WINTER SPORTS
Basketball
Coach Chillious and South Kent’s Prep Basketball team are off to an incredibly strong start with an 18-3 overall record. Currently sitting in first place in NEPSAC AAA with an 8-0 record, the team is on a 14-game winning streak since December 7, 2022!
The team played in three major events in NYC during the month of December and won all three games; highlighted by a 106-95 win over the Phelps School in the Jordan Holiday Classic. They have a busy January schedule with 13 games and are coming off a huge weekend hosting the NEBL Showcase event, where the best basketball teams from New England and forty Division 1 players came to compete. The team topped Brewster Academy for a final score of 81-68 in the final matchup of the weekend, and the cardinal fans came out to show their enthusiastic support.
The team is well-positioned to make a serious run at the NEPSAC AAA Championship as well as earn their second consecutive invite to the National Prep School Championship Tournament in March.
Congratulations go out to our Prep Team play-making point guard E. Jackson on becoming the first McDonald’s All-American in South Kent School’s storied basketball history.
Coach Degroat, Coach Popoli, and their Development Basketball Team have accepted the challenge of playing hard and together, and their current record of 6-4 proves their start-of-season success thus far. The team’s biggest game and win of the season was a road game against a talented Putnam team, whom they inched out 70-68. The team leaders have stepped up in competition and in practices, and the work ethic and camaraderie of the team as a whole will help to bring more growth and wins for this hardworking Development Team. The coaches are proud of everything their players have accomplished and look forward to the second half of the season.
Hockey
As of this writing, all our South Kent hockey teams have winning records, and eleven USHL draft picks, including the first overall pick and two top ten picks.
18U Hockey has an impressive 29-13-4 record and won the prestigious USHL Fall Classic Tournament in Pittsburgh. The team currently has NCAA commitments to Boston College, Princeton, Northeastern, Merrimack, UMass Amherst, Arizona State, and St. Lawrence. Coach Russell says of his team: “We have a great group that has overcome some key injuries in the first half. We are gearing up for the second half of our PHC games and our push to the PHC Playoffs. I am very proud of our players as they have grown and developed on and off the ice.”
The 16U Hockey team has a hard-fought 23-18-1 record. The team won the South Kent Fall Classic and the South Kent New Year’s Invitational and looks to play in their last tournament of the season, Northwood Tournament, in Lake Placid, NY, in mid-February. So far, the 16U Captain C. Reiniger has committed to Princeton. Coach Connor says: “As a coach, I am proud of the way this group has battled adversity and always answered the bell when challenged. When things have gotten tough, this group has banded together and done what they do best, compete. I look forward to seeing how we finish up the season with a very tough schedule ahead.”
The 15O Hockey team currently holds a 25-18-1 record and is looking to continue a strong season with several top-notch opponents coming up in the second half. The team won their home tournament, South Kent Fall Classic, and has participated in some other great tournaments, including the USHL Fall Classic, USHL American Cup, and Overspeed Classic. The team recently got three big wins at the Youngstown Phantoms Showcase in Ohio and will travel to Florida in early February to take part in the Exposure Florida Cup.
FALL SPORTS
Soccer
A big ‘congratulations’ goes out to our Prep Soccer team on winning their third consecutive and sixth overall PrepSoccer.net National Championship, in addition to the Sportsmen’s Cardinal Classic and South Kent Adidas Invitational. The boys completed the fall 2022 season with an impressive 18-0-1 record, and we are proud of everything they have accomplished, both on and off the field. They were focused, hardworking, battled through adversity, and found a way to complete an undefeated season despite one of the most challenging schedules in the country. Coach Finberg commented, “These wonderful young men shared tremendous camaraderie and togetherness and were a joy to work with throughout the season. I’m extremely fortunate that this group of student-athletes was the final group that I was able to work with at South Kent.”
Varsity soccer ended their season with a 7-4-4 record. The team played in some major events, including the Hill Invitational, Mainline Friendlies, and the NXT LVL Showcase. They secured impressive results during the season, beating both a Class B and Class A opponent and holding a .500 record (1-1-2) against NEPSAC tournament teams. The team showed tremendous progress in their individual development and team understanding. Coach Finberg noted: “I’m excited for the future for these guys as they have shown great potential and now know that they possess the key to unlocking it.”
Mountain Biking
The South Kent School Mountain Biking Team has had its most successful season ever. In early November, South Kent’s student-athletes competed in the Housatonic Mountain Biking League (HMBL) Championship at the Norbrook Farm trails in Colebrook, CT. The boys pushed hard all season and had a strong performance in their Championship rides. The top point earners for the South Kent School team were G. Russell, B. Walsh, N. Dwyer, J. Plumeri, and P. Samoilov. Together, their combined point totals were enough to secure third place in the HMBL for the season, the School’s best performance since joining the league. Congratulations to Coach Darrin and the South Kent School Mountain Biking team for their passion, self-discipline, camaraderie, and hard work all season!
Cross Country
South Kent’s Cross Country team members held their own in several dual meets this season and participated in the Marvelwood Invitational and New England Division 4 Championships. The team also participated in the Kent Pumpkin Run, a 5-mile local event organized by the Kent Chamber of Commerce that travels along one of the most scenic courses in Connecticut. Our runners did great, and N. Zhong placed third in his age group.