Final D2 QPRs and the semifinal matchups

Saturday's game's were largely academic, but for the sake of thoroughness, here are the final Division II QPRs:

(QPR includes only Division II games. Games against teams in other Vermont divisions are only counted for tiebreaker purposes and out-of-state games are ignored entirely.)
1. Burr and Burton (9-0 overall, 8-0 D2), 112 points, 14 QPR
2. Bellows Falls (8-1 overall, 7-1 D2), 91 points, 11.38 QPR
3. Burlington (7-2 overall, 6-2 D2), 72 points, 9 QPR
4. Milton (6-3 overall, 5-3 D2), 55 points, 6.88 QPR
5. Fair Haven (5-4 overall, 4-4 D2), 40 points, 5 QPR
6. Mt. Mansfield (3-6 overall, 3-5 D2), 27 points, 3.38 QPR
7. Mt. Abraham (2-7 overall, 2-6 D2), 16 points, 2 QPR
8. Lyndon (1-8 overall, 1-7 D2), 7 points, 0.88 QPR
9. North Country (0-9 overall, 0-8 D2), 0 points, 0 QPR

With the Division II standings finalized and Saturday's quarterfinals in the books, we have the following schedule for the semifinals of the state tournaments. Official pairings and game times should be out sometime tonight or tomorrow.

Division I
No. 5 CVU (5-4) at No. 1 Rutland (8-1)
No. 3 Hartford (7-2) at No. 2 Middlebury (9-0)
Division II
No. 4 Milton (6-3) at No. 1 Burr and Burton (9-0)
No. 3 Burlington (7-2) at No. 2 Bellows Falls (8-1)
Division III
No. 3 Woodstock (7-2) at No. 2 U-32 (7-1)
No. 4 Mill River (7-2) at No. 1 Otter Valley (9-0)

Friday's games wrap up D-II playoff picture

Friday night was an interesting night around the Vermont high school football rankings, with quarterfinal games in divisions I and III, and one game that was effectively a quarterfinal in Division II.

Needing an upset win to get to the postseason, Fair Haven pushed Bellows Falls to the end before the Terriers held on for a 41-35 victory that closed the D-II playoff picture. The result means Milton will be the No. 4 seed regardless of how it does in tomorrow's finale at Mt. Abraham and the Slaters will be the odd team out. The QPRs heading into the final games of the regular season on Saturday are below:

 (QPR includes only Division II games. Games against teams in other Vermont divisions are only counted for tiebreaker purposes.)
1. Burr and Burton (8-0 overall, 8-0 D2), 108 points, 13.5 QPR
2. Bellows Falls (8-1 overall, 7-1 D2), 87 points, 10.88 QPR
3. Burlington (7-2 overall, 6-2 D2), 68 points, 8.5 QPR
4. Milton (5-3 overall, 4-3 D2), 42 points, 6 QPR
5. Fair Haven (5-4 overall, 4-4 D2), 38 points, 4.75 QPR
6. Mt. Mansfield (2-6 overall, 2-5 D2), 18 points, 2.57 QPR
7. Mt. Abraham (2-6 overall, 2-5 D2), 16 points, 2.29 QPR
8. Lyndon (1-7 overall, 1-6 D2), 7 points, 1 QPR
9. North Country (0-9 overall, 0-8 D2), 0 points, 0 QPR


Also, congratulations to Friday night's playoff winners: Rutland, Middlebury, Hartford, CVU, U-32 and Woodstock. With those results in mind, next week's semifinal matchups should be:

Division I
No. 5 CVU (5-4) at No. 1 Rutland (8-1)
No. 3 Hartford (7-2) at No. 2 Middlebury (9-0)
Division II
No. 4 Milton at No. 1 Burr and Burton (records TBD)
No. 3 Burlington (7-2) at No. 2 Bellows Falls (8-1)
Division III
No. 3 Woodstock (7-2) at No. 2 U-32 (7-1)

The other Division III matchup will be decided in Saturday's quarterfinals: No. 1 Otter Valley vs. No. 8 BFA-Fairfax and No. 4 Mill River vs. No. 5 Windsor.

