Class Acts

So rarely do high-school athletes "get-it."

Specifically when it comes to rivalry games, more often than not we get these kids acting like, well, kids.

There's always a beef to settle beyond the game --someone has a crush on someone else's boyfriend, someone threw an elbow in the last game, someone bought the same skates as me and copied my hairstyle (that was the one that really drove me crazy in high school -- I worked hard on my look!).

Take a look at the comments section of any internet story or youtube video sometime when you feel like losing all faith in humanity (how Alex Abrami hasn't gone insane trying to referee the "adults" who argue on his stellar 'Varsity Insider' blog is beyond me). Nowhere do the claws come out more and people say things they'd never say in person than on social media.

I've seen so many terrible game-day comments from local athletes I follow on Twitter and Facebook, it's sickening. Challenges about who's kicking whose ass tonight and who better "watch their back" I suppose can be expected from 17-year olds whose primary source of communication comes from behind a screen. I've witnessed personal pregame fights, team vs. team pregame fights, even basketball teams and hockey teams from the same school arguing over which is better (not kidding). And, of course, I've seen the most trash talk when it comes to rival A vs. rival B.

I remember a few years ago prior to a BFA/MVU powderpuff game for charity (yes, charity) when threats and trash talk were so bad prior to the game, it couldn't all be diffused by kickoff and what should have been the most fun event of the year turned into garbage.

And I've played in/covered enough ugly BFA/MVU games that I mostly expected to wake up today to read about how much this player hates that player and so on in anticipation of tonight's girls hockey game. I assumed someone would run her mouth and do just enough to tarnish what has been the marquee Franklin County sporting event in recent years.

Ah, how I underestimate these girls. Take a look at some of these tweets (apologies to those I don't follow, couldn't find with a search, or just missed. I'll continue to update throughout the day). Want some faith restored in the goodness of our local athletes? Look no further than a fine collection of girls from either side of the ice. Talk about girls who "get it." They have a chance to raise some money for breast cancer research, play a game they love with talented athletes who are better people, and oh yeah, try to win if the chance arises.

Thanks, girls. A few adults would do well to take character lessons from you. Nice to get a reminder that wanting to win, having priorities, and having respect for other student-athletes don't have to be mutually exclusive.

And we keep adding to the list. Hannah Lovelette took the lead with Katie Campbell and Mikaela Flanagan close behind, organizing a hashtag. Only expect it to keep growing! Also, the greatness of this cause makes up for me encouraging student-athletes to use social media during school hours, right?

From my comment on the link to this blog on Facebook, a little explanation of why I'm going to keep adding tweets and what/who I hope to hear from. I'll keep updating until I leave for Highgate Arena tonight!

"As the son of a breast cancer survivor, I admire the effort and am touched by the heart shown. Now you should all get off your phones and pay attention to your teachers. Then let's hear from the rest of the girls, fans, alumni, parents, other students and anyone else. Are you going? Wearing pink? Participating in honor of the cause or someone in particular? Tag me in your Facebook status or use the hashtag #skatingforacure on Twitter. Hope to keep adding to the blog and show everyone what makes Franklin County so special!"

                              

...

Looks like a routine lay-up, right? Against Matt St. Amour (#11), it  ended up the kind of block Sportscenter shows 12 times an hour. What do you say when a player keeps making the play nobody should be able to make?

...

.....

........

............Seriously. That's what I had with 7:08 left in the fourth quarter of tonight's Missisquoi win over BFA-Fairfax.

7:08 was the time on the clock when Fairfax called a timeout following Matt St. Amour's sixth consecutive made three-pointer in about a five minute span.

I was the only commentator tonight for Channel 15's coverage of the game. In dozens of games I've called in the last few years and hundreds I've covered in the last 8+, I don't remember ever being speechless.

Check the tape. Take a note. Mark the calendar. On December 18, 2012, with 7:08 left in the fourth of a high school basketball game, Ben Kaufmann was speechless.

