Redhawks wing it to victory over Fighting Patriots

By Holly Fournier

The Redhawks took to the air Friday night at Spinelli Field in Bennington, securing a 28-13 victory over Mt. Anthony Union on quarterback Drew Nick’s three touchdown passes. Champlain Valley Union, now 5-1 on the season, moves one step closer to clinching a playoff spot while the Fighting Patriots drop to 1-5.

Nick adroitly moved the ball downfield all night, totaling 280 passing yards and completing 21-of-31 attempts with aerial strikes to Ryan Beaudry, Brent Carreiro, Ryan Fleming, Trevor Kennedy, David Mikell, Johnny Powers and Harvey Ottinger.

Halfback Carreiro, filling in without notice for sidelined running back Nick Ferrentino, valiantly pounded out rushing yards, including a 9-yard carry for a first down to set up CVU’s first TD. Still, the Redhawk overall ground attack came up short against a Fighting Patriots defense well-prepared to stop CVU’s run game. "MAU made us one-dimensional. They took away the run, but gave us the pass and we needed to take advantage of that," Coach Jim Provost said.

Nick’s first tally came with 2:47 left in the first quarter on a 5-yard keeper down the middle to cap CVU’s second possession of the game. Tucker Kohlasch nailed the extra point, as he did all night, to give the Redhawks a 7-0 lead.

MAU evened the score with 6:21 remaining in the half on a 45-yard run by Alex Cross, but CVU responded quickly with Nick’s 9-yard completion to fullback co-captain Ryan Fleming. This game was a first for Fleming in two regards: new position, new number. Fleming’s move to fullback in addition to his linebacker duties was “designed to help with lead blocking on goal line plays,” he says. As for wearing jersey #30, Fleming likes it, adding, “It’s Eric Palmer’s number so I’m trying to do it proud.” Palmer, a stand-out member of last year’s squad, played linebacker on the Vermont Shrine Team.

CVU’s third touchdown came with just 55.3 seconds before the half on a 37-yard Nick pass into newcomer Davis Mikell’s capable hands for a 21-7 first half lead. Mikell’s six pass receptions created some press box buzz, considering that two weeks ago he had never played football and this was his first game appearance. Mikell said that he “kept watching the games and seeing how much fun the guys were having. I wanted to join in.”

The Redhawks and Fighting Patriots traded interceptions in the game’s third quarter. John Keen’s red zone pick with 2:04 into the second half was key in thwarting a strong MAU drive. However, five minutes later the determined Fighting Patriots scored with a trick play on fourth and long. MAU signal-caller pitched the ball to Chris Redding who then easily targeted Dan Lawson for a 21-yard touchdown pass over the heads of unsuspecting CVU defenders. Their extra point was blocked by Lucian Bedard for a 21-13 score.

The Redhawks extended their lead to 28-13 on a Nick-to-Kennedy 24-yard touchdown pass with 7:20 remaining in the game. MAU’s late game comeback attempt was brought to a screeching halt by Alec Distler’s quarterback sack, one of three that night for CVU’s #64, and that was followed three plays later by a Ryan Beaudry interception. With 2:22 left on the clock Beaudry snagged the ball from the intended receiver near the goal line.

Along with Distler, CVU’s Bedard, Keen, Rex McCoy, Ottinger and Peter Wernhoff stood out for their defensive efforts.

Roughly 100 CVU fans made the nearly 6-hour round-trip trek to support the players. While vastly outnumbered by the Fighting Patriots Homecoming crowd, the Redhawk side made a gallant effort to be heard with cheers of “C-V-U, C-V-U” anchored by parent Stephanie Wernhoff’s boisterous cow bell-clanging. But CVU families and friends found themselves somewhat speechless at halftime when a streaker dashed 130 yards across the football field shortly after the Bennington school’s King and Queen were crowned in what is apparently a MAU Homecoming tradition.

