HARDWICK – Soccer is front and center the next few weeks with the 2026 World Cup underway. It takes center stage locally this Sunday with the playing of the Third Annual PolyWhey Cup Showdown at Hazen Union High School.
The biggest local youth soccer event of the spring will feature a combined girls squad fielded by the NEK Warriors and Orleans County Football Club (OCFC), called Black River, against the Barre Stone Cutters. Thanks to research conducted by legendary and local historian Elizabeth Dow, the soccer rivalry between the Hardwick and Barre is one of the oldest in the state, dating back to the early 19th century. Then, the Scampini Challenge Cup series ended between the two towns post-war in 1914, according to Dow. Hazen Union alum Andrew Meyer helped resurrect the rivalry in 2024, now known as the Poly Whey Cup, created to help support the growth of local soccer.
Michelle Delaney helped develop the NEK Warriors for years in Cabot and the surrounding areas before handing it over to Steve Fortmann a little over three years ago. Fortmann moved the program to Hardwick, and it has grown exponentially. The Warrior program has expanded to full roster teams for both boys and girls in leagues that travel all over the state. They wrapped up their regular season at Jay Peak on the turf earlier this week. The Warriors kick off tournament season this weekend at Hazen, which will include co-ed tournament teams later this month at various venues.
The Black River team is coached by Jake Hastings, along with assistants Sarah Bathalon, Jon Amell and Darcy LeBlanc. The roster features local footballers Allie Ackermann and Kylie Smith from Hardwick, Ada Allen, Amelia Rodriguez, Evelyn Patch, McKenna Flint, Madison Amell and Adrienne Robillard of Craftsbury, Olivia Petters of Albany and Stella Cusack of Danville. Emma Bathalon, Chloe Bapp and Savannah Roberge of Coventry, along with Glover’s Luna Gordon and Brownington’s Cadence Hastings, round out the Black River roster.
“The Warriors and OCFC have been in action since the snow melted, and this final match is an opportunity to test their skill before summer break and school soccer in the fall. The match is intended to highlight a legendary soccer rivalry from the granite era. We appreciate all the generous support for local soccer, and we encourage everyone to come out this Sunday to see your local players in action and witness a new chapter in Vermont soccer history,” said Fortmann.
Black River and the Barre Stone Cutters will square off at Hudson Fields Sunday evening at 6 p.m. The Third Annual PolyWhey Cup is sponsored by Vermont Natural Coatings.