Apparently six straight 3's is the exact scenario I'm not prepared for behind the mic. I'd used up the generic calls and around the time St. Amour hit his fourth straight at the third-quarter buzzer, I used up the "I can't believe what I'm watching!" stuff.

It's not entirely that I didn't have anything to say. It's just the words in my head were probably the same as everyone else in the building and would have gotten me fired. Of course I thought about saying "Holy (4-letter word removed by editor)" after that final bomb in the third. I nearly spat out "(4-letter word removed by editor) me!" after St. Amour's fifth straight kicked off the fourth. A few seconds later, when it was clear we were watching something incredible after six in a row, I came awfully close to announcing "(String of obscenities removed by editor)"!

It wasn't just the shooting clinic leaving me searching for some words worthy of the moment. All night long (and most every night he's on the court), it's like Matt's playing a different game than the other nine guys on the floor. He sees the opponent's next move long before the opponent is even considering it. He's like the Bobby Fisher of basketball, except without all the insanity and anti-semitism (as far as I know...).

St. Amour blocked five shots tonight. I don't mean he tipped an attempt just off target five times tonight. I mean five times tonight, BFA tried to shoot and Matt anticipated, got into position, and kindly used his hands to suggest the ball try taking a long trip in the opposite direction.

St. Amour handed out six assists tonight while pulling down 14 rebounds (remember, he's never the biggest guy on the floor). Multiple passes led to a basket one pass later and if a few Thunderbird shots roll differently, the kid has a 36-point triple-double. When Fairfax called that early fourth-quarter timeout to go find a kitchen sink to throw at Matt, he began unleashing the kind of full court passes that would make you think he threw three straight complete games in last year's baseball playoffs (oh, wait, he did).

Of course, St. Amour did have one turnover tonight. And he was still nine points short of his 45 total from MVU's last game.

I've already gone over the "ball-hog"  criticism of St. Amour, so for tonight I'll just let the numbers do the talking:

13-21 (62%) from the field
7-9 (78%) from three
6 assists
14 rebounds
3 steals
1 turnover

Of course, those who say Matt has no help are misguided as well. Tyler Cooper would be making headlines on a team without St. Amour, he does all the dirty work for the good of the team. Alex Deuso reminds me of my favorite basketball teammate (Kyle Reed) -- works his butt off for rebounds and steals, drains the elbow jumper anytime someone's foolish enough to let him have it, and never complains. Alex Larose is the perfect teammate for someone like St. Amour: he gets boards, finishes open layups, and make sure nobody (one last 4 letter word removed by editor)'s with the man. Remember before David Stern overreacted in cleaning up the NBA's image, when superstars had a hockey-like enforcer? Jordan had guys like Charles Oakley and Dennis Rodman making sure nobody took a cheap shot. And Ron Artest had guys like Stephen Jackson and Jermaine O'Neal making sure he didn't go to jail alone. Larose has some of that Oakley/Rodman in him (in a good way). It's the skill of those role-players --and most importantly, their willingness to put the good of the team first-- which will make MVU a tough out for ANY team come playoff time.

But tonight was about Matt St. Amour. I remember watching St. Johnsbury eviscerate BFA-St. Albans on opening night and wondering how Matt would fare against that group. After tonight, I wouldn't worry. I went to a game in Milton last night and watched Derryk O'Grady drain 3's like it was his job during warmups. I remember thinking on the ride home that O'Grady might be a better pure shooter than Matt, might be the guy I'd choose if I needed 9 points in 90 seconds. I don't know how Matt knew what I was thinking in the car by myself last night, but apparently he was displeased.

I was talking with my dad tonight about Matt's game and his college prospects. He said, "Matt can play anywhere in college." I told him that was a little absurd, he might be able to play 1-5 in Vermont but he can hardly be a center at the next level. "No," dad clarified. "I mean he can play at any school in the country."

