School vacation doesn’t stop Harwood student-athletes
February 26, 2023 | By Lisa Scagliotti It may be school vacation for Harwood and other Vermont school districts, but some student-athletes aren’t getting a break as winter sports playoffs and championship meets roll on this week.
Harwood Athletics Director Sue Duprat shared this week’s schedule and details for Highlander teams still in the midst of post-season competitions. “It's a great week for our competitors, so come on out and support them when and where you can!” she said.
Monday: Girls Basketball
First up on Monday is Harwood Girls Basketball heading to Barre Auditorium for the Division II semifinal round against No. 1 North Country. The Highlanders are the No. 4 seed and they eliminated No. 5 Lake Region, 46-42, in the quarterfinal game on Saturday on their home court.
Game time Monday is 8:15 p.m. and although there will be tickets available at the door, in-person ticket sales will be limited. (Balcony seats, however, will all be sold at the door for $10.)
The best bet to guarantee entry is to purchase in advance online at this link. General admission tickets are $8 for adults; $5 for students and seniors.
Harwood's Iyah Lavit (31) and Josh McHugh (30) battle with Lamoille players during a regular season game. Photo by Gordon Miller
The other D-II semifinal match is scheduled for Wednesday, March 1, between No. 2 Fair Haven and No. 3 Spaulding. The winner of that game and Monday’s Harwood-North Country match will play in the championship round on Saturday, March 4.
Tuesday: Boys Basketball
With staggered schedules, playoffs are just getting underway this week for Harwood Boys Basketball. The No. 8 Highlanders host No. 9 Lyndon Institute in the first-round playdown on Harwood’s newly completed home court.
Tipoff for that game is 6 p.m. on Tuesday and tickets will be sold at the door: $6 for adults; $4 for students and seniors. The next round on the Division II tournament schedule is Saturday should the Harwood boys advance.
The top 10 girls Nordic skiers at the awards podium on Day One of the state championship meet Feb. 21 at Craftsbury Outdoor Center. Harwood junior Julia Thurston (standing third from left) took the 6th place medal. Photo courtesy Harwood Nordic Ski Coach Tom Strasser
Tuesday: Nordic and Alpine skiing
Nordic: Harwood’s Nordic Ski team competes on its second day of the state championship meet at Rikert Nordic Center in Ripton. Tuesday’s meet is skate style.
Day one in the competition was held last Wednesday, Feb. 22, at Craftsbury Outdoor Center. It was moved up a day to get ahead of the storm and it switched to freestyle.
At that race, Harwood girls finished 5th overall in Division II. Junior Julia Thurston was Harwood’s top skier, placing 6th; freshman Pippa Diller ranked 23rd; juniors Hadley Andersen and Piper Floyd were 43rd and 50th respectively.
Harwood’s girls relay skiers – Andersen, Floyd, Diller and Thurston – finished in 5th place.
HU’s three-member boys team had too few skiers to be ranked with a team score and did not compete in the relay. Individual results were: sophomore Indy Metcalf, 11th place; junior Trent Jordan, 33rd; sophomore Callum MacCurtain, 43rd.
Harwood Nordic skiers during some down time at last week’s Day One of the Vermont State Championship at Craftsbury. Left to right: Junior Trent Jordan, sophomore Indy Metcalf, juniors Hadley Andersen, Rowan Clough, Piper Floyd, and freshman Pipper Diller. Photo courtesy Harwood Nordic Coach Tom Strasser
Alpine: Tuesday is the first day of the state championship competition for Harwood Alpine skiers. The NVAC District Ski Meet will be held at Cochran's in Richmond. The second day of the state competition is scheduled for Wednesday at the Middlebury Snow Bowl.
Spectators are welcome and invited to the ski competitions.
For schedule updates, check the Harwood online calendar and the Scorebook Live website and app used by the Vermont Principals Association.