By Roger Brown
MaxPreps.com
Entering last weekend there may have been some question about which school had the best Division I football team in the state. If so, that question was answered Friday night.
Senior running back Mick Wong ran for 141 yards and three touchdowns on 14 carries to lead Harford past Rutland, 25-7, in a matchup between the only unbeaten teams in the division.
Wong scored on touchdown runs of 23, 9 and 54 yards. Peter Crosby (70 yards on 12 carries) and Brandon Bergeron (66 yards on 10 carries) added to Harford's dominant ground attack.
“That’s was the best game our line ever played,” Wong told the Rutland Herald. “Everyone did their job. It all starts with the line.”
Hartford improved its record to 5-0. The Hurricanes have outscored their opponents 162-53. No Division I team has allowed fewer points this season.
The loss dropped Rutland’s record to 4-2 overall and 4-1 in Division I. Rutland’s other loss came against Danbury, Conn. Every other Division I team has at least two losses.
Hartford, which won last year’s Division I state title, led 12-0 at halftime and had a 25-0 lead in the second half.
Rutland’s only touchdown came on a 12-yard pass from quarterback Trevor Olson to Mark Comstock late in the fourth quarter. Comstock also intercepted two passes in the game.
“We got beat by a better team,” Rutland coach Mike Norman said. “I love my kids, but we got beat in every facet of the game. We just have to get ready for Mount Anthony and take it from there.”
Division II: Quarterback Ben Dolan ran for three touchdowns and threw for two more to help Mount Mansfield improve its record to 6-0 with a 46-24 triumph over Rice Memorial on Saturday.
Dolan scored on runs of 28, 3 and 3 yards. He tossed an 11-yard touchdown pass to Brian Sutherland, and a 30-yard TD pass to Ian Shaw.
Mount Mansfield improved to 6-0 overall and 5-0 in Division II. The Cougars are the only unbeaten team in Division II.
Rice dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-4 in the division.
Mount Mansfield’s other touchdowns came on an 85-yard kickoff return by Kyle Remillard and 30-yard interception return by Jamie Wright.
Division III: Springfield raised its record to 6-0 by beating Montpelier, 41-21, Friday.
Springfield quarterback Grant White threw for two touchdowns and ran for another. The Cosmos pulled away when senior running back Stephen Miller scored on runs of 72 and 62 yards in the third quarter.
Springfield, the only unbeaten team in the division, has outscored its opponents 283-27 this season.
Cross Country: Rowe Prevails in Woods Trail Run
St. Johnsbury Academy junior Hannah Rowe outran the competition to win the 18th Annual Woods Trail Run at Thetford Academy on Friday. Rowe completed the 3.1-mile course in 19 minutes, 30.31 seconds.
Champlain Valley won the girls portion of the race, which featured 47 teams and 535 runners from around New England. Essex (fourth), Burr and Burton (sixth), Rutland (10th) and South Burlington (12th) also turned in strong performances.
Mount Mansfield senior Adron Pitmon was the top Vermont finisher on the boys side. Pitmon placed seventh in 17:30.
Rhode Island’s Bishop Hendricken topped 56 other teams to win the boys team title. There were 834 runners in the boys race.
Essex (fifth), Champlain Valley Union (ninth) and Mount Mansfield (11th) turned in Vermont’s top team performances.
Boys Soccer: Essex Remains Unbeaten
Victories over South Burlington (1-0) and St. Johnsbury Academy (1-0) last week left Essex (10-0-0) as the only undefeated team in Division I.
The Hornets have shut out eight of their 10 opponents and have outscored their opposition 29-3. Essex has scored three or more goals in five of its 10 games.
