Max Potter Leads Otter Valley to 48-6 Semifinal Victory Over Springfield

The Otter Valley Union High School football team is headed to the state championship after a dominant 48-6 victory over Springfield in the Division III semifinals on Saturday.

With this win, the Otters secured a date with defending champion Bellows Falls on November 14 in Burlington, according to a report from the Rutland Herald.

The victory was particularly notable for how the team adjusted to the absence of their starting quarterback, junior Nolan Quenneville, who was sidelined by an injury last week. Stepping into the void, Max Potter delivered a performance that appeared seasoned rather than improvised.

By the end of the first offensive series, Potter had already dissected the Springfield defense with a mix of rushing gains and a 30-yard touchdown strike to Emmett Mallory.

Potter’s poise was the catalyst for an offensive explosion that saw the Otters jump to a 41-6 lead by halftime. While Springfield managed to narrow the gap to 14-6 early in the second quarter following a touchdown by Josiah Martinez, the Otters responded by effectively dismantling the Cosmos’ defensive game plan.

Potter, who credited coach Jim Hill and his staff for helping him sharpen his ability to read defenses, orchestrated scoring drives that left little room for a Springfield comeback.

The stakes of this matchup were heightened by the history between these two programs. Springfield had defeated the Otters during the regular season, a 19-14 loss that Potter noted served as a turning point for the team’s cohesion.

Losing that game to those guys really brought us together as a team.

Potter said following the semifinal win.

While the offensive output—highlighted by multiple scores from Colby Benoit and Potter—will capture the headlines, the coaching staff maintains that the team’s identity remains rooted in its defensive intensity.

Defense is our calling card.

Hill said. The unit’s performance was defined by Keegan Reid, who has led the Otters in tackling the last three years. Reid’s ability to cover the field sideline-to-sideline was on full display as the Otters forced turnovers, including an interception by Gerald Phillips and two by Landon Wilcox.

For Springfield, the loss marks the end of their playoff run, but coach Todd Aiken pointed to the development of quarterback Jace Beamon as a positive takeaway for the program’s future. Beamon, who saw significant action in the second half, demonstrated resilience against a persistent Otter Valley pass rush.

The focus now shifts to the championship stage in Burlington. Bellows Falls enters the final after a 32-8 victory over Mount Abraham, setting up a clash between two teams that did not face each other during the regular season. The matchup represents a classic football contrast: the Otters’ heralded defensive unit against a Bellows Falls ground game led by Jaden Bazin, who logged 228 rushing yards in his team’s semifinal appearance.

As the Otters prepare for their final challenge, the sentiment within the program is one of focus.

The work is just beginning.

assistant coach Bill Rose told the team after the game. For a squad that lost only one contest all season, the path to the state crown now runs through a single game against the reigning champions.