The Montpelier boys basketball team has won five straight Division II championships and the Solons have surely cherished every one of them just the same.
There are some programs that would love to have the feeling of just one championship, Many of this year’s Vermont high school boys basketball contenders have been starving to reach the top of the mountain top again.
Undefeated Division II Hartford last won it all in 1929, doing so about half a year before The Great Depression began in the United States.
The Hurricanes made it back to the final four years later against Rutland but didn’t make another appearance until 2024, 91 years later.
This feels like Hartford’s best opportunity to put that 97-year drought to rest. The Hurricanes are the clear top dog in Division II this year.
One of Hartford’s fellow D-II contenders, Lamoille, hasn’t won a state championship since 1963, as a D-IV program, beating Brighton in the finals.
The Lancers have made three more titles games in their history, with the most recent coming in 2001. Hartford is a massive hurdle, but Lamoille is having its best season in more than a decade.
Top-seeded Division III Randolph doesn’t have the drought that those two teams have, but it has been 30 years since the Galloping Ghosts galloped to the top of the mountain in 1995, beating U-32 in the D-II title game.
This is Randolph’s best opportunity to end the drought since its 18-2 season in 2014 when it lost in the D-III final to Williamstown.
West Rutland finished off its first perfect regular season in program history and is hoping its the momentum it needs to win that “ONE MORE” game that is plastered on the back of its warm-ups.
The Golden Horde have a proud history, winning 13 state championships, but they haven’t won it all since 1995 when it won the title as a team that entered the playoffs with just six wins.
It hasn’t been for lack of contending. West Rutland has made made it back to the state final seven more times since that victory, but hasn’t gotten over the hump.
Division IV is filled with contenders, but West Rutland has the experience and the talent that could get it done.
Twin Valley is the No. 5 seed in the Division IV tournament, but has very viable title hopes. The Wildcats have never won a state championship in their program’s history and neither did their forerunners Wilmington and Whitingham, so a TV title would be a historic one.
One-loss and top-seeded Twinfield hasn’t had the drought of those two fellow D-IV contenders, but it has been 14 years since the Trojans were atop the Vermont high school basketball world.
Let’s take a look at the four boys basketball playoff brackets and what may be in store for the playoff run.
Favorite: No. 1 Rice. The Green Knights are looking to capture their 20th state championship this winter. They have one of the best players in the state, Pascal Munezero, and have a ton of talent around him. There isn’t a surefire get to win it all in D-I, but Rice has been the most consistent.
Dark horse: No. 3 Burlington. The Seahorses are the defending Division I state champions and recently split their season series with arch rival Rice. They finished the regular season on a five-game winning streak and capped that with wins against fellow contenders Rice and Rutland.
Lower seed nobody wants to play: No. 7 BBA. The Bulldogs are a team, as of late, you don’t know what to expect on a nightly basis. On one night, they blowout South Burlington or nearly beat Hartford, but on another they are upset by Brattleboro or are in a dog fight with a lower-division opponent. What team show up for the tournament?
Most intriguing first-round matchup: No. 12 Essex at No. 5 CVU. The Redhawks won both of their Metro Division matchups this season, but both came by single digits. Essex’s record is poor, but it has played many contenders competitively.
Longest trip: There are three playdowns that require a team to travel more than two hours. North Country’s trip to Rutland is the longest at 2 hours, 35 minutes and 146 miles.
Fun fact: Rice has been a top-five seed in the state tournament every year since 2011 and been a top-two seed in 12 of those seasons.
Favorite: No. 1 Hartford. This is the clearest state championship favorite of them all. The Hurricanes are undefeated and went perfect in the Southern Vermont League A Division, which is all D-I teams except for Hartford. Their depth is unmatched in the division.
Dark horse: No. 3 Fair Haven. The Slaters were rolling before losing to Rutland and BBA to close the regular season, but those losses should be helpful going into states. They have a talented core with veteran leaders like Sam Kyhill, Cody Adams and Andrew Barker experienced in big games.
Lower seed nobody wants to play: No. 7 Middlebury. True to recent history, the Tigers turned it on late in the season after going through a gauntlet of tough teams early in the season. Middlebury won seven of its last nine regular season games.
Most intriguing first-round matchup: No. 10 Otter Valley at No. 7 Middlebury. The Otters are playing much better than they were earlier the season when they lost to the Tigers. OV’s depth has really shined through and the emergence of Zac Dragon with the experience of Connor Denis and Brody Lathrop has been massive.
Longest trip: Winless Missisquoi Valley travels 1 hour, 58 minutes and nearly 100 miles to play No. 3 Fair Haven.
Fun fact: U-32 is no stranger to the No. 8 seed in the Division II tournament. This will be the third time in the 2020s that the Raiders hold that seeding.
Favorite: No. 1 Randolph and No. 2 Hazen. The Galloping Ghosts and Wildcats have identical 16-4 records. Randolph won both of its matchups with Hazen in the regular season, but the Wildcats are the team that has a lot more experience on the Barre stage, making four straight finals.
Dark horse: No. 3 Woodstock. The Wasps are having their best season since going unbeaten in 2015 and winning a Division II state title. Woodstock plays a pretty tough schedule and has a 1,000-points scorer Elvis Lavallee leading the the charge.
Lower seed nobody wants to play: No. 7 Peoples Academy. The Wolves are playing their best basketball at the right time of year, winning seven of their last nine games. That run includes five wins over higher-division teams.
Most intriguing first-round matchup: No. 10 Oxbow at No. 7 Peoples. The Wolves are playing great hoops, but so are the Olympians. Oxbow has won five of its last seven contests.
Longest trip: Bellows Falls has the most time on the bus, more than two hours heading to Vergennes. Enosburg has the most miles to cover, playing at White River Valley.
Fun fact: This is Randolph’s first top seed in a state tournament since the 1993 campaign when it was in Division II.
Favorite: No. 1 Twinfield and No. 2 West Rutland. The Golden Horde are the division’s only undefeated team and made it to the state finals last year with a very similar core. The Trojans’ only loss came to Danville early in the year and have rolled since.
Dark horse: No. 4 MSJ. The Mounties nearly handed West Rutland a loss in the first game of the regular season and the Golden Horde are the only team to beat them. MSJ has really impressive depth and there is little drop off when Nick Davis goes into his bench.
Lower seed nobody wants to play: No. 7 Danville. The defending Division IV champions are the only team to beat Twinfield and have won eight straight games. If the Bears get past Proctor, a potential championship rematch with West Rutland would be lots of fun.
Most intriguing first-round matchup: No. 12 Poultney at No. 5 Twin Valley. The Wildcats will be the heavy favorites in this game, but those in the gym will be witnessing some incredible scoring talent. Twin Valley has brothers Brayden and Landon Brown and Poultney has guard Erick Kendall. All of those guys can light it up.
Longest trip: Proctor, you think your 2 hour trip to Danville is long? Well, check out the one your rival Arlington has. The Eagles will be on the bus for 3 hours, 28 minutes and will cover 166 miles of pavement to reach Richford. Say hello to some Canadians while you’re up there, eh?
Fun fact: MSJ will compete in its first Division IV tournament in program history, meaning all four Rutland County D-IV teams will have competed in a D-IV and D-I tournament. The last D-I tournament MSJ competed in was 2008, the last for Poultney was 1950, the last for West Rutland was 1944 and the last for Proctor was 1940.
