Year in Review: Area athletes set new records, reach new heights

NORTHEAST KINGDOM – Local athletes and teams shined once again in 2025 as they set new records and reached new heights that area fans and future stars will remember for years to come.

Despite graduating back to back all-time great senior classes, head coach Aaron Hill and his Hazen Union basketball team defied all naysayers, rolling to their fourth consecutive Division III state title game. Brendan Moodie certainly made his case to get into the All-time Great Wildcats club with a sensational senior campaign that saw him lead Hazen in scoring at nearly 20 points per game. Moodie was the only senior starter on the court for Hill’s young squad in 2025 as they reeled off 17 wins, capped off by an emphatic upset over undefeated White River Valley in the semifinal round. Moodie scored 92 points throughout the ‘Cats’ playoff surge and finished his career just shy of 1,000 points.

Hill was named Capital League Coach of the Year for the second time in four years. 

Junior Sully Laflam’s stellar season was rewarded with a Vermont Basketball Coaches Association (VBCA) Outstanding Underclassmen selection. 

The Twinfield-Cabot boys basketball team got over the hump in a big way in 2025 and a last second basket was the only thing preventing them from making their first Division IV title game in over a decade. Head coach Kris Bador took his talented Trojan team to a new level, winning 19 games and getting back to the Barre Auditorium for the first time in eight years. Danville’s Kohl Guinard ended Twinfield-Cabot’s magical run in the closing seconds and the Pride went on to pummel top seeded West Rutland to capture the title. 

Junior Eli Russell had a career year, leading the Trojans in scoring at just under 20 points per game. Fellow junior Tej Stewart was a Swiss-army knife for Bador’s injury riddled squad, playing all five positions on the court throughout the season. Russell earned his first VBCA Outstanding Underclassmen selection and Stewart hauled in his third straight.

In just his second season, Bador was named Coach of the Year in both the Mountain League and all of Division IV. 

The Hazen Union girls basketball team suffered zero signs of a championship hangover, totaling 20 wins for a third straight season under head coach Randy Lumsden. The Lady Cats set the all-time consecutive wins record with 31 straight and made it to the Barre Auditorium a third straight season, falling to a dominant Windsor team that cut down the nets for the third time in four years. Sophomore Kelsie Rivard continued to ascend as one of the best players in the state, leading the Lady Cats in scoring. Mya Lumsden took over the offensive reins from all-time great Caitlyn Davison and had career-highs in both points and assists. Both received VBCA Outstanding Underclassmen selections for their outstanding season. 

Randy Lumsden recorded his third straight 20 win season since taking over the program at Hazen and was named Mountain League Coach of the Year.

Second-year head coach Jack Whalen led his Twinfield-Cabot girls basketball program to a home playoff win for a second consecutive season. On the heels of their first winning record in over a decade, Whalen’s squad netted a respectable nine wins. Senior Jorja Washburn capped off her outstanding high school career with a First Team All-Mountain League selection.

Hazen Union alum Mike Clark was inducted into the Vermont Principal’s Association (VPA) Hall of Fame for his 40-plus years of service as a decorated high school official. Joining Clark as an inductee was the late great Arlan “Chip” Langmaid. The legendary St. Johnsbury Academy head coach was at the helm for 29 Division I state championships for the Hilltoppers in both track and field and cross-country. 

East Calais native and former U-32 standout Caitlyn Fielder led her Norwich University women’s lacrosse team to a historic season in the spring of 2025. The super sophomore led the Lady Cadets to a program record 15 wins, including their first trip to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Final Four in over a decade. Fielder’s career-high 47 goals earned her First Team GNAC honors. Senior teammate Ellie Moriarty (Stowe) also netted First Team honors and finished her stellar collegiate career as Norwich’s all-time assist leader. 

Hazen Union’s Grayson McNaughten enjoyed a breakout junior season for a rebuilding Wildcat baseball program. The former Craftsbury Academy standout led Hazen on the mound with a team high 42 strikeouts, while batting .380 at the plate and stealing a dozen bases. McNaughten and Wildcat teammate Owen Skorstad were key cogs during the summer in leading Lamoille to a Babe Ruth 16-18U State Championship. 

Craftsbury Academy cross-country and Hazen Union track and field head coach Maxfield English had promising seasons as he continued to rebuild both programs with encouraging participation numbers and young talent. The 49-year-old also enjoyed a dominant individual season on the Central Vermont Runners/Onion River Outdoor circuits, winning four times throughout the year.

The sport of soccer ruled on many different levels across the state in 2025. The University of Vermont (UVM) men’s soccer team captivated the state with a Cinderella Run through the NCAA Tournament. The unseeded Catamounts captured the university’s first ever team Division I National Championship. Many of those same players teamed up in the summer to lead the Vermont Green FC to the franchise’s first ever USL2 National Title. Both the Catamounts and the Green ended their 2025 seasons with double-digit sellout records at Virtue Field. 

Many high school soccer programs around the state rode that momentum wave into the fall with upticks in interest and increased participation numbers. Leading the way was a storybook season written by head coach Peter Stratman and his Caledonia United boys team. Cal United (16-0) and Twin Valley (16-0) gave soccer fans what they wanted with a clash for the ages in the Division IV state championship match, ultimately won by the Wildcats 2-0. Stratman’s team set a program record in wins and senior Eli Russell took home Mountain League Player of the Year honors. Russell capped off an incredible high school career with a program record 30 goals on the season, earning his second consecutive All-State selection. Fellow senior teammates Sam McLane (25 goals) and Josh Petersen (11 shutouts) also went out in style with their first All-State selections. Stratman took home Mountain League Coach of the Year honors and has now taken three different programs to Division IV Final Fours.

The Hazen Union girls soccer team secured their third consecutive home playoff match with an eleven win season under first year head coach Megan Mercier. Despite their second first round exit from the playoffs in three seasons, the Lady Cats had plenty of highlights this past fall. 

Isabelle Gouin put a bow on a legendary high school resume by breaking the school’s all-time scoring record with 56 career goals. The senior striker also took home Mountain League Player of the Year honors and was a Vermont All-State selection. 

Junior Taylor Thompson was a terror for the opposition once again for the Lady Cats, earning her third straight Vermont-All-State selection.

Head coach Harry Besett earned Capital League Coach of the Year honors after leading his Hazen boys soccer program to their first winning season in six years. Grayson McNaughten developed into one of the premier goaltenders in the state for the Wildcats in his senior campaign, earning his first Vermont All-State selection.

In a rebuilding year, the Cal United girls soccer team was still able to earn their second straight home playoff match under head coach Spencer Morse. 

Junior Eliska Siebenbrunner was a force in net and on the field for Cal United, earning a Vermont All-State selection.

We say goodbye to some all-time great local high school athletes in 2025, but with the emergence of several talented underclassmen, the odds say the stars will be back out again in 2026. Merry Christmas to you and your families and may you have sports-filled happy holidays.