VSSA honors Dessureau and Rowe
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Staff Report - Published: December 28, 2008
The Vermont Sportswriters and Sportscasters Association has named Spaulding High quarterback Zach Dessureau and St. Johnsbury Academy cross-country runner Hannah Rowe as the state's male and female Athletes of the Month for November.
Dessureau and Rowe, who are both high school juniors, are the seventh set of monthly winners for 2008-09 and are now eligible for Vermont Athlete of the Year, the state's top sports award. The 100-member statewide association honors 12 sets of monthly winners — along with the state's other top sports award recipients — at the annual Vermont Athlete of the Year Banquet each June.
Dessureau helped the Spaulding Crimson Tide win back-to-back Division II state championships with a pair of impressive wins in November. He threw for four touchdowns and ran for another as Spaulding defeated Mount Mansfield Union 42-20 in the title game on Nov. 7 at Essex. Dessureau connected with Jake Kittredge (14 yards), James Durham (51 yards), Shane Hart (81 yards) and Nick Paton (34 yards). Dessureau added a TD on a quarterback sneak. Spaulding knocked off U-32 in the semifinals 34-14 as the Crimson Tide tallied four touchdowns in the opening 9:29 of the game on Nov. 1 in Barre. Among those four TDs were scoring strikes from Dessureau to Matt Ballard (28 yards) and Durham (53 yards).
Dessureau won the VSSA honor by edging Peter Lenes and Viktor Stalberg, both of University of Vermont hockey, Jason Grupp of Norwich University soccer and Jason Ryan of Rockingham and Curry College football.
Rowe, who crushed cross-country runners in Vermont during the fall, including in her individual Division I championship win, continued her season with a couple of impressive runs on the big stage. She finished 24th out of 259 runners in the New England Cross-Country Championship in Manchester, N.H. on Nov. 8. Rowe covered the 5K course in 19:14.3. She helped St. Johnsbury finish 11th. Rowe also finished 18 out of 119 runners in the Footlocker Northeast Regional Championships.
Rowe won the VSSA award by edging the other female nominees: University of Vermont swimmer Kate Weaver of South Burlington; Alexi Bloom of Middlebury College ice hockey; Stephanie Jaques of Burlington High soccer; Hannah Meier of Charlotte and Middlebury College cross country; and Jen Stetson of Bristol and St. Lawrence University field hockey.
Dessureau joins the other male monthly winners: Buddy Lamothe of Lyndon Institute baseball (May); middle distance runner Andy Wheating of Norwich, Vt. (June); Davis Mikell of Williston Little League All-Stars (July); Greg Lutton of Addison County American Legion Baseball (August); Grant White of Springfield High football (September); and Mick Wong of Hartford High football (October).
Rowe joins the other female monthly winners: Jen McGowan of Jericho and national champion Hamilton College lacrosse (May); Stephanie Frank of Essex High softball (June); Erin Clodgo of Richmond and Junior National women's freestyle wrestling (July); Katelyn "Teo" Poplawski of Vermont Women's Amateur Golf (August); Caroline Weaver of South Burlington High cross country (September); and Courtney Rohrig of Black River High soccer (October).
The monthly winners are selected through statewide balloting after association members submit detailed written nominations about individual performances in the previous month. All full-time and part-time sportswriters and sportscasters, including play-by-play announcers and analysts covering Vermont, are eligible for VSSA membership.
More information about the VSSA is available by calling (802) 654-2442.
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