A perfect season is a feat unmatched in sports.Hartford boys lacrosse completed its best season in program history, and the winningest in Vermont high school history, going 18-0, and winning Vermont’s Division II state championship.”We really just took it one game at a time,” said head coach Grant Whiteway.With a mix of talent and honor, the Hurricanes were inspired by the late head coach Bill Elberty, who founded the Hartford lacrosse program in the late ’90s. He died in 2020. “Just his energy all the time,” said senior defender Connor Tierney. “He loved things like picking up ground balls and stuff like that. Just hustling on the field. We always tried to embody what he would want us to do.”Inspired by his legacy, the team earned the Bob Abrahamson sportsmanship award, given by the VPA for the team that exemplifies outstanding integrity on the field.”He woulda been pumped about that,” Whiteway said. “He always talked about winning the scrappy ground balls and playing with grit. But there was also the side about being a great teammate and picking each other up. Being a good human.”On the field, things clicked instantly, despite one of the team’s top offensive players going down with an injury at the start of the season.”With Ezra being out, all these young kids stepped up and got extra playing time,” said senior attacker Joseph Barwood. “They grew. Some of the growth I saw in those kids was unbelievable.”Earning Division II’s top seed, the Hurricanes rolled into the championship game facing No. 3 Mount Anthony, a team they hadn’t faced since opening day. The Hurricanes came away with its narrowest victory of the season, a 7-6 win over the Patriots, claiming the school’s first boys lacrosse state title.After reaching that pinnacle, the graduating seniors are proud of the legacy they leave behind, challenging the remaining players who will look to repeat. “I don’t want to say we set the bar high, but winning a state championship and going undefeated is a pretty high bar,” Barwood said. “If there’s any group that can surpass that, it’s definitely the group we’re leaving.”
A perfect season is a feat unmatched in sports.
Hartford boys lacrosse completed its best season in program history, and the winningest in Vermont high school history, going 18-0, and winning Vermont’s Division II state championship.
Advertisement
“We really just took it one game at a time,” said head coach Grant Whiteway.
With a mix of talent and honor, the Hurricanes were inspired by the late head coach Bill Elberty, who founded the Hartford lacrosse program in the late ’90s. He died in 2020.
“Just his energy all the time,” said senior defender Connor Tierney. “He loved things like picking up ground balls and stuff like that. Just hustling on the field. We always tried to embody what he would want us to do.”
Inspired by his legacy, the team earned the Bob Abrahamson sportsmanship award, given by the VPA for the team that exemplifies outstanding integrity on the field.
“He woulda been pumped about that,” Whiteway said. “He always talked about winning the scrappy ground balls and playing with grit. But there was also the side about being a great teammate and picking each other up. Being a good human.”
On the field, things clicked instantly, despite one of the team’s top offensive players going down with an injury at the start of the season.
“With Ezra being out, all these young kids stepped up and got extra playing time,” said senior attacker Joseph Barwood. “They grew. Some of the growth I saw in those kids was unbelievable.”
Earning Division II’s top seed, the Hurricanes rolled into the championship game facing No. 3 Mount Anthony, a team they hadn’t faced since opening day. The Hurricanes came away with its narrowest victory of the season, a 7-6 win over the Patriots, claiming the school’s first boys lacrosse state title.
After reaching that pinnacle, the graduating seniors are proud of the legacy they leave behind, challenging the remaining players who will look to repeat.
“I don’t want to say we set the bar high, but winning a state championship and going undefeated is a pretty high bar,” Barwood said. “If there’s any group that can surpass that, it’s definitely the group we’re leaving.”
