The all-encompassing Division III Vermont high school football outlook
The offseason alignment left Division III with nine teams this year.
The average roster size is in the upper-20s to low-30s as these programs build toward a sustainable future.
Windsor is the back-to-back defending champion with a perfect 22-0 record over that stretch, while BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille appeared in the championship game in both seasons.
Mill River reached the semifinals last fall and return having graduated just six players with a roster of 30 in Phil Hall’s second season in charge. Clubs can always surprise the state and make runs, but before that happens dive into our 2023 seasonal outlook for D-III.
Enjoy!
DIVISION III SEASON PREVIEWS BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille
Coach: Craig Sleeman (ninth season)
Last Year: 8-2; lost to Windsor in the D-III championship.
Outlook: BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille has been one of the most decorated D-III teams since the programs combined following the 2017 season. Over the last four seasons Fairfax/Lamoille has reached the title game three times and this fall could be no different for Sleeman’s squad. “A couple of the kids that came in are really big so we have good size this year, which I hadn’t counted on,” Sleeman said. “I have good size in the backfield as well.” The Bullets have about 34 players on this year’s roster, Sleeman’s highest total in nine years of coaching. “We picked up a lot of kids, but a lot of them are sophomores, juniors and seniors that have never played football,” Sleeman said. “So, we have good numbers and if those kids develop like we’re hoping they develop, we’re going to be in good shape.” Charles Czapski figures to lead the Bullets’ ground game this season.
Mill River Union High School
Coach: Phil Hall (second season)
Last Year: 6-3; lost to BFA-Fairfax/ Lamoille in the D-III semifinals.
Outlook: Hall’s group graduated only six seniors from last year’s semifinal finish making the Minutemen an early pick as a contender for November. Mill River lost some potential returnees on the offensive line making for a roster of about 30 as they head into Week 1. “Our whole philosophy is that we’re never going to bend for the sake of numbers,” said Hall, who also coached at Mount St. Joseph. “We’re going to run the program the way we know it should be run and whoever’s there is going to be the guys we want.” Mason Boudreau and quarterback Luca Polli, who transferred into the program after attending Otter Valley last season, will lead the Minutemen offense. “We’ve got higher hopes than that (semifinal finish) this year,” Hall said. “The pressure is on to deliver now, the cat’s out of the bag.”
Missisquoi Valley Union High School
Coach: Anthony Labor (second season)
Last Year: 0-7; did not make the DIII playoffs.
Outlook: Although they only have one varsity win to the program’s short history, the Thunderbirds are trending in the right direction for building a competitive outfit. Last year, the middle school introduced a padded flag program and this year’s high school player total is around 30. The uptick in participation is significant: MVU finished the 2022 season with no more than 14 healthy players on its roster. And with a dozen returnees, Labor believes the team is all-in on the coaching staff’s philosophy and approach. “I keep it realistic with them. I’m not telling them we’re going from one win in our program history to a championship, but I told them we have to take it day-by-day and the success will take care of itself,” Labor said. “We’ve adopted a motto of no excuses. We want to challenge ourselves every day.” On the field, MVU will run a hybrid Wing-T formation and will present multiple looks defensively.
Otter Valley Union High School
Coach: Jordan Tolar (second season)
Last Year: 4-5; lost to BFA-Fairfax in the D-III quarterfinals.
Outlook: In Tolar’s eighth year in the program and second as head coach Otter Valley has a handful of returnees to a roster of 30. “We had a really tough physically-demanding camp,” Tolar said. “We really pushed them as coaches for the two weeks, but I thought they responded really well.” Sophomore Zac Dragon is the team’s starting quarterback for Week 1. Chase Razanouski, also a sophomore, provides skill on the outside after earning a starting job last season. Tolar said he’s excited about the opportunity to pair both together for the next three years. “There’s no time to take the foot off the gas pedal kind of feel for this year,” Tolar said. “It’s every single week, every single practice, every single day.”
