical position, I can do that since this is my imaginary team.
*The only rules I gave myself were to include at least one player from each school I covered (I'm taking the geographical liberty of moving Milton into Franklin County for this and giving Richford the temporary boot since I didn't see them at all) and to prepare for angry text messages from those I left out.
Goalkeeper: Cameron Loller (BFA-Fairfax)
Defenders: Caleb Lothian (MVU)
Connor Walsh (BFA-St. Albans)
Everett Gander (Milton)
Will Gleason (Enosburg)
Midfielders: Matt. St. Amour (MVU)
Justin Bolam (BFA-Fairfax)
Camilo Cuadra (BFA-St. Albans)
Travis Yandow (BFA-Fairfax)
Forwards: Chayce Phillips (Milton)
Gabino Hernandez (Enosburg)
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