Highlights from Week 3

Here's my perspective on the big performances of Week 3 in Vermont high school football:

Teams of the week

• Division I: In a week packed with blowouts, Colchester's 18-17 victory over Mt. Anthony stands out. The Lakers overcame injuries to a number of key players -- and an 11-point second-half deficit -- to improve to 2-1. With a matchup against Middlebury coming up next weekend, that was critical if the Lakers hope to remain among the league's top tier.
• Division II: A week after folding late in a blowout loss to Burr and Burton, Fair Haven responded with a dominant second-half performance of its own. Trailing Mt. Abraham by 10 late in the second quarter, the Slaters racked up 44 unanswered points to run away with a 56-22 victory. That keeps FHU firmly in the mix of what is looking like a five-way race for the four DII playoff spots.
• Division III: Only one of the DIII matchups was decided by fewer than 20 points so it should come as no surprise Mill River gets the nod here. The Minutemen earned the recognition, though, overcoming a 14-7 halftime deficit and holding off Oxbow 27-21 after scoring the go-ahead points on a safety. This could be a key result in the race for home field in the quarterfinals as both teams entered 1-1 and it saddled Oxbow with its second bitter defeat in a row. The Olympians yielded two touchdowns in the last two minutes in a 26-21 loss to Woodstock in Week 2.

Game of the week

• Rutland 69, South Burlington 38: I picked this one not because it was a particularly exciting game -- Rutland led 35-16 at the break and SBHS came no closer than 42-24 -- but because it illustrates the trend so far in Vermont high school football. Namely, basketball scores. Vermont teams have been involved in 49 games through the first three weeks, and 25 of those have seen at least one team score 40 or more. And while the 107 total points in South Burlington on Friday night were by far the highest total so far, 10 other games (including Rutland's Week 2 loss to Plymouth, NH) have seen a team hit 50 and three of those also surpassed 60. Crazy offense isn't just a Vermont phenomenon these days, though. Try this one from Pennsylvania on Friday night: Meadville 107, DuBois 90.