Athletics

CA FOOTBALL JOINS NEW NEPSAC LEAGUE

Eleven New England football powers, including Cheshire Academy, will make up a new Class A independent school league and will begin play in the fall.

Spearheaded by Cheshire Academy’s Associate Head of School and head football coach David Dykeman, the league will feature some of the best teams in the region and will be a part of the New England Preparatory School Athletic Council. The league will consist of: Phillips Academy, Andover, Brunswick School, Cheshire Academy, Deerfield Academy, The Hun School, Phillips Exeter Academy, Salisbury School, Suffield Academy, Worcester Academy, Williston Northampton School, and Wyoming Seminary.

A two-year schedule has been set and league play will serve as a qualifier for the seven New England bowl championships.

“Alumni should be excited that we’re playing the best of the best in New England football,” Dykeman said. “We’re really excited about playing Suffield Academy in Week 8 and we’re trying to build up continuous rivalries with a lot of schools.”

2020 CA FOOTBALL SCHEDULE

Sept. 19: at Wyoming Seminary

Sept. 26: vs. Salisbury School

Oct. 3: vs. Brunswick School

Oct. 10: at Worcester Academy

Oct. 24: at The Hun School

Oct. 31: bye week

Nov. 7: at Deerfield Academy

Nov. 14: vs. Suffield Academy

Oct. 17: vs. Williston Northampton School

WILFREDO AYBAR ’22 RANKED AMONG NATION’S BEST

Wilfredo Aybar ’22: remember the name.

The Cats’ 6-foot-4, 230-pound defensive end is ranked the No. 2 overall football recruit in the nation for the Class of 2022 by ESPN. He’s been named an All- American and rated a five-star recruit by Rivals. He’s also an honor roll student and an aspiring physics major.

Aybar has offers from 16 schools including Ohio State, University of Michigan, Vanderbilt University, and Penn State.

WNEPSSA SOCCER HONORS

Girls’ soccer players Reese Purdy ’21 and Katie Welage ’21 were selected to play in last fall’s WNEPSSA All- Star Game. Owen Kempton ’20 and Russell Tevie ’20 were selected to play in the boys’ all-star game.

CA FIELD HOCKEY WINS ON, OFF FIELD

Cheshire Academy hosted a “Pink Game” on Oct. 18 to benefit the Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven in New Haven, Connecticut. Paige Bernier ’22 scored to lift Cheshire Academy to a 1-0 win over Marianapolis Preparatory School, and the Cats raised $1,600 for Smilow. Prior to the game, the Cats took part in a survivor’s walk as players and coaches came out onto the field with a person who had beaten cancer.

BOYS’ BASKETBALL REACHES PLAYOFFS

After a challenging 2018-19 campaign, second-year boys’ basketball head coach Jim McCarthy has the Cats squarely in the mix in NEPSAC Class AA, one of the top prep school leagues in the nation. The Cats reached the playoffs in the winter under McCarthy, who coached at several colleges including Yale University and the University of New Haven. Asa Beyah ’20 (headed to Canisius College), Aidan Godfrey ’21, Ethan Okwuosa ’21, and Giovanni Rubino ’20 led a balanced attack for Cheshire Academy.

SIGNING DAY

Cheshire Academy continues to be a place of development for future college student-athletes. The Cats added to an impressive list of college signings this school year. The list includes: Lucas Alfaiate ’20 (fencing), Drew University; Asa Beyah ’20 (boys’ basketball), Canisius College; Bella Brooder ’20 (girls’ lacrosse), Springfield College; Owen Kempton ’20 (boys’ soccer), Northeastern University; Cam Maddox ’20 (football), Dartmouth; Fabi McLeod ’20 (girls’ lacrosse), University of New Haven; Riley Norwood ’20 (softball), Mount Saint Mary College; Kent Oliver ’20 (football), Tufts University; Jackson Parker ’20 (football), University of Albany; Christian Perez ’20 (baseball), Saint Peter’s College; Jack Roberge ’20 (football), Amherst College; Jordan Robinson ’20 (football), University of New Haven; Gino Tartamella ’20 (football), University of Maine; Simon Yan ’20 (football), Hamilton College.

From top: Fabi McLeod ’20, Asa Beyah ’20 , Kent Oliver ’20, and Owen Kempton ’20

ALUMNI UPDATE

Alexis Holmes ’18 (at left), who transferred from Penn State to the University of Kentucky this season, won the 400-meter event at the Southeastern Conference Championships with a time of 52.08. Her mark was the third fastest in the nation at the time and is the second best in school history.

Josh Jobe ’18 earned a start in the Citrus Bowl for the University of Alabama. He finished with six tackles and his first interception of the season in a win over Michigan.

Aliya Catanzarita ’19 was named to Hofstra’s Dean’s List and to the Colonial Athletic Association’s Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. Catanzarita, Cheshire Academy’s first Division I softball player, also got some playing time for the Pride early in the season.

Elijah Pemberton ’16 had a superb senior campaign for the Hofstra men’s basketball team. The guard was averaging 16.3 points and 5.3 rebounds per game through February and helped lead Hofstra to its second straight Colonial Athletic Association regular season title.

Ricardo Greer ’97, a men’s basketball assistant coach at the University of Dayton, has helped the Flyers to a No. 3 national ranking, first place in the Atlantic 10 Conference through February, and No. 1 seed in the NCAA Tournament.