The best Vermont high school football games to watch in Week 6

As the calendar turns to October, crunch time nears for Vermont high school football teams.

And the Week 6 offering has an interesting mix of divisional and nondivisional games, starting with Bellows Falls at Hartford on Thursday night, continuing Friday with Colchester at Burlington/South Burlington and wrapping Saturday afternoon with Mount Anthony at Rice.

Also on this weekend's slate of biggest divisional contests, Rutland puts its unbeaten record on the line with a Friday night visit at Essex and Middlebury heads to Hinesburg to take on undefeated Champlain Valley for a Saturday morning clash.

Two thrillers: What we learned from Week 5 of the 2024 Vermont high school football season

For more on those matchups and the rest of the biggest games for Week 6, read on below for quick-hit previews, plus the complete schedule and links to the weekly Fearless Free Press Football Forecast and how to stream select matchups on NFHS Network.

THURSDAY, OCT. 3

Bellows Falls (4-1) at Hartford (3-2)

Game time: 6 p.m.

▶ Banged-up Hartford rebounded from its Week 4 home loss to Middlebury with a 35-0 shutout on the road at Mount Anthony in a must-have game. Meanwhile, D-II Bellows Falls has rolled out a four-game winning streak, highlighted by an impressive 14-7 triumph at previously unbeaten Fair Haven last weekend.

FRIDAY, OCT. 4

Rutland (5-0) at Essex (3-2)

Game time: 7 p.m.

▶ Rutland makes the trip north to take on Essex in a battle between two top D-I teams. Rutland will try to remain undefeated against an Essex team hungry for a win after losing in double overtime to Colchester. Both teams have strong running backs with Jayden Graham for Rutland and Griffin Randall for the Hornets, but whichever quarterback steps up might just be key in this matchup.

Colchester (3-2) at Burlington/South Burlington (4-1)

Game time: 7 p.m.

▶ This is an interesting, nondivisional game. Colchester looks to build off its stunning double overtime victory over Essex with a game against the rising SeaWolves, who are having their best season since the start of the merger in 2018. A win would go a long way for both teams as the playoffs loom. We'll see how well the Lakers match up against the SeaWolves and whether Colchester can slow down quarterback Ahmed Diawara.

Burr and Burton (1-4) at St. Johnsbury (2-3)

Game time: 7 p.m.

▶ The defending Division I champion Bulldogs lost back-to-back games at home in excruciating fashion, losing fourth-quarter leads in narrow defeats to Essex and Rutland. St. Johnsbury couldn't slow down CVU's high-octane offense in Week 5 (who has in recent weeks?), but the Hilltoppers and Bulldogs each have a chance to improve their playoff chances with bounce-back performances.

SATURDAY, OCT. 5

Middlebury (4-1) at Champlain Valley (5-0)

Game time: 10:30 a.m.

▶ While CVU's aerial attack got the headlines in Week 5 , the Redhawks' defense, once again, stifled an opponent and the rushing attack, led by Nolan Walpole's 143 yards, showed the balance of the state's No. 1-ranked team. Middlebury's discipline and its multiple ways of beating teams make this matchup the game of the week. ... The game time was moved to a Saturday morning kickoff to accommodate the Middlebury community who plan on attending the memorial service of Derek Bartlett, a beloved coach and school educator who died last weekend.

Mount Anthony (2-3) at Rice (5-0)

Game time: 1 p.m.

▶ This will be Rice's first real test of the season against a much improved Mount Anthony team. The Green Knights' schedule features several D-III teams, but Rice will have a chance to prove itself as legitimate contender in D-II with a win over Mount Anthony. After winning two straight games, the Patriots lost that momentum after Hartford shut them out in Week 5. Let's see if Mount Anthony can recapture that magic and hand Rice its first loss of the season.

Fearless Forecast predictions for Week 6 Vermont high school football

This week's statewide media predictions and Week 5 standings are available for Free Press subscribers. Click the link below to read the Week 6 poll.

Fearless Free Press Football Forecast: Week 6 predictions, Week 5 standings

The full Week 6 Vermont high school football schedule

Thursday, Oct. 3

Bellows Falls at Hartford, 6 p.m.

Friday, Oct. 4

Games at 7 p.m. unless noted

Keene, New Hampshire at Brattleboro

Rutland at Essex

Colchester at Burlington/South Burlington

Burr and Burton at St. Johnsbury

Fair Haven at U-32

Springfield at Milton, 6:30 p.m.

Saturday, Oct. 5

Games at 1 p.m. unless noted

BFA-St. Albans at Mount Mansfield

Middlebury at Champlain Valley, 10:30 a.m.

Mount Anthony at Rice

North Country at Lyndon

BFA-Fairfax/Lamoille at Mount Abraham

Woodstock at Mill River

Otter Valley at Missisquoi

Poultney at Windsor

How to watch Week 6 Vermont high school football games

The NFHS Network is the place to stream Vermont high school football. Click link below to see the schedule for Week 6 games on NFHS Network.

Week 6 Vermont high school football on NFHS Network

Contact Alex Abrami at aabrami@freepressmedia.com . Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter: @aabrami5 .

Contact Judith Altneu at jaltneu@gannett.com . Follow her on X, formerly known as Twitter: @ Judith_Altneu .

This article originally appeared on Burlington Free Press: The best Vermont high school football games to watch in Week 6