Hardwick’s Justin Montgomery aims to hit the ball during Sr. Babe Ruth action July 6, against Newport.
by Ken Brown
BARRE – Former U-32 High School and University of Rhode Island (URI) standout Bryson Richards captured his second Vermont Amateur last week at his home course The Country Club of Barre.
The smooth lefty, who is the son of former Craftsbury Academy great Pete Richards, fired a final round 68 last Thursday to cruise to a five-stroke victory. Richards shot an even par round of 71 to open the four-day tournament, but was nine under his last 54 holes to pull away from the field. Rice Memorial standout Matt Walsh closed the tournament with a one under par 70 to claim runner-up honors. The 117th edition of the prestigious tournament was a family affair for the Richards, with father Pete missing the two-day cut by just two strokes and younger brother Riley finishing near the bottom of the pack with a four-day total of 312. Riley is also a former U-32 standout and just finished his freshman year for the Franklin Pierce golf team. Bryson also won the Vermont-Am in 2021 and was a runner-up at Brattleboro last summer. Richards led the field with 21 birdies and an eagle to claim his second title. He recently finished up a decorated career for the Rams, winning his third collegiate title last spring at the Rutherford Intercollegiate. The star senior was named to the Division I Ping Northeast All-Region Team for his efforts.
Jacob Davison of Hardwick’s Senior Babe Ruth team gets set to throw a pitch to a Newport batter, July 6, on Hudson Field.
Davison Shining in Blue Grass State
LOUISVILLE, KY – Hazen Union soon to be super senior Caitlyn Davison and her Lone Wolf AAU team captured the Run 4 the Roses Classic Jasmine Division Silver Championship last week at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
Over 12,000 athletes from all around the country are at the 80-court facility for a pair of tournaments over a 10-day span. Davison’s Lone Wolf eleventh-grade championship team tipped off their second tournament over the weekend. Lone Wolf Athletics is the premier girls’ AAU program in the state of Vermont and was founded by the late Peoples Academy great Wayne Lafley, who passed away in 2022 after a two year battle with cancer. His wife Shannon has taken over the reins, along with Cassidy Derda, Chris Johnson, and Emma and John MacDonough. Davison enters her senior campaign at Hazen this fall after back-to-back Vermont Dream Dozen selections and is on the cusp of 1,000 points for her career.
Hazen’s Kelsie Rivard and Mya Lumsden have also been competing for Lone Wolf this summer on their eighth-grade roster. Rivard is the younger sister of Wildcat great Tyler Rivard and Lumsden is the daughter of Lady Cat head coach Randy Lumsden. The young dynamic duo will be back in action on the weekend of July 21 for the Hoop Group Championship in Atlantic City, N.J.
St. Johnsbury Sweeps to Capture Wooden Bat Title
GEORGIA – The Hardwick Senior Babe Ruth team is still trying to find its footing this summer, finishing up a busy week by splitting a pair of games in the Wooden Bat Tournament over the weekend, won by St. Johnsbury in Georgia.
St. Jay steamrolled Hardwick, Newport, and Franklin County to win the tenth installment of the summer tourney. Hardwick fell to 2-6 on the season and is still trying find its rhythm around postponements and roster reshuffles. They were scheduled to host Northfield on Tuesday, travel to Newport on Thursday, and host Franklin County on Saturday. With severe flooding across the state, they may have to wait another week to get on track.
