There are five teams that are entering Week 5 of the Vermont high school football regular season with a perfect record.
At the most, only four of those teams will remain with that spotless mark.
That is because two of those heavyweight clubs are meeting up this weekend. Division I Middlebury welcomes Division II Hartford to town in a battle of 4-0 clubs with their sights set on state championship hardware this fall.
Middlebury is the only undefeated club remaining in Division I and has already beaten elite clubs like Rutland and Essex to establish itself as the team to beat in the division.
Hartford made an instant statement in its return to Division II by shutting out the division’s defending champion Fair Haven in Week 1 and following it with a dominant win against D-I Mount Anthony in Week 2.
This week’s contest starts a gauntlet of a three-week stretch for the Hurricanes where they play Burr and Burton and Rutland after the Middlebury game.
Both Middlebury and Hartford boast balanced offenses, where you can’t just key onto one player and it has paid off in a big way as both clubs are averaging more than 30 points per game.
Something will have to give on Friday. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. in Middlebury.
Division III Bellows Falls is another undefeated club with a tough challenge on the horizon this weekend, hosting Division II Fair Haven on Friday at 7 p.m.
The history between these clubs is a long one as they were routinely the cream of the crop in Division II before the Terriers move down this year.
Last regular season, it was Bellows Falls handing Fair Haven a loss, before the Slaters turned the tables in the state semifinals.
The Terriers are getting the Slaters a time where they have gotten back on track in a dominant way, outscoring opponents 83-7 in their current two-game winning streak.
Division III Mount Abraham puts its perfect record on the line on Saturday, hosting Rice, and unbeaten Division II Lyndon Institute is at Mount Mansfield Saturday. Both of those perfect clubs are favorites in those games, but their opponents have been plenty capable this year.
In other Division I action, Rutland hits the road for the second time this year, playing at rival Mount Anthony on Friday. RHS is coming off a gritty win against St. Johnsbury, where they handed the Hilltoppers their first loss.
MAU is sitting at the .500 mark, but has proven to be a solid club, holding 3-1 Burr and Burton to just 17 points two weeks ago.
BBA is also in rivalry action this weekend, hosting Brattleboro on Saturday. It has been a rough couple of weeks for Brattleboro against Division II powers Hartford and Fair Haven, but the Bears did look competitive against Middlebury in Week 2.
BBA is coming off an impressive two-touchdown win against Essex in Week 4.
St. Johnsbury is looking to bounce back from its first loss, playing at the Seawolves on Friday. The Seawolves are still in search of their first win, but held Lyndon to just one touchdown last week.
CVU hosts Essex in a rivalry battle of 2-2 clubs on Saturday afternoon.
BFA-St. Albans joins Middlebury in playing out of division this week as the Bobwhites are at Division II contender Colchester on Saturday night.
U-32 got back to the .500 mark last week with a win against Division I St. Albans and looks to keep the winning going on Friday, hosting winless North Country.
Milton looks to build off its first win last week, hosting Missisquoi Valley on Saturday afternoon.
Spaulding looks to snap a two-game skid on Saturday night, hosting BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille. The Bullets are 2-2, but could just as easily be 4-0 if a few things bounced their way, having lost twice by a single score.
Woodstock has been hot since its Week 1 loss to U-32, winning three straight. The Wasps welcome 2-2 Mill River to town on Friday. The Minutemen have also been hot, winning two straight.
Springfield suffered its first loss last week to bellows Falls and welcomes winless Poultney for a Friday night affair.
Otter Valley notched its first win last week in dominant fashion and hopes to keep that going on Saturday afternoon, playing at 1-3 Windsor.
