St. J Football Title Game Preview

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Created on Friday, 11 November 2016 19:55

Written by Tyler Hall

St. Johnsbury - Saturday, November Twelfth at 5:00pm at Rutland High School the Championship High School football game for division one will be played. In this year's contest, the Saint Johnsbury Hilltoppers will be squaring off against Hartford High School.

Throughout the 2016 season, The Hilltoppers of Saint Johnsbury have had their ups and downs, but now, they find themselves just one win away from a State Championship.

"It's been up and down. I mean, we had a five game winning streak to start the season, we lost two in a row in games that were close and then we came back and had a very big win over Lyndon and then two, somewhat miraculous wins in the playoffs," says Head Coach Rich Alercio.

During the regular season, Saint Johnsbury went 6-2, including a huge victory against close-town rival, Lyndon Institute back on October 22nd, 69 to 6.

Some of the Saint Johnsbury seniors have been on this stage before and have been giving advice to the underclassmen who will be taking part in their first ever state championship game.

"Play your game. You know, I was here my sophomore year. I was nervous, I was just kicking extra points and that's all that the seniors told me was play your game, do what you've been doing and you'll be fine," says Senior Linebacker and Running Back, Ethan Roberts.

Meanwhile Senior Tight End and Defensive End, Brodie Talbot offers his take, "It's exciting for all of us, you know. Not just being a senior; being any part of the team, it's exciting for all of us."

This matchup is a rematch to their game they played back on October 15th where Hartford came out on top, 35-20.

Saint Johnsbury is the number two seed and Hartford is the number one seed going into the Championship matchup. Saint Johnsbury has had a grueling season but is using their overall hard work for motivation going into the big game.

This is the second time in three years The Hilltoppers are playing in the Championship game, this time they are looking to bring home the hardware.