Most Valuable Players

Matt Conger (red pants) makes a fine cheerleader, but teammates like Joey Hartmann (blue jacket) wish he were on the ice instead of the bench.

It started as kind of a joke among sports reporters and fans, but as this past NFL season wore on it began to sound more and more correct. Who was the 2011 NFL MVP? Which player had more of an impact on the success (or failure) of his team than any other? Wasn't it really Peyton Manning? Was any team's season affected by one player more than this year's Indianapolis Colts?

Peyton Manning and Will Gleason (below, white shirt) both
have younger brothers putting up impressive performances
while they recover from injuries.

Sadly, we've got a pair of almost-Peyton Mannings this winter in Franklin County. I say almost not because Will Gleason and Matt Conger aren't as good as Manning -- they definitely are (plus they don't do bad commercials and play for the Patriots biggest rival!). I say almost because the captain-less Enosburg basketball and MVU hockey teams aren't nearly as bad as the Peyton-less Colts.

Though they may not be Colts bad, Enosburg and MVU are definitely hurting without their best players. Gleason broke his wrist on a near dunk with a bad landing and is holding out hope that he might be back for playoffs. Conger broke his femur, so he's holding out hope that he might be able to play some baseball this spring.

Both teams had legit title hopes at the start of the season. Both teams could still win a title, but are far from favorites now. Both teams have other good players and leaders but Gleason and Conger are irreplaceable in many key ways. The two are leaders with incredibly great attitudes, both seniors with valuable experience. It really is a lot like the Colts losing Peyton. Enosburg and MVU may have better supporting casts, but there's no Andrew Luck at the end of the rainbow if they don't come through.

Both teams are struggling a little as they try to adapt and I think they'll improve over the coming weeks. Enosburg recently eked out a win over Milton when the Yellowjackets missed a game-tying free throw with 2 seconds left and fell to a good Winooski team. 

MVU was a train wreck in its loss against Milton last night. I wrote a pretty scathing article about how disgusted I was by the Thunderbirds for tomorrow's Messenger. Last night wasn't so much about talent as it was about attitude for MVU. Missisquoi was so obsessed with the officials that it totally forgot about playing its brand of hockey. The swearing and cheap shots taking place in the third period were embarrassing.

With Conger playing, things would have been different last night. Matt is as calm and quiet as they come and he loves to play the game. He doesn't like bad refs any better than the next guy, 

but he would stick it to them by scoring a goal in spite of them as opposed to swearing at them from the penalty box. I like the kids I know on MVU, they're great kids. But last night I didn't see a single T-Bird who was more concerned with scoring a goal than with all the other crap going on. If Matt had been out there, I know I would have seen at least one. If there was someone on that team who was more disgusted with his teammates than the refs, he didn't speak up on the bench. 

Enosburg has some excellent players behind Gleason. Will's brother Branden is on his way to being as great as him but isn't quite there yet. Derek Blouin and Dallas Desroches can hit open threes better than anyone else in the county and Wyatt Larose is a rock defensively. The problem the Hornets have without Will is creation. Will is the only one of those players who can create his own shot consistently (and create shots for everyone else). Without Will, the other players don't have as many quality shots to knock down. When things were going badly, Will could singlehandedly take over the game for a few possessions and get momentum back. Without him, Enosburg is going to have some trouble stopping a bleed.

MVU also has some great players. Cole Tessier, Donnie Mueller and Caleb Lothian are probably as skilled as Conger but none has his calm demeanor. Everyone on that roster is more likely to be taken out of a game mentally than Matt is. It almost seemed to me like some T-Bird skaters are trying to do too much by themselves to make up for the void left by Conger -- and that's almost impossible to do in hockey.

I really like Matt and Will. Both are supporting their teams (and other teams at their schools, for that matter) just as hard as they can even though both are seniors who may never get to wear the jersey again. Both are genuine kids who don't act like "star" athletes. It broke my heart when I got the news about each injury. Unlike Peyton Manning, neither of these guys is being paid millions of dollars to wear a cast, they just love what they do. I hope each team finds its way and I hope every kid on each roster thanks Matt and Will every single day for their contributions in the face of injuries. 

And who knows, maybe they'll get their own "This is Sportscenter" commercial. But just in case that doesn't happen, I hope they both know they're appreciated, and sorely missed.