Dad's right. No, Matt couldn't start for a top-level Division One school tomorrow, or even next year. But after fighting through triple teams and still posting near triple-doubles while staying on pace for 2,000 career points, couldn't he focus on one skill against single coverage and excel anywhere? I'm not about to bet against him.

Don't take tonight as a knock on Fairfax. Kris Wehner is a hell of an athlete, leading Fairfax offensively tonight while guarding Matt nonstop. BFA is a Division III team, MVU is Division I, and it was a fight tonight until St. Amour channeled his inner Reggie Miller. The Bullets will be just fine. Fairfax was just the latest victim of the kind of kid who is MVU's all-time soccer goals leader, who gets great grades, is the ace of the baseball team's pitching staff and has won Champlain Country Club's Junior Club Championship. Most importantly, BFA just ran up against the kind of kid who does all that stuff in his spare time, when he's not working on his jumper.

What Could Be Better Than Penalty Kicks?

(#13)Colchester celebrates after knocking out (#4)BFA-St. Albans in the second round of penalty kicks. But who would have advanced if Wednesday's playdown had been decided by a raffle?

Like the changing of the leaves or the 2,738 Facebook status updates about the first snowfall, ridiculous finishes to soccer games are an annual fall tradition in the great state of Vermont. High school playoff soccer games tied after 110 minutes of play are determined by a best-of-five penalty kick shootout; the soccer equivalent of deciding a presidential election by counting just five states (whoops, poor analogy). 

No soccer fan is OK with deciding the fate of a season by making athletes compete in something decidedly "non-soccer." Each season, without fail, deserving teams go home early because they failed in what is essentially a game of chance. The most recent victim: BFA-St. Albans. Watching such a fun group of girls in tears after outshooting Colchester 17-4 in regulation but losing in PK's was heartbreaking. The pain wasn't from the loss as much as the lack of fairness involved.

This isn't all sour grapes from a homer of a sportswriter. Last year, my alma mater, Missisquoi, advanced in the playoffs by knocking off Essex in PK's. Nobody should lose like that and no team feels like true victors when it wins like that. What other travesties are on deck for this postseason? Milton's girls outshot Green Mountain Valley 21-6 but needed overtime to win. Would a GMVS penalty kick victory have been just? 

We all want to see the best teams advance at the end of the day, but logical arguments are best left for the talented sportswriters. Instead, I'd like to be proactive and offer alternatives to penalty kicks. If we're not going to use soccer to determine winners, why shouldn't we have some fun with it? A few suggestions:

Tug of War- You're not going to watch this? Really?

Boggle- Let's keep it academic if possible. Though I'm willing to listen to arguments for Candyland, Sorry and Trouble. But we don't have time for Monopoly and I refuse to see a season decided by Chutes and Ladders!

Karaoke-

Duck-Duck-Goose- Find it odd that I lumped these two together? Here's the logic: Nothing's worse than watching high schoolers in tears after their season is ended. Have you ever seen sad people doing either of these things? NO MORE TEARS!

Alumni Beer Pong Game- Every playoff game is flooded with college kids returning to their former pitches, yearning for the glory days of old. Why not let these fine folks put that first-semester training to work and help the team out one last time?

Relay Race-

Water Polo- Conditioning is a vital part of soccer. Plus, this rewards the team with the guts (or stupidity) to jump into Lake Champlain in November.

Mini Golf- With the Ryder Cup and all the majors over, I think we can all agree we'd like a chance to see some more pressure putting.

Team GPA- Sure, we'd know ahead of time who advances in the event of a tie, but overtime might be better with one team desperately attacking instead of both playing not to lose. And, after all, these are student athletes. Maybe we go with the GPA of the starters to avoid varsity coaches calling up the chess club to fill out the playoff roster.

War- Undoubtedly the greatest soccer-related game ever. Not to mention, I used to dominate this back in the day, so it's near and dear to my heart. For those who don't know, it's one-on-one with two goals about 30 yards apart. Use of hands is allowed but neither player may cross midfield. These were supposed to be joke ideas, but this one's honestly a better test of soccer skill than PK's even if it doesn't address the issue of putting too much pressure on a few players.

