Winter Sports

JV

Following the same season of the Varsity team, the JV boys have had a very impressive schedule with a record of 8-7. Sophomore Cameron George says, “We have been doing decent. Good energy and a sense of community among teammates.”  All 4 players interviewed agreed that their biggest strength as a team is shooting. This is evident in their recent buzzer beater win against Wheatfield. Even under pressure, the team is able to work together to secure a win. Freshman Phillip Caparaso, explains that the team's biggest challenge has been knowing the plays but through hard work and repetition the team has been improving. The team bonds by staying after games to watch the boys Varsity game. Freshman Demetrius Matte explains that his biggest goal as an athlete is to become a varsity player. You can find out more about the team by following them on instagram @kwjvbball

Girls

Varsity

The Girls Varsity Basketball team has had a fabulous season this far. Athletes explain that the team is very close knit so working together as a team happens very easily. Junior Tierney Finn says, “We also all try to have each other's backs and check in on each other in order to keep our bond and mesh as a team.” This season their record has been 11-4. They have won some very hard games. On December 19th, they played against North Tonawanda. Going into the game, both schools were undefeated so they knew that the game was going to be a challenge. Each team played a great game, but in the end the Lady Blue Devils were able to secure the win by just one point. Sarah Seyfang scored the game winning basket and Addisyn Vandewater was the highest scorer, racking up 18 points. Junior Danielle Hatch says that the team's biggest strength is shooting three pointers. She says that it is something they have been focusing on a lot in practice and it is paying off in games. Finn explains that as a high school athlete the hardest challenge for not only her but athletes everywhere is keeping love for the sport. She says, “Athletes are held to very high standards and can face high amounts of pressure, and many high school athletes get burnt out quickly and fall out of love with their sport. I think it is very important to recognize mental health in high school sports .” The team overcomes this challenge by sticking together and having open communication. The sport is not only a physical game but also mental. The program gets very exhausting when athletes go from school to practice to mounds of homework at home but as a team, they are able to lift each other up to keep going during difficult times. This season, the team hopes to make it to Buff State for playoffs and win their league. So far the team shows great promise and after hearing from the girls, there is no doubt in my mind that they will work incredibly hard to make their goals a reality. A special congratulations to senior Sophia Balsano for committing to NCCC Thunderwolves to play college basketball. You can follow them @kwwbball on instagram to stay up to date on the latest news.

JV

The JV Girls Basketball team has had a pretty rough start. As of January 10th, they have not won any games but they are hoping to turn their season around. After talking with a few girls on the team, it is clear that they are not planning on giving up any time soon. Freshman Novpreet Kaur said that due to the losing streak, it has been hard to stay motivated but the team continues to improve each day. Kaur herself tries to encourage fellow teammates to work hard despite the unfortunate circumstances that the season has brought. Off of the court, the team had a holiday party where athletes enjoyed getting an opportunity to bond with their teammates. Girls also had the opportunity to connect with Varsity players during their last practice before winter break when the teams combined to play a game of kickball. In terms of the rest of the season, freshman Amariana Alvarez says she hopes to win some games and focus more. She said the team just has to “lift their heads up.”.

Modified

The Modified Girls Basketball team has started the season with a bang. As this is the most intermediate level that Kenton offers, it is most of these athletes' first time playing together. Not only girls from Kenmore West are on the team, but some middle schoolers from Hoover can join the team as well. They have a current record of 5-5. When talking with athletes on the team, they told me that the season has been going great so far. 8th grader Avery Brach said that compared to last year when they only won one game, the season is going much better. The team got a big confidence boost when they beat CSAT 40-14 because they were the team's biggest competition last year. 8th grader Dharma Rothschild said that after winning their first game the team was unable to hold back their smiles because everybody was so proud. Elena Ocasio says that the team's biggest strength is their positive attitude and confidence going into every game. She explains that all the girls deeply care about each other and are understanding when mistakes are made. Each athlete is able to brush off their mistakes and look forward to the next play. The team is bonded and works together as one unit. They bond by spending time supporting the JV and Varsity teams, they love to go to their games to show school spirit and even hang out outside of the practice and game setting. All the girls I talked to made it clear that this team means a lot to them and they are incredibly grateful to be a part of this experience. Looking to the future, most girls want to make sure they are prepared to move up to JV in the upcoming years. 

