The fall varsity athletes have had to contend with some rough weather this year as they battled through several consecutive rainy weekends. For the runners and mountain bikers, this has led to some sloppy and muddy conditions on their respective courses. Meanwhile, for the football and soccer teams, this meant playing in the rain on wet turf or grass. We applaud their efforts up to this point and look forward to more competitions, hopefully under the sun!
The season highlight for varsity football was their win against Kent. Brandyn Hackett ’25 scored two touchdowns, and Ethan Fry ’24 added to the score with a beautiful deep pass while on the move. Most recently, the team played Loomis Chaffee as they hosted their second annual #VSCancer charity football game in loving memory of Matt Dooley ’23. All proceeds from the game supported Vs. Cancer and the Pediatric Brain Tumor Foundation, which funds child life programs in local hospitals and lifesaving pediatric brain tumor research. Over the weekend, the team raised $3,000 for pediatric brain cancer research. Coach Davenport said, “We started slow in that game, but we came out really strong in the second half. Overall, the game is about Matt, and I’m happy we were able to raise that amount in his honor.”
The soccer team got off to a good start to the year after returning from their preseason trip to London. They secured early wins against Canterbury and Wooster, with Maddox Rivera ’24 performing well in goal. The offense has been led by Gabe Auringer ’24, as well as Sal Zani ’24. The team hit a bit of a rough patch in their schedule, facing both Loomis Chaffee and Berkshire, two top soccer programs. However, they bounced back and played strongly in a win against Rye Country Day during Parents’ Weekend. “Every game has positive takeaways, even when on the losing end. Whether it is something the team did well or recognizing an area to improve,” said Coach Zani. “With our team adopting this mindset, we will continue to grow our confidence and improve our game, allowing us to progress as a team.”
The cross country team has had some great races so far this season. Harry Clark ’24 has led the team with a second-place finish at Choate, as well as a first-place finish at a tri-meet with Kent and Berkshire. Other runners who have posted impressive times and finishes this season include Tyler Olsen ’24 and Oliver Denaro ’27. Coach McDougal is proud of the boys and their efforts this season, saying, “Our performances and desire to compete are both trending in the right direction. We are running faster and competing harder in each race, and that’s all you can ask for.”
The mountain biking team has faced challenging conditions this year due to the rain. Nevertheless, the boys have ridden well throughout the season and have had strong races. In the first race of the season, Joey Tumolo ’25 and Henry Beimler ’24 both had commendable showings. Younger, first-year riders Zack Michalek ’27 and Anderson Pflaum ’27 also had a strong race. A few weeks ago at Hotchkiss, the team finished with good times and secured a second-place finish. Head coach Gabe Avis had this to say about the year so far, “Each boy is reaching their potential and growing exponentially as a mountain biker. The team is achieving great results and bonding over each shared accomplishment.” The team aims to maintain consistency in their solid riding for the rest of the season.
by Kyle Miller ’18