The Sunday Forecast is a weekly column that previews the week ahead for the Raptors, noting matchups, history and other tid-bits. Other editorial content will also be on this page. 

After an up-and-down week for the Rivendell Raptors, another solid week of SVL competition awaits. 

On Tuesday the Raptors host the Leland and Gray Rebels in the second meeting of the two teams. The Raptors used an interior attack to batter the Rebels when the teams met on January 10th in Townshend, but this matchup looks to be more competitive. Boasting a high-powered offense, the Rebels have notched close losses against several top contenders in Division 3 and have the firepower to make a close game with just about anyone. It will take a high-quality defensive effort from the Raptors to stave off an upset and keep their momentum going. 

A much tougher task awaits Thursday when the Raptors travel to Chester for a matchup with the Green Mountain Chieftains. Coach Brian Rapanotti’s young squad have notched a solid 8-5 record, good only for 8th place in a loaded Division 3, and play with the energy and determination to knock off just about anyone. There might be a little bit of extra motivation in this game for the Chieftains, as the matchup of the two teams last year in Chester turned out as one of the best games of the year. A furious Green Mountain rally fell short at the buzzer after a controversial no-call on the game winning attempt, sending Green Mountain fans and players alike home unhappy. Will a game of that level play out this year? All is to be determined Thursday night. 

Tip-Ins: Jacoby Patterson remains Rivendell’s top scorer with 15.2 points per game….Rivendell’s seniors sit just a win away from a perfect 8-0 record against the Rebels in their high school careers….Green Mountain roster just two seniors. 

Some weeks of the Vermont basketball season are exhilarating, exhausting weeks with major playoff implications. 

This coming week for the Rivendell Raptors is not one of them. 

A lone trip to lowly Twin Valley is the only matchup faced in what will be an extremely slow week for the team. 

The Wildcats are off to a poor start to their campaign, winning just a single game and only breaking the 40-point threshold once. They should pose little threat to the Raptors, as they carry an inexperienced and unfocused squad still very much in the growing stages. The biggest challenge facing the Raptors will likely be staying active during the two-hour, fifteen-minute drive and avoiding any injuries on the notoriously slippery Twin Valley floor. 

But following this slow week, a gauntlet faces the Raptors. In the next 30 days, they will play 10 games, 6 of which will come on the road. The coming stretch makes health and team organization the main focus, as even a minor slip-up could derail the team’s ascent up the D4 standings. 

Tip-Ins: Jacoby Patterson leads the Raptors in scoring with 14.2 points per game….Rivendell currently sits 4th in the Division 4 rankings….Only 6 of the 16 teams in Division 4 have a winning percentage over .500….The game against Springfield on January 13 was postponed due to inclement weather….The Rivendell Lady Raptors notched their first win of the season, defeating Twin Valley by 10 on Saturday. 

When the Connecticut Valley League folded in 2017, it left Rivendell scrambling to find a new home for all-important scheduling concerns. That home would eventually be found in the Southern Vermont League’s C Division, and while it’s mostly been beneficial, there have been some drawbacks. 

This week’s slate exemplifies the drawbacks in full force, handing the Raptors two lengthy bus rides for two matchups in which the Raptors are heavy favorites. 

The first is the team’s annual trip to Townshend to face Leland and Gray, a small division 3 doormat who finally moved to division 4 after years of competing underweight in the higher division. The Rebels have posted a winning record to this point and currently sit 7th in the D4 standings, although two of their three wins have come against Division 4’s resident punching bag in West Rutland. Should Rivendell defeat them, it would move the senior class just a win in Orford away from completing an undefeated run against the Rebels, a minor accomplishment to draw from many forgettable games. Still, anything can happen in high school basketball, and the brutal bus ride is sure to take at least some of the zip out of Raptor legs. 

The second matchup brings the Raptors to an even larger school, but pits them against an equally hapless opponent. The Springfield Cosmos finished the 2021-22 season 1-19, and seem just as well on pace for a year like that this year. After a narrow season-opening win, the team has dropped 5 straight with the lowlight coming in a 52 point loss to Fair Haven, and the skid sees no sign of slowing. The only hope for the Cosmos would be for Tanner Gintof to get as hot as he did against Rivendell last year, when the senior guard near-single handedly shocked the Orford crowd in a memorable performance. Other than that occurrence happening twice, there’s little sign this should be a close game other than the aforementioned “bus legs”. 

Tip-Ins: A hectic day in the D4 rankings saw Mid Vermont Christian drop two places after their close loss to Long Trail, while Danville and Twinfield/Cabot each surged….Jacoby Patterson is averaging a team-leading 14 points per game on 58% EFG….Rivendell has won their last two games by a combined 76 points….The 5 hours of driving time for the two games this week falls far from the highest ever faced by a Rivendell team….The editor urges you to fill out the survey at the top of the site if you have not already done so.

Author’s note: There was no Sunday forecast this week as the Author was occupied with other tasks. Instead, there will be a preview article for this game. 

The Rivendell Raptors know well what happened the last time they shared the court with the Blue Mountain Bucks. 

The state semifinal meeting in Barre on March 7, 2022 was a heartbreaking defeat for the Raptors as the greatest season in program history fell short of a state title thanks to a historic comeback from the Bucks. After leading by as much as 16 in the first half and by 10 with only 4 minutes to go, Rivendell squandered their advantage through a succession of turnovers and missed free-throws, culminating in a John Dennis lay-in that gave Blue Mountain the lead for the first time all night with just 2.9 seconds remaining. A missed prayer by star guard Kyle Carter sealed Rivendell’s fate and sent the Bucks to the state title game, where they would defeat White River Valley in a thrilling finish.  

