Redhawks football prepares for Hornets' nest

By Mal Boright for the Williston Observer

When a 2-0 high school football team goes up against one that’s 0-2, a positive outcome for the unbeaten combine should be a piece of cake, right? Wrong.

Champlain Valley Union head coach Jim Provost is not buying the cake business as he looks ahead to the Friday night (7 p.m.) clash in Essex between his 2-0 Redhawks and the 0-2 Essex Hornets. “Essex just might be the best 0-2 team in the state,” Provost told the Observer Monday. “They will be sky high. This is almost a playoff game for them.” Last weekend, while CVU was dispatching Brattleboro at home, 43-13, Essex was suffering a 31-28 loss at Middlebury. “We have to prepare this week for perhaps the best team we will see all year, “ Provost added, noting that Friday’s contest is the home opener for the blue and gold Hornets. It will be the second straight year the Redhawks have visited the 2009 Division I champs in their house. Essex popped the Hawks last fall in a game that saw both starting quarterbacks sidelined by halftime.

In CVU’s initial outing before the home folks Saturday (Sept. 10), the Redhawks fell behind Brattleboro in a fumbly first quarter before they grabbed a shaky 12-6 edge by halftime. CVU then rolled in the second half behind a crunching ground attack and stingy defense.

Led by halfback Nick Ferrentino (22 carries, 168 yards, three touchdowns), the Redhawks piled up 253 rushing yards. Quarterback Drew Nick connected on 10 of 20 passes for one score and one rushing touchdown. “Old Thunderfoot,” kicker Tucker Kohlash, knocked in a 27-yard field goal and a pair of extra points. But it took some time for the Red and White to get the offense clicking. Two lost fumbles in the first quarter played a role. The second turnover gave the Colonels good field position at the CVU 41. Seven plays later, Brattleboro was in the end zone on a 17-yard pass from quarterback Tyler Higley to wide receiver Aaron Prue with 2:33 left in the reel. The kick for the extra-point was wide.

Midway in the second quarter, a naked reverse by Nick from the BUHS 40 got the Redhawks moving. Faking passes, Nick rolled out to his right and ran 26 yards to the Brattleboro 14. On first down, Ferrentino exploded up the middle and into the end zone to knot the contest. Kohlasch’s kick for the point-after bounced off the left upright. Five plays later, CVU was back in business. Nick, from his defensive back position, picked off a Higley pass and returned it 15 yards to the Colonels’ 34. Four plays later, Ferrentino had an 8-yard scoring run. The elusive back gained 18 yards in three carries in the drive, and Nick connected with lanky end Ryan Beaudry for 16 yards. An extra point kick never happened due to a fumbled center snap.

Early in the second half, CVU officially took charge. Recovering a Brattleboro fumble at the visitors’ 21 on just the third play of the third quarter, the Hawks scored in just three plays on a Nick keeper from the 3, — Ferrentino set up the score with an 18-yard run that left a trail of prone white clad would-be tacklers. Nick passed to Matt Bauer for the two-point conversion and a 20-6 lead.

After that, the CVU frequently scored. Nick hooked up with Brent Carreiro on a 14-yard scoring toss with 5:43 left in the third quarter and Kohlasch launched his field goal midway through the final reel. Ferrentino bolted 15 yards around the right side for the final touchdown with 1:07 to play. “Our (offensive) line really did at great job today,” Ferrentino said after the game and his second straight 100-plus yard performance.

Also deserving praise was the defense, led by linebackers Ryan Fleming, Michael Fournier and Quinn Kropf, along with Harvey Ottinger, Pete Wernhoff, Bobby Russell and Nick. “We were well prepared for (Brattleboro),” said Fournier who, along with Fleming and Wernhoff, had a role in the six sacks of quarterback Higley.

Higley, a junior, despite the sacks and being under constant pressure, still hit on 18 of 33 passes for 238 yards and two scores.

“Our defense is really coming together,” said Provost who also had good words for Russell’s punting (four for 35-yard average) that backed up the Colonels deep in their territory on at least two occasions when the game was in doubt.

Redhawks smash Colonels

By Joe Cribari

CVU’s varsity football team thrilled fans in their home opener with a 43-13 win over the Brattleboro Union High School Colonels on Saturday in Hinesburg. Nick Ferrentino, for the second consecutive game, rushed for over 130 yards and three touchdowns. Ferrentino’s spinning cuts kept would-be tacklers guessing, grasping and falling all day.

Ferrentino scampered for his first score behind the outstanding blocking of senior lineman Dylan Raymond. When asked about the Redhawks success in this game, Raymond summed it up in a word: Teamwork. “This is a team,” Raymond said, “we win when all eleven guys play like a team.”

“I get inspired when I see my brothers make a play – like when this guy (points to Ryan Fleming) gets a sack,” Raymond said. “I get pumped . . . and you reach down and find something inside of you”.

The rest of the Redhawks offense did just that. They all stepped up to pile up six touchdowns, a field goal and trouble for the Colonels. Quarterback Drew Nick ran in from the 2-yard line for a touchdown and connected with Brent Carriero from the 14 for another. Tucker Kohlasch kicked a 29-yard field goal in the 4th quarter. Patrick Shea once again shared the 2nd half rushing duties, racking up 60 yards and a score. The offensive line dominated, especially in the 2nd half as the Redhawks controlled the clock. Crucial lane-opening blocks came from all corners of the offense.

CVU’s defense was a force from the start. Michael Fournier had too many big tackles to list. Drew Nick (at defensive back) grabbed one of two CVU interceptions. Ryan Fleming was on fire once again and capped this effort in the 4th quarter with a crucial 3rd-down sack followed by a huge 4th-down hit on the Colonels quarterback, allowing Harvey Ottinger to get the second CVU pick of the game. Bobby Russell and Sammy Foutz came through with tackles.

The day was sunny and warm with a fairly stiff breeze. A moment of silence was observed in honor of those lost in the 9/11 attacks a decade ago. A beautiful rendition of the national anthem, sung by CVU alumnus Katie Parker, wafted over the grounds. Fans from both schools were pumped. The Redhawks cheerleading squad performed lively acrobatic cheers.

However, the game had a shaky start as neither offense could do much on their initial possessions. Both defenses were getting good pass rushing. Then, capitalizing on a CVU turnover, the Colonels finally managed to move the ball and scored first with a 16-yard Tyler Higley pass to Aaron Prue. Higley also threw for a 7-yard touchdown to Soren Pelz-Walsh late in the game, but not before the Redhawks had put up 36 unanswered points. The extra point kick was no good.

In the words of Dylan Raymond, “If we play to our full potential, we can go places in Division I.” The Redhawks will have their chance to do that next week when they travel to Essex High School to face the angry 0-2 Hornets in their home nest. The game is on Friday September 16, 2011 at 7:00 PM in Essex.

** Saturday’s game was marked by the presentation of $1,000 ($500 each from Friends of CVU and the Redhawks Football Boosters) to the Brattleboro Boys & Girls Club. The donations are for victims of the flooding during Tropical Storm Irene. The Football Boosters will also donate proceeds from the 50/50 Raffle to flood relief agencies, along with ten percent of the day’s concessions take.