It was a historic fall sports season at Avon Old Farms, and it wasn’t just a single team making history. With multiple championships won and dozens of athletes earning individual accolades, our soccer, cross country, and football teams upheld the school’s value of good sportsmanship and set a new standard of excellence.

Cross Country Head Coach Will Lea said this was perhaps his favorite group of boys he’s ever coached, and were without a doubt one of the most successful in school history. The varsity team matched their highest-ever ranking in the Founders League-era, finishing the league championship race in third place overall. The JV team proved that the success won’t end this year, as they earned first place in the Founders League.

At the Nike Cross Regionals, which featured the best schools from New England, New York, Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, Avon placed 13th out of 58 teams. The varsity team finished the season with an incredible average time of 17:16—which equates to a pace of 5:33 per mile.

In another notable team accomplishment, the team beat cross country powerhouse Hotchkiss twice this season, having only beaten them on two other occasions in the last 30 years. Individually, Peter Schuchardt ’28, Teddy Hoffman ’27, Luke Schupp ’28, and Will Agnes ’26 earned All-Founders League honors, with Agnes and Schupp also earning All-NEPSAC honorable mentions.

On the soccer pitch, our boys quickly established themselves as one of the best teams in New England. The team went undefeated in the Founders League, which meant they finished the regular season as co-champions alongside Taft. The Winged Beavers were the only team not to lose to Taft this season.

The team finished the regular season with a record of 13-2-3 and were ranked fourth going into the Class A NEPSAC playoff tournament, which meant the team had their first home playoff game since 2017. They were also the least-carded team in NEPSAC, meaning the team embodied one of the school’s core values: sportsmanship.

Captains Leo Miranda ’26 and Derek Yeboah ’26 were selected to participate in the NEPSAC Senior All-Star Game, while Jordan Alabre ’27 and Max Daigle ’27 were selected for the NEPSAC All-Star Junior Game. Yeboah and Miranda were also named to the All-Prep School Team by the Connecticut Soccer Coaches Association and were awarded All-State and All-NEPSAC. Edward Wilkey ’26 and Spencer Abbott ’26 received All-NEPSAC honorable mentions—an impressive feat for Abbott in particular, after he missed all of last season with an ACL injury.

When asked at the start of the season what the varsity football team’s goal was this year, captain Hampton Bachelder ’27 answered without any hesitation: “Win a New England Championship.” A goal this ambitious would be nearly impossible to achieve, with such high-caliber competition in their way. And yet, the team went one step further: they went undefeated on their way to both Founders League and New England championship glory.

The team dominated their regular season opposition, putting up a combined 336 points while only allowing 166. They proved they had the edge in close games as well, beating powerhouses Choate and Dexter Southfield each by one point. In the New England championship game, our boys embodied the school motto of aspiring and persevering, coming from behind to beat Williston Northampton 35-21.  

Naturally, for a near-perfect team, the individual awards are numerous. The following players were named to the Class A Group One First Team Offense: Matthew Baer ’27 (who was also named Offensive Player of the Year), Charlie Thom ’26 (Lineman of the Year), Buck Craig ’26, Mason Patras ’26, Johnny Gingeruha ’26, Luke Hutchinson ’26, Hampton Bachelder ’27, and Cameron Stewart ’26. The following were named First Team Defense: Luke Baran ’26, Tyler Rebick ’26, Dylan Wafle ’27, Quinn Mullin ’27, Mikey Ahoua ’26, Jaiden Roach ’27, and Henry Darst ’28. Named to either the Second Team or received an honorable mention were: Weston Hicks ’27, Eric Joseph ’26, Mason Leak ’26, Dylan Finch ’26, Nate Olson ’26, Matthew DeFilippo ’26, Jackson Lent ’26, and Torre Veneziano ’26. Baer, Thom, Gingeruha, and Ahoua were also named First Team All-New England and Baran, Craig, Patras, and Hutchinson received All-New England Honorable Mention.

The fall season concluded with the Avon Army rushing the field at the conclusion of the Drew Gamere Bowl to celebrate with their brothers. Head Coach Jon Wholly had everyone—players and Avon Army members alike—take a knee and delivered his postgame speech. In it, he recalled a message he delivered in his Compass Talk a few weeks earlier: Avonians win and lose together. In this case, the AOF school community won it all.