Now, 10 months later, the Raptors get their first crack at revenge. Despite four of the starters in the semifinal graduating, this year’s Rivendell team looks to avenge the brutal defeat. 

“We learned a lot from losing.” said guard Jacoby Patterson when asked about the previous defeat. Patterson, the only sophomore to play in the Semifinal, has emerged as a scoring threat and highlight machine in his junior season. “We need to execute our offense and really focus on defense,” he added. 

A similar sentiment was shared by Josiah Welch. After a All-State campaign in soccer, the senior forward has emerged as an elite defender who’s relentless energy boosts his team on both ends of the court. “We threw that game away,” Welch said of the game last year. He agreed that defense would be a focus against a “very talented” Blue Mountain team. 

That defensive focus will be needed against a Blue Mountain team that is nearly as talented as the champions of last year. The heartbeat of the team is senior forward Evan Dennis, a multi-talented athlete who impacts both ends of the floor and leads the team in scoring. Right behind him is Ricky Fennimore, a talented midrange scorer at the forward position who is shouldering more scoring responsibility. If the Bucks do have a weakness, it can be found in their backcourt where a young and inexperienced crop of guards are working to replace the talented pair of Ethan Gilding and John Dennis.  

The stage is set for what should be a great game. “Winning it would be huge for us,” noted Patterson. “I’m going to enjoy it.” 

Rivendell vs. Blue Mountain tips off at 7pm on January 3rd in Orford. 

Tip-Ins: Starters Harry Molesworth and Derek Vogelien are both targeting a return in tonight's game…. Molesworth averaged 10.5 points in two meetings with the Bucks in 2021-22….The Junior Varsity game will tip off at 5:30….Blue Mountain sits at 2-1, with both victories coming against Sharon Academy….Dennis is also the ace pitcher for Blue Mountain’s dominant baseball team.

Merry Christmas, Raptor Fans!

 After an up-and-down past week featuring a historic loss followed by a blowout win, the Rivendell Raptors get little rest in a pair of games against high-division opponents.  

On December 27 the Raptors will play against Stevens High School of Claremont, New Hampshire in their first game of the Connecticut River Classic, hosted at Windsor High School. This game marks the first matchup between the Raptors and the Cardinals in recorded history, although doubtless the teams faced off in the days of Orford High School. While the Cardinals have stumbled out the gate with only two blowout losses to NHIAA Division III contenders and a narrow win against rival Newport to show, they remain a dangerous foe. Top scorer Hunter LaRocque (13.8 ppg) should be a tough matchup for the Rivendell defense, and the team's excellent shooting might just give the Cardinals the boost they need to get over the top. 

The following day, the Raptors will face either Fall Mountain or Windsor, based on the results of the prior day. While Fall Mountain are rather weak, dropping their first two games of the season by a combined 78 points, the Yellowjackets of Windsor represent a tough matchup should the Raptors get there. Led by star scorer Maison Fortin, Windsor has gone toe-to-toe with several upper division foes before notching their first win of the season at home against Thetford. A potential matchup would likely strain the 2-3 zone defense of Rivendell, given the Yellowjackets skill from distance. Still, the Raptors should mostly concern themselves with the game ahead of them before thinking of future matchups. 

Tip-Ins: Forward Harry Molesworth has been upgraded to QUESTIONABLE after missing the first four games of the season with injury….Derek Vogelien and Ashton Peirson are both DAY-TO-DAY after missing the Raptors win against Sharon….The Raptors last faced Windsor in 2019….The Connecticut River Classic returns for the first time since the 2019-20 season….Rivendell currently sits seventh in the Division IV standings…Jacoby Patterson’s 10.3 ppg leads the Raptors through 4 games.

For many, the holiday season is a time for age-old traditions, spending time with family and close friends and enjoying the winter weather. The Raptors will be looking to do much the same this week as they face two of their closest and oldest foes in a two-game suite for the week.  

Rivendell will face a young, emerging Thetford team on Monday in what marks a rare occasion as of the past several years- the game will be played at Thetford Academy. Due to scheduling circumstances, despite the teams playing yearly the game has been contested in Orford for the past 6 years. A hostile home crowd won’t be the only thing going against the Raptors, as a Thetford team led by senior guard Jacob Gilman and sophomore forward Boone Fahey will be a tough matchup on both ends of the court. 

Rivendell plays its final game before the Christmas break against The Sharon Academy on Wednesday in Orford. While the two teams have shared a lot of history and matchups over the years, it’s been a long time since the game was competitive, as Rivendell has dominated the last 4 years of matchups in blowout fashion. That pattern is unlikely to change this year, as Sharon boasts an inexperienced squad led by a first-year coach and have already lost their first game by 57 points to Blue Mountain. The game will likely serve as a tune-up game for Rivendell, as after the holiday break they face arguably their toughest stretch of the season. 

Notes: Rivendell forward Harry Molesworth has been designated OUT until after the holiday break after rumors of an earlier return…Woodstock Coach Steve Landon praised Jacoby Patterson for his performance after his team’s win on Wednesday…. Sharon last beat Rivendell in 2018, during an undefeated season that won them the only state title in school history…. Thetford last beat Rivendell in 2019 in the coaching debut of former Raptor coach Ross Convertino….Rivendell’s coaches have a holiday tradition of wearing santa hats in the team’s last game before the Christmas break.