CVU Sport and SportsShorts
by Edd Merritt,
June 16, 2011, pages 16-17.....

Redhawks Take Two State Championships

In both instances, a state championship required some doing on the part of CVU players. The golfers had to buckle down on the back nine to topple a tightly contested Division I state tournament field, and the lacrosse men played shorthanded for their last two games.

Linksmen click on schedule.
Led by Williston junior Jack Tomashot’s medalist round of 78 at Middlebury’s Ralph Myre course, CVU claimed its first state golf championship since 1983. It followed on the heels of a north sectional win in St. Johnsbury the week prior that saw Tomashot lead his four Redhawk teammates to victory there. Cameron Mitchell and Todd Forrester shot rounds of 84 and 83 respectively on the Myre course, and, like the leader, played a tough back nine well, finishing strong on the difficult holes.

Men’s lacrosse leaves it all on the field.
Down six players for the semi-final and five for the final due to a variety of injuries, suspensions and misconduct penalties, CVU managed to beat both the heat and the opponents to capture the Division I state championship. Neither win was an easy task. In the semi-final against Woodstock, one of the native lacrosse powers in Vermont, the offensive direction and scoring prowess of Charlotte’s Lawrence Dee, coupled with superb goal tending from Eric Palmer, proved enough to secure a 10-6 victory and send the Redhawks to Castleton State College for a final tryst with Essex. Bolstered by the return of Charlotte’s Jake Marston from a shoulder injury, CVU started quickly out of the gate, leading the Hornets 4-1 at halftime. However, Essex retaliated in the third quarter with four goals of its own and held a 7-6 lead into the final minute of play. Dee found the net with only 40 seconds left to knot the score and require overtime. Senior Jeff Palmer moved through the Essex defense, firing a hard shot to the corner of the net that produced the sudden-death victory for the Redhawks. Bedlam reigned. Nate Wells, Jake Marston and Justin Beaudry each scored two goals to complement Dee’s playmaking and Palmer’s presence in goal. CVU avenged not only its lone loss this season but last year’s state title loss to Essex as well.

Baseball makes it to the semi-finals.
Yogi Berra said, “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over.” That certainly was true for CVU’s baseball team this year. Unfortunately, the season ended one game short of a shot at the state championship. The Redhawks, however, should be pleased with their accomplishments. They ended the season soundly, winning 9 straight games going into the quarterfinal against top-seeded Colchester. It took the better part of the extra-inning game tied at 1 before Davis Mikell batted home Brendan Davitt and Tucker Kolasch with two outs and the bases loaded in the 13th to give the Redhawks a two-run lead. Mikell then strode to the mound to retire the side and secure the victory in a game that lasted three hours. Drew Nick, the starting pitcher for CVU, went 6 1/2 innings, striking out five and allowing only one hit. In the semi-final against Rice, Kolasch sent the first pitch of the game over the center field fence. From there, however, the Green Knight’s pitcher, Zac Poland, settled in to shut out CVU and head on to the finals with a 2-1 victory, as the Redhawks went hitless for the last three innings. CVU finished the season with a record of 13 wins and 5 losses.

Women’s Tennis serves into Division I Finals.
It was predicted to be a CVU - South Burlington rematch for the state championship in Division I women’s tennis. Leading up to the finals, the second ranked Redhawks dispatched Spaulding 7-0, following up with a 5-match win over 6th seeded Rice. Charlotte doubles players, Kristin Donaldson and Evie Mitchell, held true to course in both matches. The Rebels, however, proved to be a different story in the finals played on their home courts. Donaldson and partner Laura Andrews put up a struggle, winning the first set 6-3 and requiring extra games before dropping the third 7-6. Having lost only one match during the year, South Burlington prevailed to take the state championship from the Redhawks 6-1.

Men’s tennis falls in quarterfinals.
A long trip to Brattleboro saw the men’s tennis season end with a 4-3 loss to the Colonels. Charlotte’s Will Hall won at singles, and the Keyes brothers, Jared and David, helped CVU win two of its three doubles matches. In the previous playdown against Middlebury, which CVU won 7-0, Hall won his match in two sets, playing a consistent return game, letting his opponent make the errors. The Keyes boys, likewise, each won in two sets, playing on the number one and number two doubles teams.

Redhawks fall but Kiley scores.
Michaela Kiley finished the women’s lacrosse season with an impressive scoring record for the year. In the playdown game won by the Redhawks against Brattleboro 8-5, she notched four of CVU’s goals. Kate Raszka added a goal and an assist. Against top-seeded Middlebury in a quarterfinal game, Michaela scored two of CVU’s five goals. The Redhawks, however, fell to the Tigers 15-5.

Track teams finish with state tournaments.
The CVU women finished fifth out of eleven teams in the state, and the men finished sixth out of twelve. Freshman Haliana Burhans from Charlotte placed second in the 400-meter run and third in the 100-meter dash to lead the Redhawk scorers. Maya Grevatt tied for third in the pole vault and was a member of the 5th place 4X400 meter relay team.
On the men’s side, Brent Carreiro and Chris Sulva ran legs on the 5th place 4X800 meter relay team, while Adam Allegretta tied for 4th in the high jump.

Charlotte players join a Rebel scrum.South Burlington High School’s rugby team had two CVU players from Charlotte Ian Sloan and Owen Arnold this year. The club fielded both men’s and women’s teams and faced clubs from Essex, Colchester and Rutland as well as Adirondack, New York.

Redhawks named to All-Metro Baseball Team.
Players from the 2011 CVU baseball team were recognized by the 16 coaches from the Metro League of Division I high school baseball in Vermont. Davis Mikell was selected as a first-team pitcher on the all-league squad and teammate Curt Echo was named to the second team. Tucker Kolasch and Drew Nick achieved first-team status as infielders, and Charlotte’s Ryan Machavern made the second team for his solid play at first base. Jeff Badger and Ian Solomon received honorable mention.

Vermont high school track stars face the best of New England.
Burlington High School hosted the New England Track championships on June 10 and 11, bringing in runners, vaulters, jumpers, hurdlers and throwers from throughout the northeast. CVU’s James Pieper-Lococo ran the 110-meter hurdles and Dale Conger put the shot. For the women, Abby Eddy ran 100 meters, Taylor Spillane 1,600 meters, and CVU sent two relay teams with the 4X800 quartet finishing in a respectable 9th place.

CCS girls’ lacrosse team excels at Middlebury tournament.
On Saturday, June 11, the Charlotte Central School U11 girls’ lacrosse team attended the Middlebury Shoot Out Tournament. Despite the rain the girls excelled, winning games against Rutland and Mt. Anthony. The girls were undeterred by a few substitutions and slippery sticks. “It was amazing way to end the season!” coaches Laurie Brooks and Rowan Beck agreed.