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Some early thoughts on the 2012 football season

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As I write this blog post, preseason practices open at 34 sites in a matter of hours, the beginning of another football season here in Vermont.

Opening weekend is Aug. 31 and Sept. 1. As we’ve done the previous two seasons, we will run a live blog during the Friday night games.

Last year saw Hartford continue its dynasty with a fourth crown in five years, Fair Haven end a title spell and Woodstock overcome a slow start in its to return to glory.

How will the 2012 season unfold? Some early, early thoughts from yours truly:

Division I

While most programs who get nine starters in the Shrine Maple Sugar Bowl might see a dip the following season, Hartford is still the team to beat. Michael Dulac and Patrick McGrath are returning linemen, two reasons why Hartford should continue to dominate the line of scrimmage — the program’s staple. … After Hartford, Middlebury and BFA-St. Albans have had the recent pedigree, but will key skilled position losses damage their playoff hopes? That makes Division I — once you look past Hartford — wide open. Brattleboro, Colchester, Champlain Valley, Essex, Rutland and South Burlington should be right there in the playoff hunt. … Not to be overlooked, Mount Mansfield was young in 2011, so it could be a team on the rise this fall.

Division II

North Country lost its longtime coach (Bob Davis retired) and a boatload of seniors to graduation. The defending champion Slaters have Dakota Euber back at receiver, but their all-state quarterback Robert Coloutti and talented receiver Levi Ellis also graduated. Milton also lost core players to graduation. Arguably, the top 3 teams in Division II last year must deal with some roster turnover this fall (and runner-up Burr and Burton does have its pure-pocket passer, Jake Stalcup, who was Vermont’s Gatorade player of the year). That leaves the door open for Rice, Lyndon and Bellows Falls — teams that didn’t qualify for the postseason.

Division III

Much like Hartford in Division I, Woodstock has been pegged the early-season favorite. The Wasps gelled after a rough start in 2011, rolling over much of their competition behind Ed Doton, a bulldozing back. Doton and nearly the entire team is intact for a repeat run. While Woodstock is the early front-runner, teams like Windsor, Mill River, Mount Abraham and Winooski should bring parity to the division.

Coaching carousel: Heard Brian Grady, the former Mount St. Joseph coach and the last to steer Vermont to victory over New Hampshire in the Shrine game, has taken over the Fair Haven program. Another coaching change of note, David Ball is back at his alma mater, Spaulding, according to the Times Argus’ Anna Grearson. Ball, of course, broke Jerry Rice’s career touchdown receptions during record-setting run at Division I-AA New Hampshire.

Readers: Chime in with your thoughts on the season ahead in the comments section.


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