Complaints, Behavior & Sportsmanship- My personal favorite. An extra official is assigned to playoff games and stands between the benches. Points for every obnoxious complaint (calm, civil discussion is still allowed). Triple points for audible complaints by fans. Double points for any complaint by an assistant coach or bench player. Single point for a complaint by head coach or player (includes raised arms). Team with fewer points at the end of regulation + overtime advances to next round.

Bake-Off- 

Pie Eating Contest- These two are self explanatory. If we're going to make a farce of the postseason, we should at least eat well. This is the idea most likely to be pushed by sportswriters as we are all, each and every one of us, shameless gluttons.

Essay Contest- Topics include: Why My Team Deserved To Win This Game, How Twitter Changed My Life For The Better or, of course, Why I Love America.

Blackjack- I just like the idea of 20 minutes of practice time being used to explain to 16 year olds why you NEVER split 5's.

Rock-Paper-Scissors- Again, make practice time more fun. Who needs corner kicks when you can study pages of rock-paper-scissors habits?

Scavenger Hunt- First team to bring back a softball, a cellphone from before 2006, a 5 lb. dumb-bell, a black cat and a cup of gas station chili advances to the next round!

Scavenger Hunt Part II- Each team selects one player to eat the gas station chili and chase the cat goal line to goal line while holding the dumb-bell in one hand and sending a complicated text with the ancient cellphone in the other.

Non-Starters w/Coaches in Net- Years ago, Vermont had a system even worse than PK's. They actually (seriously, not kidding) followed overtime with 8v8 WITH NO GOALIES. Obviously that's no solution, even for a joke blog. But, following OT with a game between bench players and the coaches in net? I'll watch that.

Synchronized Swimming Routines- Maybe we should consider an indoor pool for the water events.

Obstacle Course- Or we just let teams compete American Gladiators style? 

The Newlywed Game- Encourage team unity by seeing which group of players knows more about its coach. "Alright girls, stick with triangle passing and if that doesn't work, remember my favorite boy band is N'Sync. NOT the Backstreet Boys."

Flag Football- Local Powderpuff football games have been a rousing success. We're all in favor of more.

Spelling Bee- Again, more focus on academics. Bonus points if you can juggle a soccer ball while you spell. There is a twist: All the words will be last names of players from the Turkish, Ivory Coast or Iranian national teams.

50/50 Raffle- Another favorite. At a time when our schools are hurting for money, let's step up and do what the government can't. Sure, it's nice when the 50/50 winner gets to take home $67. But I feel like we'd raise a tad more money for Vermont schools if that same winner also had to stick around until the end of the game, choosing the team to move on in the event of a tie. Perhaps we'd reopen the raffle during the second overtime period. I think the VPA would be in favor of a Rice-CVU bidding war in the title game; New laptops for every student!!!

JV Game- Keep the young guns practicing and playing longer! Yes, of course it's insane to put that much pressure on high schoolers and determine the fate of a varsity team without letting it play for its own season. Isn't it?

Notes on MVU/Woodstock Boys Hockey Playdown Game

Boys Division Two Playdown Game

Woodstock Wasps @ Missisquoi Thunderbirds

February 29th, 2012 -- Highgate Arena

***My boys hockey playoff preview for local teams


(#11)Woodstock: 2-17-1

(#6)Missisquoi: 11-8-1

The two met once this season (February 18th) in Woodstock. Tied 3-3

-Woodstock's three goals in that game tied its season high

________________________________________________________________________

Woodstock: 0-9 on road this season (Outscored 39-3 in those games*)

*Shut-out six times on road, never scored more than one goal

Missisquoi: 6-4 at home this season (two shut-outs)

Winner faces (#3)Burr & Burton (14-3-3) at Riley Rink Saturday at 2:00

VS. Burr & Burton: Woodstock -- 0-2 (7-3, 8-1)

Missisquoi -- 0-1 (2-0)*

*MVU was without four suspended players for that game

________________________________________________________________________

MVU coach Luc Choquette's first full season as head coach*

*Coached 2009-10 season while then-head coach Jason Brace was serving in military, led Thunderbirds to Division II title

Notes on BHS/MVU playdown game

In putting some notes together for tonight's playoff game I found plenty of interesting things. Thought I'd share my notes for anyone who's interested. Some of it may not be of interest to you, just stuff for me to talk about during a solo broadcast.