DI and DIII playoff schedule and updated D2 QPRs

In case you missed it last night, the pairings are out for the divisions I and III Vermont high school football playoffs. They are:

Division I

Quarterfinals
(All Friday at 7 pm)
No. 8 Mt. Anthony (3-5) at No. 1 Rutland (7-1)
No. 7 St. Johnsbury (4-4) at No. 2 Middlebury (8-0)
No. 6 Colchester (4-4) at No. 3 Hartford (6-2)
No. 5 CVU (4-4) at No. 4 Brattleboro (4-4) 
Consolation games
No. 10 BFA-St. Albans (3-5) at No. 9 Essex (3-5), 7 pm Friday
No. 12 South Burlington (0-8) at No. 11 Rice (1-6), 2 pm Saturday

Division III

Quarterfinals
No. 8 BFA-Fairfax (3-5) at No. 1 Otter Valley (8-0), 1 pm Saturday
No. 7 Springfield (3-5) at No. 2 U-32 (6-1), 7 pm Friday
No. 6 Oxbow (5-3) at No. 3 Woodstock (6-2), 7 pm Friday
No. 5 Windsor (5-3) at No. 4 Mill River (6-2), 1 pm Saturday
Consolation games
No. 10 Winooski (1-6) at No. 9 Poultney (2-6), 1 pm Saturday
No. 12 MSJ (1-7) at No. 11 Spaulding (1-7), 7 pm Friday

Division II

Meanwhile there's still a week to go in the Division II regular season, but there's only one thing left to be decided. Burr and Burton clinched the top seed by topping Bellows Falls in Saturday night's showdown while the Terriers and third-place Burlington have also locked up playoff berths. BF and BHS would finish tied for second in the QPR if the Seahorses win and the Terriers lose in Week 9, but Bellows Falls would still get home field for their semifinal matchup thanks to a head to head win.

That leaves Milton and Fair Haven fighting for the final spot, and despite the Yellowjackets owning the higher current QPR and the head-to-head victory, it's the Slaters who control their own destiny. A win over Bellows Falls (which has nothing to play for) would give Fair Haven enough of a strength-of-schedule boost to finish two points ahead of Milton, regardless of whether the Yellowjackets top Mt. Abraham in their finale.

Here are the current D2 QPRs:

(QPR includes only Division II games. Games against teams in other Vermont divisions are only counted for tiebreaker purposes.)
1. Burr and Burton (8-0 overall, 8-0 D2), 104 points, 13 QPR
2. Bellows Falls (7-1 overall, 6-1 D2), 70 points, 10 QPR
3. Burlington (6-2 overall, 5-2 D2), 61 points, 8.71 QPR
4. Milton (5-3 overall, 4-3 D2), 42 points, 6 QPR
5. Fair Haven (5-3 overall, 4-3 D2), 38 points, 5.43 QPR
6. Mt. Mansfield (2-6 overall, 2-5 D2), 18 points, 2.57 QPR
7. Mt. Abraham (2-6 overall, 2-5 D2), 16 points, 2.29 QPR
8. Lyndon (1-7 overall, 1-6 D2), 7 points, 1 QPR
9. North Country (0-8 overall, 0-7 D2), 0 points, 0 QPR

How do these numbers work? Teams receive 10 points for a win over a D1 opponent, 7 points for a win over a D2 opponent and 5 points for a D3 opponent. Teams also receive 2 points for every game won by the teams they have beaten. QPR is total points divided by games played.

QPRs updated through Saturday afternoon's games

Here are updated Vermont high school football QPRs through Saturday afternoon's games. Unfortunately, I'm experiencing computer issues so I don't think I'm going to be able to update with final numbers later tonight.

Thus to sum up:
1. The winner of Bellows Falls-Burr and Burton game will clinch the top seeded in Division II.
2. Otter Valley will be the #1 seed in D3 with a win and I think #2 with a loss.
3. Mill River would be #2 with a win or #4 with a loss.

