From the first class in September to the last fall-term final, Kent students have been on the grind. Fall teams have been training vigorously for months. It makes sense then, that, as the school witnessed the leaves relax from a bright green to a dull orange, Kent’s fall teams finally had their work pay off for them. Almost every team finished their season on a high note. This year has been yet another successful one for Kent Athletics, especially for the field hockey and the boys cross-country teams.

Kent varsity field hockey had a tremendous season, finishing with a 12-3-1 record.  They placed 5th in the Western New England League, earning them a spot in the Class A New England Tournament. There, the team bowed out in the quarter finals with a narrow 1-0 loss to Hotchkiss. KVFH set a new season scoring record with an impressive 73 goals while allowing only 15 goals.  The squad tied the school record of 7 shutouts in a season, but more impressively twice scored 12 goals in a game, setting the record. Coach Duncan gave special mention to Tina Paolillo ’18, who set a new school record for most points in a season.

Boys cross country’s season achievements were equally impressive, securing a 2nd place finish at the Division II New England Championships. There, John LePino ’17 finished in 1st place, only weeks after he shattered his personal best home course time by 39 seconds and broke the Tom Holcombe home course record by 20 seconds. Trailing closely behind, Liam Harris ’16 represented Kent with a 4th place finish. For their efforts, both gained a spot in the highly-competitive All-Star meet held a week after the season’s close.

Though other teams did not make a major tournament, they still gave it their all in practices and games. The girls cross country had its most successful season in recent memory, finishing the year with a 4-2 dual meet record, and going undefeated for three successive weekends on the home course. Football captain Deshawn Stevens ’16 was named the defensive MVP of the Ericson League. Boys soccer finished with a 8-3-6 record and bid farewell to their record-breaking scorer Emmanuel Twumasi ’16, who scored 28 points and was also named to the High School All-American game. Girls soccer ended the season with a respectable 6-0-8 record.

It was, all-in-all, a terrific fall for Lions of every uniform.