Cheerleading

Varsity

Following the very fun fall season, there were lots of girls at tryouts for the winter season. The season is composed of two parts, basketball games and competition, an element that is not incorporated into the fall season. The competition season is intense and under a new head coach, the girls were very excited to get started. The winter season requires a larger time commitment than the fall be able to achieve their goals. Junior Kayla Pilat explains that her biggest goal for the season is to win a competition. With the new schedule, the girls have had lots of time to bond. Senior Julianna Beltran says that her favorite bonding moment was the team Christmas party. Athletes participated in a white elephant gift exchange and had a team dinner from Olive Garden. So far their biggest challenge has been not giving up when the going gets tough. Beltran explains that the team has learned the only way to accomplish their goals is through teamwork and repetition. The team had a rough start at their first competition this past weekend, but they hope to turn it around. With many up-and-coming competitions, the team is ready to work hard and do well.

JV

I had the opportunity to talk to two freshmen on the JV cheer team, Riley Balling and Jenna Ide. So far the season has been going well, there is a sense of unity among the athletes. Ide says that her favorite part of cheering is the small things like talks before games about how everyone's days were. Both say that their biggest strengths are the ability to learn fast and communicate easily. 

Hockey

Girls

The Girls Hockey team at Kenmore West is not your average high school team. They are actually a team composed of many schools called Kengi-Port Girls Varsity Hockey with Kenmore East, West, Grand Island, and Lockport. The team has not failed to impress, having won the Section VI Championship the past two years. The team hopes to accomplish that again this year, and they are not off to a bad start with a record of 12-3. After talking to a few athletes, something that became obvious was the bond created between the girls. Senior Sam Horne explains that on this team everybody has each other's backs. She goes on to say that this team has the best chemistry on and off the ice. The team does the “normal” bonding like having team dinners but Horne explains that it is the small things that make the team stand out against others. Little things like carpooling to and from practices and supporting the boys team bring the team even closer together. When put on the ice, the team is almost unstoppable. Their biggest strength is their ability to attack in layers. Horne says, “If someone gets beat, there is always another girl coming in to help out her teammate and support the puck. This makes it very hard for teams to break the puck out of their zone and it gives us more scoring opportunities.” Junior Izzy Bourgeault says that Kengi’s biggest strength is their deep roster. The team is composed of lots of underclassmen. This year there are 2 eighth graders, 6 freshmen, and 5 sophomores so there is sure to be just as much talent and ability coming up through the years. The team's biggest challenge is having energy at the start of the game. Sometimes the team will start games slow and if their opponent is strong and fast, this can hurt them in the long run. On the other hand, they can start out too forcefully and get tired by the end of the game. Horne explains that their coaches have been working with them on this and the team has been improving everyday to increase their game speed. Obviously the goal this season is to win another sectional title, but other than that they hope to improve their game pace so that games are won quickly and more efficiently. Come support and watch this amazing team play their last game tonight against CASH at 4pm at the Northtown Center. Horns up, roll vikes!!

Boys

The Boys Varsity Hockey team is off to a slow start this season with a current record of 6-10. The team is very young, with lots of inexperienced players but Joseph Aiello, current sophomore explained that the older players have been acting as mentors to try and bond the team. The team's biggest challenge this far in the season has been chemistry. They have been working to overcome it by getting to know each other off the ice. Recently the team went mini golfing. There seems to be some fun inside jokes on the team as Junior JP Rizzo says the most memorable moment this far has been, “witnessing Connor Kompare’s hairline.” On the ice the team has been improving. After winning their first two games, they felt pretty confident. Their biggest strengths are the forwards speed and the defensemans ability. Anthony Aiello explains that being positive has played a factor into the team's fighting spirit. Joey Edwards says that the team hopes to beat Kenmore East and go far in the playoffs.