Division I (final)

(Includes all games vs. in-state opponents. Games vs. out-of-state teams, including losses for Rutland and Hartford, are ignored)

1. Rutland (7-1* overall, 7-0 D1), 118 points, 16.86 QPR
2. Middlebury (8-0 overall, 7-0 D1), 124 points, 15.5 QPR
3. Hartford (6-2* overall, 6-1 D1), 98 points, 14 QPR
4. Brattleboro (4-4 overall, 4-4 D1), 62 points, 7.75 QPR
5T. CVU (4-4 overall, 4-4 D1), 58 points, 7.25 QPR
5T. Colchester (4-4 overall, 4-4 D1), 58 points, 7.25 QPR
7. St. Johnsbury (4-4 overall, 3-4 D1), 47 points, 5.88 QPR
8T. Mt. Anthony (3-5 overall, 3-5 D1), 46 points, 5.75 QPR
8T. Essex (3-5 overall, 3-5 D1), 46 points, 5.75 QPR
10. BFA-St. Albans (3-5 overall, 2-5 D1), 37 points, 4.63 QPR
11. Rice (1-6 overall, 1-5 D1), 16 points, 2.29 QPR
12. South Burlington (0-8 overall, 0-8 D1), 0 points, 0 QPR

Division II

(QPR includes only Division II games. Games against teams in other Vermont divisions are only counted for tiebreaker purposes.)

1. Burr and Burton (7-0 overall, 7-0 D2), 85 points, 12.14 QPR
2. Bellows Falls (7-0 overall, 6-0 D2), 70 points, 11.67 QPR
3. Burlington (6-2 overall, 5-2 D2), 61 points, 8.71 QPR
4. Milton (5-3 overall, 4-3 D2), 42 points, 6 QPR
5. Fair Haven (5-3 overall, 4-3 D2), 38 points, 5.43 QPR
6. Mt. Mansfield (2-6 overall, 2-5 D2), 18 points, 2.57 QPR
7. Mt. Abraham (2-6 overall, 2-5 D2), 16 points, 2.29 QPR
8. Lyndon (1-7 overall, 1-6 D2), 7 points, 1 QPR
9. North Country (0-8 overall, 0-7 D2), 0 points, 0 QPR

Division III

(Includes all games vs. in-state opponents. Games vs. out-of-state teams, including a loss for Windsor and wins for Mill River and Woodstock, are ignored)

1. Otter Valley (7-0 overall, 7-0 D3), 77 points, 11 QPR
2. U-32 (6-1 overall, 6-1 D3), 70 points, 10 QPR
3. Woodstock (6-2* overall, 5-2 D3), 63 points, 9 QPR
4. Mill River (6-1* overall, 5-1 D3), 49 points, 8.17 QPR
5. Windsor (5-3* overall, 5-2 D3), 45 points, 6.42 QPR
6. Oxbow (5-3 overall, 4-3 D3), 39 points, 4.88 QPR
7T. Springfield (3-5 overall, 3-4 D3), 23 points, 2.88 QPR
7T. BFA-Fairfax (3-5 overall, 3-4 D3), 23 points, 2.88 QPR
9. Poultney (2-6 overall, 2-5 D3), 14 points, 1.757 QPR
10. Winooski (1-6 overall, 1-6 D3), 7 points, 1 QPR
11T. MSJ (1-7 overall, 1-7 D3), 7 points, 0.83 QPR
11T. Spaulding (1-7 overall, 1-7 D3), 7 points, 0.83 QPR


How do these numbers work? Teams receive 10 points for a win over a D1 opponent, 7 points for a win over a D2 opponent and 5 points for a D3 opponent. Teams also receive 2 points for every game won by the teams they have beaten. QPR is total points divided by games played.

A Playoff update after Friday's games

So the updated Vermont high school football QPRs are out. What do they mean? What's left to be decide? Here's a look at what's still up for grabs:

Divison I

There's just one game left, St. Johnsbury vs. Lyndon tomorrow, and it's a big one. A win would give St. Johnsbury 9 points and put them in the playoffs as the seventh seed, 1 point ahead of both Mt. Anthony and Essex.