CVU’s next contest takes them on the road again, but this time it will be a much shorter bus ride when the Redhawks battle the South Burlington Rebels, also 5-1, under the lights. Game takes place Friday, October 14. Kick-off time is 7 pm.

Redhawks grind down Hilltoppers, 14-7

By Holly Fournier

The Redhawks held on to their undefeated record Saturday, outlasting the St. Johnsbury Hilltoppers in a tight contest under damp, dreary conditions following a week that was anything but ordinary for the squad. Fans experienced a somewhat different lineup for CVU as injuries and illness either sidelined or weakened a number of key players. The entire CVU Redhawk family was also reeling from the sudden passing of Head Coach Jim Provost’s mom and the team’s #1 fan, Beatrice “Mimi” Provost, on Tuesday. Linebacker Michael Fournier remarked before kick-off, “If we can win this game, with everything that’s happened, then we have a good shot against anyone else.”

St. Johnsbury proved to be a formidable force for the Redhawks with a virtual stalemate on the offensive and defensive lines throughout four quarters of play. Said Linebacker Harvey Ottinger, “We knew they were going to be a good team, better than our other opponents, making it both a tough and emotional game.”

The Hilltoppers drew first blood late in the first quarter after a slippery ball led to a muffed CVU punt, allowing St. J to take over first and goal. Capitalizing on CVU’s misfortune, Lincoln Lemieux snuck in on a quarterback keeper for the touchdown and booted the extra point himself, putting the Redhawks down 7. That would be the last time the Hilltoppers were a threat.

CVU defensive demon Ryan Fleming intercepted St. J’s pass with just a minute left in the first half. The 6 foot, 205-pound linebacker ran 45 yards before being knocked out of bounds just shy of the goal line. A momentum shift was in the works.

Second half, new ball game as CVU dug deep and found their strength. A solid punt return to the 40-yard line by Tyson White led to stand-in quarterback Steele DuBrul’s pass over the middle to Johnny Powers. Next, Patrick Shea scrambled down the middle to set up a Redhawk first down, then DuBrul finished the job with a 48-yard touchdown pass to Trevor Kennedy. Tucker Kohlasch split the uprights with the extra point to tie the game, 7-7.

For DuBrul this was his first real test as CVU’s signal caller, having seen only late-game action in the Redhawks' previous contests. He got the job done. “Steele really stepped up and put in a great performance, considering he hadn’t played quarterback since Middle School,” said Kohlasch. Defensive lineman Ross Harlow agreed: “We knew it wasn’t going to be easy, but Steele came in and did a great job on the fly.”

The go-ahead TD for the Redhawks came with 4:13 on the clock after a key Kohlasch interception gave CVU possession. Three plays later Kennedy snagged a 51-yard pass from DuBrul out of St. J defender Lemieux’s hands for the score. Kohlasch’s kick for the extra point was good for a 14-7 lead.

With the clock winding down, right-man-in-the-right-place Kohlasch notched his second interception of the game, dashing the Hilltoppers’ hopes of forcing overtime. Said Kohlasch, “Finding out about Coach’s mom was definitely an emotional blow. She was a big fan, we felt we owed it to her to win. We made no excuses, just came out to play.” And play they did.

CVU’s powerful defense held St. J scoreless for three quarters behind the tough tackling of Fleming, Fournier and Ottinger who were responsible for more than 30 take-downs between them. Jake Loyer, Peter Wernhoff, Chad Hayden, Harlow and Brendan Davitt were other big contributors in holding the line and creating misery for the Hilltoppers.

After the game an emotional Coach Provost thanked his team for the victory, singling out DuBrul, John Keen, Davitt, Will Parent and Kennedy for stepping up and delivering when their number was called.

The Redhawks, now 4-0 on the season, face-off against 3-1 BFA St Albans on CVU home turf Saturday, October 1 at 3:00 pm. BFA St. Albans lost to Hartford in last year’s D-1 State Championship.

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.