September Sports

Welcome to the Kenmore West newspaper sports column. I asked seniors and captain members of the sports teams a few questions regarding their season and the future of their sport at our school. As a student-athlete myself, I can say that it’s not always fun to answer people when they ask what our record is or how many goals we’ve scored. I decided to take a different approach to these questions, and I think we could all learn something from the responses I received. I asked these athletes to tell me about the future of their team and hopefully tell me about some young talent to look for in the coming years. I also asked these athletes to tell me about their team’s mentality. We all know how the football team is doing, but do you know about girls swimming? Do you know about the golf team? I hope you’ll take a moment to appreciate these athletes' answers.

The girl's swim team’s record in the past few years speaks for itself. They’ve won the league three years in a row and are determined to win a fourth. At their first meet of the season, they broke a school pool record with their 200 medley relay and have won both of their dual meets so far. The combined East and West team is saying goodbye to five power seniors this year but one of them, Emma Jones, predicts that the depth of the team's underclassmen will be strong enough to keep winning even after she is gone. 

Just like the girls' swim team, the field hockey team is a combination of dedicated girls from West and East. With three of their starters injured, the girls' field hockey team is off to a rough start this season. “I believe with the right attitude for improvement we can go far and come back better next year,” says Junior captain Bridget Pengelly who stands proudly by her teammates this season. The team focuses on the positives, learning valuable lessons, and having fun. 

Senior Mand Mahmood believes this volleyball season may be the best the boys' team has had in his time at Kenmore West. It’s difficult to say goodbye to a sport and team you love so much but he leaves his team behind in good hands. Many players on the boys' volleyball team are not graduating this year and they will continue to be a solid team in years to come. The attitude on the team is uplifting and positive. The team has no shortage of excitement, hard work, and determination this season.

This year’s golf team is on a roll. Aiming to win NFLs this season, the boys have been working hard to pick up more wins than losses and keep up the good work against difficult opponents. Senior Nick Argenio is passing the torch to a strong group of golfers, including Joey Aiello, Anthony Aiello, Nick Holman, Kole Douglas, and more, who will continue to succeed with this golf team in the future. 

Sometimes in tennis you can tell who has won the whole match before the games are over, but that isn’t what matters to the Kenmore West girls' tennis team. The girls continue to work hard even if they know the outcome of the day before it’s over and they cheer each other on no matter what. The support and dedication on the tennis team runs deep. Beating Lockport for the first time in years shows the strength of this team, the mentality has always been and remains positive at all times. The team works well under their coach, Ms. Husvar, and the team is always learning as well as improving. If you’re looking for a sport in the fall of next year, I suggest girls' tennis. Senior Julia Mason believes that the new and younger members of the team are amazing and will continue to grow and improve. Take it from a strong senior teammate, “Even if you don't know anyone, you'll for sure make new friends on the tennis team!”

The girls' varsity volleyball team is off to a great start, beating some teams in the Niagara Frontier League and playing as a team one hundred percent of the time. The team’s court awareness, toughness, ability to shake off bad plays, and all-around skill make them a confident opponent. Senior Sami Padilla believes the team's future looks very good and hopes that the extra time spent discussing their skills and team goals will continue to help their physical and mental growth.

The varsity cheer team has a new coach this year. Senior captain, Sienna Digiulio says that the team has “shown a lot of improvement in a short amount of time.” The team is trying new stunts and doing their best to make games and events fun for everyone. The juniors on the team are strong athletes and this year's seniors have confidence in them as the future of the cheer team. If you haven’t yet had a chance to make it to a varsity football game, check it out and chant along with these cheerleaders!

The sports column of the Blue Devil Beat is here to stay, so let us know what stories you care about and which teams you’d like to hear from next! Thank you to the athletes who shared their thoughts with me. Good luck to you luck in the rest of the season!