Kent had high expectations last season. After winning the Large School title to end the 2023-24 season, head coach Dale Reinhardt was more than hopeful last November.
"I haven't been as excited about a group from a talent perspective in a long time," he said before last season.
The Lions' No. 10 ranking in our preseason top 10 quickly faded. Lopsided losses to Kimball Union and Brunswick moved them out of our weekly rankings and started a trend of inconsistency.
Starting with a 7-0 loss to Avon Old Farms on Jan. 18, Kent went 5-6-1 down the stretch, squeaking into the Large School Tournament as the No. 8 seed and falling to Belmont Hill in the quarterfinals.
"We had some really good hype around the team," Reinhardt said of last season. "And I don't think we lived up to expectations, and there's certainly a variety of reasons around that. I think we've made some really good strides, and it's not entirely unusual for kids to have to make that transition to prep."
Kent had several new prep players last season and, as Reinhardt said, it took time for them to adjust.
Many of those players are back this season. They're hungry to make up for last season.