***My boys basketball playoff preview for local teams
________________________________________________________________________

Boys Division One Playdown Game

(#10)Burlington High School (8-12) at (#7)Missisquoi Valley Union (11-9)

February 29, 2012

-Missisquoi hasn't won a division one playoff game or been to a quarterfinal since 1986, has never been to a division one semifinal

-First home division one playoff game since 2001

-MVU and Burlington have not met since 2006 playdowns. (#2)BHS beat (#15)MVU 78-58 and eventually won Division I title over Spaulding by 20 points*.

*Tyrone Conley, just a junior, reached 1,000 points in that title game

History:

-Burlington has won 20 division one state championships, been to 33 title games and more than 40 final fours. It has finished the season undefeated three times

-Missisquoi has no division one state championships and has never been to a division one title game. It has won one Division II state championship and been to four title games (two in division two, one in d3 and one in d4)

Last Season:

Burlington: #8 Seed in division one, lost in second round

Missisquoi: Won division two championship (graduated four of five starters)

Common Opponents:

CVU: Burlington (0-2), Missisquoi (0-1)

North Country: Burlington (0-1)* Missisquoi (1-1)

*Lost by one point

Burlington: 3-6 on road this season

Missisquoi: 5-4 at home this season

-Burlington coach Matt Johnson (2,121 career points for BFA-St. Albans) is second on Vermont's all-time scoring list and tops the next closest Franklin County scorer by more than 400 points

    -He was named Vermont High School Basketball Player of the Year after leading BFA-St. Albans to the 1987 title, the last D1 title for any Franklin County High School

-Missisquoi junior Matt St. Amour (1364 career points) enters the game tied for 67th on Vermont's all-time scoring list (36 more points has him in top 60). 

   -He is sixth all-time among male basketball players from Franklin County (will move to fifth, ahead of Fairfax's Seth Rebeor with 5 points tonight).

-Will become MVU's all time scoring leader, passing Laurel McWilliams, with three points tonight.

2011-12 Girls Hockey Season Review/Playoff Preview

Dani Schreiner (22) may be out injured, but she and Aly Hardy (5) still found spots on the Kaufmann's Korner All County team after an incredible girls hockey season.

With playoffs starting next week, I wanted to get some thoughts out there on every local team. Please be aware that the seeds and playoff pairings I post are projected. The official pairings are not released until Monday morning.


Boys Hockey Review/Preview
Boys Basketball Review/Preview
Girls Basketball coming next weekend...




Girls Hockey Season Review/Playoff Preview

There isn't much new to be said about girls hockey in Vermont. I covered the BFA/MVU rivalry earlier this season and my dad wrote a column about the potential excitement for this year's girls playoffs. But just in case anyone is checking out this blog after a few years of hibernation, let's take a look.

The top five teams in Vermont this season are as close as possible. I'm not just talking about the records and index points, though it's not a bad place to start:

Bellows Free Academy - St. Albans 13-3-4      47

Spaulding High School 12-4-4 44

South Burlington High School 12-4-4 44

Missisquoi Valley U.H.S.                        13-6-1 39

Essex High School                                 10-8-2 34 

But the state of girls hockey in Vermont goes so much deeper than those final standings. You have to take a look at how these teams have matched up head to head:

BFA-St. Albans:

Wins: Spaulding, Missisquoi (x2), Essex, South Burlington

Losses: Missisquoi

Ties: South Burlington, Spaulding, Essex

Spaulding:

Wins: South Burlington, Essex (x2), Missisquoi,

Losses: BFA, Missisquoi

Ties: South Burlington (x2), BFA, Essex

South Burlington:

Wins: Missisquoi (x2), Essex

Losses: Essex (x2), Spaulding, BFA 

Ties: Missisquoi, BFA, Spaulding (x2)

Missisquoi:

Wins: BFA, Essex (x2), South Burlington, Spaulding

Losses: South Burlington (x2), BFA (x2), Spaulding

Ties: South Burlington

Essex:

Wins: South Burlington (x2)

Losses: Missisquoi (x2), Spaulding, BFA, South Burlington

Ties: Spaulding, BFA

Notice anything? Only one top five team swept another -- that would be MVU over Essex. By the way, those two meet in Highgate for the quarterfinals. Think that sounds good to Missisquoi fans? Look above again. No team that played another three times ended up 3-0. 

These girls skated to seven ties this season! They played seven other games which were decided by one goal! If Vermont had high school sportsbooks, the odds would be in favor of more overtime games than regulation this postseason.

Seeding is crucial this year. (#1)BFA plays 0-19 CVU, piece of cake. (#2)Spaulding plays 3-17 Colchester, easy as pie. (#3)South Burlington plays Hartford, a decent program but one which is 0-3 against the Rebels this season.

But #4? That's Missisquoi. They get an Essex team which finished its year with ties against Spaulding and at BFA. And we already went over the difficulty of beating a good opponent three times in one season. Think the regular season isn't important? If MVU had beaten South Burlington in either of the games it ended up losing, it would be prepping for a Hartford team it's already beaten twice instead of gearing up for a championship-level fight in round one.

What I'm trying to get at is if you want a guaranteed good show in the next few weeks, go watch two of these teams play each other in a playoff atmosphere. 14 ties/one-goal games in one regular season! Except for MVU/Essex, each loss has been avenged with at least a tie. And if you think MVU/Essex this week is going to be anything other than absolutely electric, I have some timeshares I'd like you to take a look at.

Best of all, this year is just a warm-up. Essex is led by a phenomenal freshman and a solid young supporting cast. BFA has a few good seniors, but is led primarily by its underclassmen. MVU's seniors, well, they must play other sports because there are none on this hockey roster.

Is anyone petitioning the VPA to charge double for meetings between these teams next year? I think I just figured out how to save Vermont schools. 




Kaufmann's Korner All County Girls Hockey Team
A reminder from the fall, this is a little different than other all-star teams for a few reasons: First of all, nobody really cares. Secondly, these aren't the 12 best players I've covered this winter, they're the best teams I could send out to represent Franklin County in a state-wide tournament. It's close to an all-star team, but more fun to create. Actually, could we follow up the season with my team against SB/Essex or Spaulding/Hartford? Who needs baseball season?

G- Shanley Howrigan (BFA) 

D- Mikaela Flanagan (MVU)

D- Taylor Jackson (BFA)

F- Amanda Conger (MVU)

F- Katie Campbell (MVU)

F- Aly Hardy (BFA)

Second Team:

G- Shelby Christian (MVU)

D- Hanna Lovelette (BFA)

D- Desiree Hurlbut (BFA)

F- Camille Rainville (MVU)

F- Tori Hubbard (BFA)

F- Dani Schreiner (BFA)

*I had more fun with this team than any other. It's always fun to start off your team with a brick wall in net (and another pretty solid wall as her backup). The forwards on the first team are as skilled as any I've ever watched and none has a hint of attitude. Now that I look at it, I'd love to see Flanagan and Jackson defend together. And look at the speed on the second team. Even if you put that line out there tonight with Schreiner on crutches, they'd win a relay against any other skaters in the state with time to spare. And I don't want a fake hockey team without Campbell or Hurlbut, they just have too much fun. 

Enjoy these playoffs, I know I will!