I specifically asked Middlebury Sean Farrell, the Middlebury athletic director who handles the QPRs for the Vermont Interscholastic Football League, and he told me head-to-head is the first tiebreaker after overall QPR. That means Mt. Anthony's Week 2 win over Essex puts the Patriots in the playoffs for sure, and leaves the Hornets needing Lyndon to pull the upset tomorrow to get to the quarterfinals.

The one other thing that's still to be decided is the fifth seed. Colchester has it now, but CVU would pick up two points if St. J wins tomorrow, which would leave the Lakers and Redhawks tied. CVU owns the head-to-head win there and would take the higher spot if the Hilltoppers prevail.

So as I see it the quarterfinal matchups will be:
1. Rutland vs. 8. Mt. Anthony or Essex
2. Middlebury vs. 7. St. Johnsbury or Mt. Anthony
3. Hartford vs. 6. Colchester or CVU
4. Brattleboro vs. 5. CVU or Colchester.

Assuming all teams opt to play next week, the consolation matchups should be BFA at Essex or St. Johnsbury and South Burlington at Rice.

Division II 

Burlington's latest last-gasp win at Fair Haven pretty much locks the Seahorses into the #3 seed, especially with winless North Country on the schedule next week.

The Seahorses' win was also a boost for Milton as it eliminated the possibility of a three-way tie for third, but the Yellowjackets aren't a sure thing yet. If Fair Haven can knock off Bellows Falls next week, the Slaters will finish 2 or 4 points ahead of Milton and steal the last spot, regardless of what the Yellowjackets do against Mt. Abraham.

Division III

There's still a lot to be decided tomorrow as the Mill River-Otter Valley and Windsor-Woodstock games will decide the first five positions. But the playoff field is set, after Fairfax's win over Winooski and U-32's win over Spaulding.

Oxbow wrapped up the sixth seed with its win over Springfield, and that dropped the Cosmos into a tie with Fairfax for seventh and eighth. If MSJ beats Poultney tomorrow, Springfield moves back in front. If Poultney wins, the Bullets and Cosmos should go to a coin toss as the teams didn't play and they had the same results vs. their common opponents.

So here are the playoff matchups as I see them:
1. Otter Valley or U-32 vs. 8. Fairfax or Springfield
2. U-32 or Mill River vs. 7. Fairfax or Springfield
3. Otter Valley, Woodstock or Windsor vs. 6. Oxbow
4 vs. 5. Some combination of Woodstock, Windsor and Mill River

Vermont HS football QPR through Friday's games

Here are the Vermont high school football QPRs heading into Saturday, the final day of the regular season in divisions I and III:

Division I

(Includes all games vs. in-state opponents. Games vs. out-of-state teams, including losses for Rutland and Hartford, are ignored)

1. Rutland (7-1* overall, 7-0 D1), 116 points, 16.57 QPR
2. Middlebury (8-0 overall, 7-0 D1), 124 points, 15.5 QPR
3. Hartford (6-2* overall, 6-1 D1), 96 points, 13.71 QPR
4. Brattleboro (4-4 overall, 4-4 D1), 60 points, 7.5 QPR
5. Colchester (4-4 overall, 4-4 D1), 58 points, 7.25 QPR
6. CVU (4-4 overall, 4-4 D1), 56 points, 7 QPR
7T. Mt. Anthony (3-5 overall, 3-5 D1), 46 points, 5.75 QPR
7T. Essex (3-5 overall, 3-5 D1), 46 points, 5.75 QPR
9. St. Johnsbury (3-4 overall, 3-4 D1), 38 points, 5.43 QPR
10. BFA-St. Albans (3-5 overall, 2-5 D1), 35 points, 4.38 QPR
11. Rice (1-6 overall, 1-5 D1), 16 points, 2.29 QPR
12. South Burlington (0-8 overall, 0-8 D1), 0 points, 0 QPR

Division II

(QPR includes only Division II games. Games against teams in other Vermont divisions are only counted for tiebreaker purposes.)

