CRAFTSBURY – The Craftsbury Academy (CA) boys’ cross-country team will begin their Division III state title defense for a fifth consecutive year next week with several new faces and a new head coach in Maxfield English.
English succeeds coaching legend Mike LeVangie who guided the small-school Charger team to the last four Division III state championships, including the first team in Division III history to qualify for New Englands in back-to-back seasons (2021 and ‘22).
If CA is to continue their improbable run under English’s stewardship, it will be with a full-fledged youth movement. Matt Califano, Alex Califano and Silas Hunt graduated this past spring having won four state titles for the Charger cross-country team.
They brought the first ever Division IV boys’ track and field state title back to the Common in 2022.
Charlie Kehler was part of those championship teams, earning individual runner-up honors at States last fall. He will be leaving to join the powerhouse St. Johnsbury Academy team in both cross-country and track and field for his senior year.
Juniors Soren Stelma-Leonard and Owen McKibben, as well as sophomore Theodore Alexander, all had key contributions for the Chargers last season.
English, a technical education teacher at Hazen Union and a highly-accomplished runner himself, helped create the cross-country program at Danville, serving as their head coach for six years. His team is currently made up of five boys and two girls. He hopes to add more runners once school starts.
“I am really excited to be coaching here, having been impressed for years by their success. Coach LeVangie truly cultivated a unique program here and I had some apprehension in replacing him and how the massive turnover in athletes would affect the program. Having coached the runners for a week, I am optimistic about their season. It is a transitional year in many ways, so our priority is having runners meet their personal goals and strengthen the team-family dynamic. I am grateful for their willingness to give me a chance as their coach, and I will reciprocate with my experienced guidance,” said English.
The Chargers are scheduled to kick off their season next Wednesday at Stowe.
Wildcats Retool with Youth
HARDWICK – As head coach Netdahe Stoddard embarks on his ninth season guiding the Hazen Union cross-country program, he will look to fill holes left by key graduation losses and unexpected transfers.
Seniors Cassandra Royer and Gabe Aubuchon anchored Stoddard’s team last fall, with Royer leading the way with three overall wins during the regular season. She posted a pair of impressive fifth place finishes at the NVAC Championship and Division III States.
Gone from the program is sophomore Manny Fliegelman, who plans to run for the powerhouse St. Johnsbury Academy program this fall and next spring. Junior Lewis Lapierre should provide leadership for the Wildcats this season, along with returning sophomores Daniel Pougnier, Chloe Dyer, along with freshman Kiah Cloutier. Stoddard remains optimistic in continuing to grow and create opportunities for athletes in the program.
“We have a good little group of runners this season and I hope to be able to mold a team that is balanced between joyfulness and the hard work it takes to be competitive in this sport. We just started practice, and we have the potential of having a couple young athletes really catch the running bug and take it to the kind of level that Cassandra did for us last season. I love competing myself and enjoy the different race and nutrition strategies that sport provides. We are really excited for the season,” said Stoddard.
Hazen is scheduled to start the season at the Stowe Relays next Wednesday.
