Boys athlete of the year: Rutland’s Andy Kenosh

Rutland’s Andy Kenosh knows the meaning of ‘doing what it takes to win.’

From piloting a read-option offense to kicking field goals to snagging interceptions for the Division I state champion Raiders football team.

“Some kids just have it and have more of it, and he’s one of those kids,” Rutland High School football coach Mike Norman said. “He understands a lot of things that a lot of young kids just don’t.”

Or pulling out tough runs on the ski slopes for his school’s alpine squad.

“Most days, on any given course, you would say, ‘Holy cow how did he do that,’” said Lori McClallen, an assistant coach for the school’s ski team. “He is so agile, so he can get himself out of trouble and still stay in the course. Most times you were amazed he could pull it off.”

Or playing almost every position, from pitcher to outfield to first base, for the Rutland baseball team.

“I think he even played catcher in the coaches vs. players game,” joked RHS baseball coach Matt Bloomer. “I played him at a lot of positions –– not a lot of players can make the transitions.”

The combination of versatility, competitiveness and on-field smarts have earned Kenosh the Free Press’ boys athlete of the year honor.

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“It gives me great pride to know that I worked my (butt) off to get Rutland back to where they are today,” Kenosh said. “It gave me a sense of purpose to get Rutland back on the map.”

Kenosh started the high school year off with the bang, leading the Raiders football team to a 10-1 record and the Division I state title as the team’s quarterback, safety, kicker and returner.

Also the Free Press’ football player of the year, he completed 66 percent of his passes for 2,018 yards and 25 touchdowns, while rushing for 809 yards and 13 more scores. Kenosh added a pair of field goals, made 52 of 57 point-after tries and kicked punts (41.5 yard average) and kickoffs (48.0). On defense, he finished with 11 picks.

“He’s very intelligent and he’s very athletic,” Norman said. “He knows how to use his God-given gifts to the best.”

After leading Rutland to its first football crown since 2006 and snapping Middlebury’s 32-game winning streak, Kenosh could have called it a successful year.

But he had two more sports to go.

“At a young age, my parents were always letting me try new things, new activities,” Kenosh said. “Playing multiple sports allowed me to grow that on-field awareness.”

Kenosh headed to the ski slopes, where he competed for both Rutland High School and a team with Pico Mountain.

Kenosh finished second in the slalom at the Vermont high school state championships and was named the all-state ski team by the state’s coaches.

“That is where Andy excels in high school racing,” said McClallen, who is also the race program director at Pico. “He had to be a leader, he had a team behind him.

“He knew he had to stand for his team,” she added. “I think that really helped him be successful. Kind of like football, at some point, he knew he had to carry the team.”

The athleticism that saw him play all over the football field kept Kenosh on course on the ski slopes.

“He has pure athleticism, very quick on his feet and a bit fearless,” McClallen said. “He’s a very smart person, he approaches ski racing with an all-out, go for it mentality.”

At the end of the ski season, Kenosh was also honored with the Vermont Alpine Racing Association’s Ginny Hunt Award, given each to the skier who best displays dedication to the sport and inspires younger skiers.

Still, he wasn’t done.

He then hit the diamond for the Rutland baseball team.

As a pitcher, Kenosh finished with a 5-1 record, a 1.54 ERA and 44 strikeouts in 41 innings. At the plate Kenosh had a .460 batting average, a .591 on-base percentage, scored 19 runs and drove in 13. He struck out just four times in 18 games.

“You can have the best athletes but if they don’t understand what they need to do on the field then they don’t really excel,” Bloomer said. “He is quicker to pick things up than some other kids.”

And by the end of the season, Bloomer had played Kenosh almost everywhere: Pitcher, third base, first base, right field and center field.

“He is usually the best athlete on the field but he is also a very smart player,” Bloomer said. “He filled in wherever we needed him most.”

Kenosh heads off to Marist College in Poughkeepsie, New York, where he will try to walk-on to the school’s Division I baseball program. He’s taking his ‘do whatever it takes’ attitude with him.

“I like how I can just pick up a position and play it,” Kenosh said.

Contact Lauren Read at 660-1855 or lread1@freepressmedia.com. Follow her on Twitter at www.twitter.com/laurenreadVT