1. Burr and Burton (7-0 overall, 7-0 D2), 83 points, 11.86 QPR
2. Bellows Falls (7-0 overall, 6-0 D2), 68 points, 11.33 QPR
3. Burlington (6-2 overall, 5-2 D2), 59 points, 8.43 QPR
4. Milton (5-3 overall, 4-3 D2), 40 points, 5.71 QPR
5. Fair Haven (5-3 overall, 4-3 D2), 36 points, 5.14 QPR
6. Mt. Abraham (2-5 overall, 2-4 D2), 16 points, 2.67 QPR
7. Mt. Mansfield (1-6 overall, 1-5 D2), 7 points, 1.17 QPR
8. Lyndon (1-6 overall, 1-6 D2), 7 points, 1 QPR
9. North Country (0-8 overall, 0-7 D2), 0 points, 0 QPR

Division III

(Includes all games vs. in-state opponents. Games vs. out-of-state teams, including a loss for Windsor and wins for Mill River and Woodstock, are ignored)

1. Otter Valley (7-0 overall, 7-0 D3), 73 points, 10.43 QPR
2. U-32 (6-1 overall, 6-1 D3), 68 points, 9.71 QPR
3. Woodstock (5-2* overall, 4-2 D3), 48 points, 8 QPR
4. Mill River (6-1* overall, 5-1 D3), 47 points, 7.83 QPR
5. Windsor (5-2* overall, 5-1 D3), 43 points, 7.17 QPR
6. Oxbow (5-3 overall, 4-3 D3), 39 points, 4.88 QPR
7T. Springfield (3-5 overall, 3-4 D3), 21 points, 2.63 QPR
7T. BFA-Fairfax (3-5 overall, 3-4 D3), 21 points, 2.63 QPR
10T. Winooski (1-6 overall, 1-6 D3), 7 points, 1 QPR
10T. Poultney (1-6 overall, 1-5 D3), 7 points, 1 QPR
10T. MSJ (1-6 overall, 1-6 D3), 7 points, 1 QPR
12. Spaulding (1-7 overall, 1-7 D3), 7 points, 0.83 QPR


How do these numbers work? Teams receive 10 points for a win over a D1 opponent, 7 points for a win over a D2 opponent and 5 points for a D3 opponent. Teams also receive 2 points for every game won by the teams they have beaten. QPR is total points divided by games played.

Week 7 Teams of the Week

It's somewhat delayed because of the playoff scenarios, but here are my opinions on the top performances of Week 7 of the Vermont high school football season:

Teams of the week

• Division I: No team has been more enigmatic this season than Essex, with heart-breaking losses surrounding a couple of dominating performances. Friday was one of the latter, with the Hornets rolling to 34-6 victory over Brattleboro behind a big second half. EHS is still only 2-5, but with those wins coming against teams with a combined seven wins, the Hornets have enough points to remain in the playoff race -- especially with winless South Burlington as their opponent in the finale.
• Division II: After back-to-back losses to Bellows Falls and Burlington, it looked like Milton could be headed for a third straight fifth-place finish in a division where four make the playoffs. The Yellowjackets proved they have other plans Friday when they overpowered Fair Haven, 38-20, behind Ian Kandzior's four touchdowns. Milton jumped out to a 25-6 halftime lead and had a clutch answer down the stretch after Fair Haven cut the lead to five. The win hardly assures Milton (4-3) of a postseason berth, but if the Yellowjackets win out against North Country and Mt. Abraham, Fair Haven (5-2) will be the team needing an upset win down the stretch to be playing in Week 10.
• Division III: After winning just one regular-season game over the last two seasons, Springfield capped its big step forward this fall by all but assuring a playoff spot with a 70-54 victory over Winooski on Friday. Despite a tough schedule that included DII power Bellows Falls, the Cosmos sit at 3-4, and even if they lose their finale vs. Oxbow, they will be in the postseason unless Spaulding pulls an epic upset against U-32.

Game of the week

•  Mt. Anthony 30, CVU 27: Overcoming turnovers that led to a couple of early deficits, Mt. Anthony prevailed in a back-and-forth game that thew the playoff race for the loop. Quarterback Noah Normyle's big day on the ground was key for a Patriots team that all but clinched a playoff berth and moved itself into position to possibly snatch home field for the quarterfinals with a win over Brattleboro this weekend.