The Rutland Raiders only managed a 5-4 season this year, earning the school the seventh spot overall for Vermont high school football rankings, but that doesn’t mean the school didn’t play a crucial role in the state championships through to the end of the season. Rutland High School hosted the three-division state championships at the beginning of November, playing a crucial role in the sport’s swan song for the year.
The first game played on Rutland’s turf saw the Rice Green Knights take down Fair Haven with a commanding 60-14 victory. It marked the third consecutive year the Green Knights took the championship spot in Division II.
Rice Green Knights’ quarterback Chris Jansen attributed the Knights’ win to the collective effort of the team.
“Everybody wanted it. We just all came together and we got it done,” he said.
The action continued at Rutland High as BFA-Fairfax took to the gridiron to take down Otter Valley. The Division III matchup made for a decidedly more interesting game than the Division II bout, with BFA-Fairfax claiming the top spot over Otter Valley with a final score of 42-30. It marked the first time in the school’s history that the BFA-Fairfax Bullets won the championships.
The final match-up saw the best teams in Division I take to each other like gas and an open flame.
The explosive season finale saw Middlebury put a hurting on rival and championship contender St. Johnsbury, building up an impressive score of 28-7 that capped off Middlebury’s second consecutive undefeated season.
Staff report