Oxbow High School
Coach: Chad Wescott (fifth season) Last Year: 3-5; did not make the DIII playoffs.
Outlook: With perhaps the state’s smallest program in terms of numbers (20 players), Wescott and his coaching staff must be careful and do their best to avoid injury losses. To that end, Wescott said Oxbow backed out of two scheduled scrimmages to be fresh for the season opener vs. two-time defending champion Windsor. “We have to toe that line and push them and get everything in and also back off them and get ready for the next day,” Wescott said. “We have a good schedule. We are optimistic we can win several of those games and compete and break into the playoffs.” Oxbow will lean on its offensive line and 14 overall returnees, led by a strong sophomore class that includes quarterback Jamal Saibou and Jaxon Griffin, who had seven interceptions a year ago despite playing with a broken arm.
Poultney High School
Coach: Dave Capman (43rd season) Last Year: 0-7; did not make the DIII playoffs.
Outlook: Vermont’s longest-serving active coach will call it a career after the 2023 season. At the helm of Poultney since 1980, and in coaching since 1968, Capman said it was time to call it a career with his third grandson, quarterback Tegan Capman, entering his senior campaign. Early returns for coach Capman’s swan song are encouraging, too. Of the close to 30 players in the program, about two dozen are returnees. And those veterans were dedicated to offseason conditioning and weightlifting, according to Capman. “Our effort and attitude is there and kids have gotten bigger,” Capman said. “There’s a good core of kids working really hard at it. “Tegan Capman is coming off an injury and will likely get the starting nod under center, while Lucas Welch is the fullback in Poultney’s run-heavy offense. Poultney’s numbers are also padded by five players from West Rutland.
Springfield High School
Coach: Todd Aiken (sixth season)
Last Year: 3-6; lost to Windsor in the D-III quarterfinals.
Outlook: The Cosmos are in the low 30s for numbers, but return all but five players from last year’s outfit. Among those veterans, 6-foot-1 Carson Clark is the signal caller and top linebacker; Luke Stocker is the team’s workhorse fullback; center Trevor Carl leads a tight-knit trio of linemen; James Gultekin is a tall and speedy receiver; and Reece Harriman is a multi-sport athlete whom coach Aiken called an “Energizer bunny.” Springfield has hovered around the .500 mark the last several seasons, but a break-through might be coming in 2023. “We are plugging away. We are young, but we are hungry and excited and our biggest challenge is keeping people healthy,” Aiken said.
Windsor High School
Coach: Greg Balch (11th season)
Last Year: 11-0; beat BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille in the D-III championship.
Outlook: The back-to-back D-III kings return around 20 of their 30-person roster. The backfield and stout defense that paced two perfect seasons in a row graduated, making for a new crop of Yellow Jackets searching for dynastic history. “The offense will have a lot of people touching the ball,” Balch said. “But Brody (Osgood) and Corey (Lockwood) both played a lot of running back last year and Lockwood was our backup quarterback as well. … They’re going to be pretty important part of what we’re doing.” Even with 20 returnees the Yellow Jackets have several new starters with some depth in the backfield. “We certainly lost some leadership in addition to talent on the field,” Balch said. “But in terms of the grind and knowing what it takes and knowing how you have to come to practice and you have to be focused, we’re definitely seeing that. And I think that success kind of breeds that part of it.”
Woodstock Union High School
Coach: Ramsey Worrell (11th season) Last Year: 4-5; lost to Mill River in the D-III quarterfinals.
Outlook: An all-junior backfield tells the overall story for the Wasps: The pride-filled program is young and quick at many spots on the field, and enough experience to contend in D-III. With more than 30 players in the program, Woodstock returns about two dozen veterans, many of whom had starting roles a year ago. While depth might be an issue for some positions, especially on the offensive line, and the defense has a couple concerns, Worrell is optimistic for the season ahead. “It should be a fun season,” Worrell said.