COLCHESTER, Vt. - Hartford football saved its biggest offensive night of the season for its last one. The eighth-seeded Hurricanes scored 32 points at top-seeded Colchester on Friday night in the quarterfinals of the playoffs, but the Lakers answered with 54 and moved on.
The 32 points were the most Hartford put up all fall, topping the 26 it scored in a four-point home loss to Lyndon Institute on Oct. 15. The Hurricanes had scored 20 in each of their other two October losses, at Mount Anthony on Oct. 9 and at home against Fair Haven on Oct. 23.
It was a tall order for an eighth seed. Colchester came in 7-1 and improves to 8-1. The Lakers face North Country in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 6.
Hartford finishes 1-8. Its lone win came at home against Brattleboro, 21-6 on Sept. 25. The Hurricanes played a demanding schedule all fall: seven of their eight regular-season opponents earned playoff spots, including season-opening road trips to Champlain Valley, Rutland and Burr and Burton.
Two of those playoff teams kept rolling this week. Fair Haven, which beat Hartford 34-20, shut out U-32 42-0 on Thursday, and Lyndon Institute, which edged the Hurricanes 30-26, hosts Spaulding on Saturday.
The scoreboard did not go Hartford’s way on Friday, but the Hurricanes went out with their best scoring night of the season.
That wraps up the day for Hartford High School sports. We’ll see you next time!