EHS vs CVU. A classic Vermont football rivalry. But in the past couple years, CVU has dominated the matchup. However, on Saturday, October 4th, Essex football romped CVU 37-7. The team hasn’t beaten CVU since the 2021 State Championship.
In the last four matchups between CVU and EHS, the Redhawks have annihilated Essex with scores of 45-17, 28-0, 45-0, and 52-13. Two of those four losses knocked the Hornets out of the playoffs.
Head coach Ethan Curtis has been running the program since 2022. Curtis has led his team to many victories in that time, but before last Saturday CVU seemed to be the one team he couldn’t get past.
“It’s a big relief. It almost feels like the monkey’s off your back, like it’s something you’ve been waiting for your whole life, and now it just happened,” Coach Curtis said. “It kinda feels like an epiphany…we finally beat CVU. And it was a good win too.”
The key to victory was simple: get the ball to the Hornets’ speedsters on the outside.
“This year versus the past years, we’ve been stuffed and not been able to get to the outside edge,” Coach Curtis said. “Getting the ball into our gamers hands like Aiden Iverson, we hit [him] on a bubble, and he just breaks it 28 yards…”
After his 28 yard scamper, Iverson also had a 65 yard catch and run touchdown to make it 24-7 at the start of the third quarter. The senior wideout finished the day with 4 catches, 127 yards and 2 touchdowns.
Iverson wasn’t the only Hornet to have a field day on offense. Senior quarterback, Sam Bent, racked up 344 total yards and 3 touchdowns, along with an interception on defense to open the second half.
Running back Griffin Randall also had 236 total yards and 2 touchdowns, including a 59 yard house call in the second quarter that gave Essex a 14-7 lead they never gave up. As a result of his performance, Randall was nominated for Burlington Free Press boys Vermont Varsity Insider Athlete of the Week.
“Everyone held each other accountable, and that’s why we’re able to succeed,” Randall said.
The Hornets look to carry this momentum into the next few weeks while they fight for playoff seeding.
