Photo Blog 3/5/10 And Still The Only Team..................

Friday March 5, 2010
Photo Blog

AND STILL THE ONLY TEAM......................

To make it to the state boys basketball final two years in a row.

This year, the varsity boys basketball team came up just short of making it to the state championship game for the second year in a row.
The only teams to make it to two consecutive state title basketball games were the 1965 and 1966 teams.
Things were a little different back in the day. There used to be two championships, one northern champion and one southern champion, who then met for the state championship. The BFA boys team won the Northern final two years in a row. Unfortunately, they lost both state titles. But back then, the northern title was a major accomplishment.

Back to back state runners-up.

Members of the 1965 team.

Members of the 1966 team.

As you can see, both teams were coach by Dick Brown, who went on to serve as BFA Principal twice.
Back in the fall of 1975, when I was a sophomore, the boys soccer team beat either Enosburg or Richford, 1-0. It was quite a game as the BFA teams had been struggling as of late. We hadn't had any perennial powerhouses of late for ANY sports team. Anyway, the day after the game, Dick Brown came in our first period class, which had a few soccer players in it, and spoke of the game. He congratulated the players for the game. He then talked about how he felt that this class had some talent in it, and that he believed if the players kept their focus, success could come their way. He also talked about winning the Northern final at Patrick Gym and how as coach, he received the game ball. He talked about the pride he and the team felt in winning the Northern Championships. He talked about how he hoped we could achieve success as well.

As time wore on, teams improved. Our senior year, the soccer team lost in the semi-finals, to Proctor. The boys basketball team lost in the quartefinals....to Proctor. Proctor always seemed to have our number.
When it came time for baseball, we started the season with a couple of rainouts. Our season finally started at.....Proctor. We won in extra innings.
After that, we ran the table. We won every single game that year (I was manager). We went 19-0 for what is still the only undefeated season for a BFA Varsity sport.
And we got a nice trophy, too.

And yes, while we have had cross-country teams and cheerleading squads win consecutive state titles at state MEETS, the only other team to go to consecutive state title GAMES was the girls softball teams of 1980, '81, and '82. They won in '80 and '81, and lost in '82.