On September 14, Varsity Football played its season opener under the lights against Kent on Sprole Field. The team put up a strong fight, but the game ended in a 57- 24 loss.
The team had a two-and-a-half week preseason to prepare and welcome new players. Head Coach Dempsey Quinn said, “We had a pretty good preseason, in which the team started to come together. We have a couple of new guys who are helping to improve the team.”
Daniel DeVerna ’25 said, “The synergy on the team has been great. The energy has been great. Everyone is super-focused and locked-in.”
Before the game, Coach Quinn said, “We had pretty good scrimmages against Kingswood Oxford and Salisbury [last Saturday,] which helped us prepare for this game. Last year, we won against Kent pretty easily, but this isn’t the same Kent team. This is going to be a really great challenge to start the season off.”
The game began at 5 p.m. with a speech from the Veterans Club and a moment of silence to honor the victims of the 9/11 attacks. Spectators were encouraged to wear red, white, and blue to the game.
Kent began strong and entered halftime up 35 points. Hotchkiss bounced back in the second half, when running-back and co-captain Aiden Garrett ’25 ran the ball into the endzone for the school’s first touchdown of the game.
During the next drive, tight-end Isaac Oberting ’27 caught the ball from new Upper Mid quarterback Tom Huber ’26 and ran into the endzone for a touchdown.
A few plays later, Oberting hurdled the Kent defender during a spectacular run. The play put the team in position for Garrett to score another touchdown. Garrett also scored the game’s last touchdown for the team off a kickoff, returning it all the way for the score.
After the game, Garrett said, “We are disappointed by the result but are trying to learn from it and move forward. We need to play more as a team with chemistry and less as individuals. We are all keeping our chins up and looking forward to the rest of the season, hoping to improve in the next few games.”
The team’s upcoming matchups are under-the-lights home games against Trinity-Pawling and Williston Northampton on September 20 and 28, respectively.
