by Jack Healey
Happy New Year and Happy New Decade! I have my top local sports stories of 2019 and again are oriented toward the Rutland area and are in no particular order.
I have broken down the stories in team and individual categories.
Team:
West Rutland wins both the Division 4 state championship in girls basketball and softball
Rutland girls golf team wins Division 1 state championship
Fair Haven wins both the Division 2 girls basketball state championship and the Division 2 state championship in baseball
Proctor wins the Division 4 state championship in girls soccer
MSJ wins the Division 2 state championship in boys basketball
Poultney wins the Division 3 state championship in football
Rutland Unified Soccer team wins the state championship
Rutland wins its 5th straight state cheer leading championship in Division 1 as well as its 2nd straight New England cheer leading championship and Mill River wins its 2nd straight state cheer leading championship in Division 2
Individual:
North Clarendon’s Jonathan Wilbur rolling a perfect series 900 in bowling,the 35th in the world to accomplish the feat.
Burke Mountain Academy grad Michaela Shiffrin winning another World Cup at Killington
Rutland High’s Dakota Peters winning his 2nd straight state wrestling title
Rutland’s Drake Hull winning his 3rd straight Vermont Mens Amateur championship
Mill River’s Brogan Giffin’s exploits in track and cross country in the state and finishing 3rd nationally in his age group in Madison, Wisconsin.
West Rutland’s Isabelle Lanfear a state champion in track
Proctor’s Gannon McKearin with his 5th straight championship in the Crowley Brothers Memorial Road Race
Rutland High’s Elise Magro becoming the first 1000 point scorer in Rutland girls basketball history
Rutland High’s Jamison Evans becoming the 7th boys basketball player to score 1000 career points Jamison was named the Vermont boys basketball Gatorade Player of the Year
West Rutland girls basketball coach Carl Serrani picking up his 300th career win
Proctor girls basketball coach Chris Hughes winning his 200th game.
Rutland High grad Noah Tyson now a sophomore at Colby College in Waterville, Maine was named NESCAC Rookie of the Year in mens basketball and was named to both the All-Rookie and All-Defensive teams.
Rutland’s Ethan Whelan was the Vermont and New England Elks Hoop shoot Champion in his age group.
Rutland’s Jenny Everett was inducted into the Vermont Sports Hall of Fame.
Rutland’s Kate Goodchild and Brian Collamore were inducted into the VPA Hall of Fame along with Mill River grads George Peterson and Kyle Fredette.