A New Era

The days of Middlebury, Woodstock and CVU ruling Vermont lacrosse seem to be over. Growing up in Vermont and as a fan of high school lacrosse I was accustomed to hear about the Thompson's (CVU), the Mackey's (Middlebury) and the Wannop's (Woodstock). These names dominated the Vermont lacrosse landscape. Together, these players helped CVU, Middlebury and Woodstock capture numerous state titles during the 90's and into the 2000's

Middlebury and Woodstock were the kings but CVU was always knocking on the door, nipping at their heels. Every year I cheered for CVU but just about every year finshed in frustration - a loss to Woodstock or Middlebury in the semi finals. However, as a fan you could count on one of these teams to be holding the trophy when the dust settled. That's just the way it was.

In those days, no other school had the talent or depth of the big three. Each school had great feeder programs, starting in elementary school. Hank Slauson and Larry Thompson started the one in Shelburne and deserve complete credit for developing the town's interest in the sport. In time, many players coached by Hank and Larry started for CVU and eventually led the Crusaders back to the title game.

Nevertheless, those days seem to be over. Last night South Burlington beat Essex to win the DI state title. The same Rebels that until this season, hadn't beat CVU in 16 years. There was no red, orange, or green in the stands - CVU, Middlebury, and Woodstock had all been eliminated.

I think we've entered into a new era of lacrosse in the state of Vermont. Entitlement to the championship game, which the big three used to have is a thing of the past.

All that being said, don't be surprised if you see CVU hoisting another trophy sooner rather than later. I would say the same for Middlebury and Woodstock, but since these two schools have a small student body, they will find it increasingly difficult to win consistently.