Five former Kennett High School star athletes named to hall of fame

William Reny, Mike Lane, Chris Bailey, Sean Kenney and MIchael Cloutier

William Reny, Brian Cloutier, Chris Bailey, Mike Lane and Sean Kenney David make up the eighteenth group chosen for Kennett High's Sports Hall of Fame. They will be inducted Saturday, Oct. 18, in a ceremony at the Red Jacket."Once again we've got another great group," Sut Marshall, nomination committee member, said, "The thing I like is they've all given and continue to give back to their communities."To be eligible for the Kennett Sports Hall of Fame, athletes must be at least seven years removed from high school. Former coaches are also eligible.This year's inductees will be enshrined at a ceremony at the Red Jacket in North Conway. The festivities begin at 6 p.m. followed by a dinner at 7 with induction to begin at about 8 p.m.. Tickets, which include dinner and a social hour, are $28 per person and can be obtained by contacting Bob Russell at 447-5257. All tickets must be purchased by Oct. 11. There will be no sales at the door.The inductees:William RenyClass of 1972Reny, who resides in Marblehead, Mass., with Margaret, his wife and their three children Kimberly, Kyle and Aaron, currently manages a real estate development, something he's done since 1977.Reny lettered in three varsity sports while at Kennett High. He received three letters in track and field; three in football; and three in basketball. In track, he won individual state championships at the annual State Meet. In football, he was selected to All State his senior year.Reny went on to attend the University of New Hampshire where he earned a degree in Civil Engineering. He also played two sports for the Wildcats, playing junior varsity football from 1972-73 and suited up in track from 1972-73.In the private sector, Reny coaches youth basketball and soccer. He also serves on the High School Building Oversight Committee for a new high school and middle school for Marblehead."Most of my success was as a Kennett High athlete, and therefore many of my favorite memories, were during the track and field season of my senior year when I was successful in most of the major events I competed in and set some school records in the process," Reny recalled. "One memorable day was the regional track meet at Kingswood High School where I won four events and set records in two of them, I think. Another was the State Decathlon where I competed against some of the best athletes in the state and set another school record in the process. Although I haven't confirmed this I can only assume these records have long since been surpassed.However, the strongest memories of my high school experience are not so much of a particular game of track meet but of the time spent preparing for these events. For most of my high school athletic career I had the misfortune of some significant injuries, all happening in the fall of my junior and senior years as a result of football and these injuries forced me to spend hours in the whirlpool and weight rooms and miss the majority of my favorite season which was basketball.Although these injuries required knee operations during the fall of my junior an senior years, it was also a life blessing in disguise because this down time allowed me the opportunity to spend time with two teacher/coaches whose memories and life lessons live with me every day of my life. Gordon Mann was my Math teacher and basketball coach throughout my high school years. When I was injured and needed rehab Gordon would meet me every day to insure I received the best of care and so for a couple of hours each and every day, Gordon and I would be together. The memories of our time together, his care and kindness never leave me.Don Trimble was my history teacher and football/track coach throughout my high school years. Don brought a certain passion and intensity to everything he touched from teaching history lessons and coaching and was just a joy to be around. Don would work at Miliken's Mobil Station and I would come by just to listen to his view of the world. These are some of my memories of my life in Conway and Kennett High School."Michael CloutierClass of 1975Cloutier, who lives in Paris, Maine with is wife Chi Chi and their three children Michael, Matthew and Melanie, currently works as a professional golf director, a position he's held at the Paris Hill County Club since 2004.During his playing days at Kennett High School, Cloutier lettered in three sports. He lettered in football as a sophomore, junior and senior; played fours years of track (lettered three times); and lettered in the two years he skied for the Eagles due to Eastern Junior National and Canadian/American team commitments.Cloutier was co-captain of the 1974 Division III state championship team, the first in school history. He received the prestigious Sam Fuller Award his senior year and was also selected as Division III All State halfback and Honorable Mention linebacker in 1974. In his senior year he ran for over 600 yards including 134 in the memorable championship win over Franklin in which he scored three touchdowns while carrying the ball 35 times in the 22-19 victory.Cloutier also booted a game-winning 38-yard field goal against Franklin during the 1974 regular season. That season he received a special award for outstanding sportsmanship and achievement in winning the state championship from the Conway Board of Selectmen.In track and field, Cloutier set the school record in the javelin in 1975. He competed in the prestigious New England Track and Field Championships as a junior and senior, placing third in the javelin in 1974 and second in 1975. Cloutier was a member of the undefeated Eagles from 1972-75. As a senior he was the team's leading point scorer and received the Kennett Track and Field Award.In skiing, Cloutier was the No. 1 skier for the Eagles his freshman and sophomore years, winning the state slalom title twice while winning the giant slalom once and taking second as a freshman.Cloutier went on to serve in the U.S. Air Force where he was one of 12 to be honored with the Outstanding Airman of the Year Award in 1991, chosen from 500,000 airmen. He received five Meritorious Medals, two Commendation Medals, an Achievement Medal and the Southwest Asia Service Medal.While stationed in Japan, he coached pee wee soccer from 1996-98. Upon leaving the Armed Forces he has continued his community involvement, serving as the Oxford Hills Chamber of Commerce Golf Tournament Director from 2005-07 helping to raise over $100,000 in that period.Among Cloutier's favorite Kennett High memories was a day at track practice."I was out on the field in back of the school practicing for the state decathlon championships with Jimmy Warren, Berk Hounsell and Coach (Don) Trimble," he recalled. "Jim and I were practicing the javelin thrown when one of my throws went a little off course. It landed up against the pole vault pole, which was fiberglass, and put a small nick in the pole. When Jim and I finished working out the javelin throw I moved over the pole vault to practice some there.I picked up the fiberglass pole and moved over to the pole vault area. Coach Trimble had one of those grins that he used to display when he thought he knew something that we didn't know. I had no idea why he was grinning. The first few attempts at the bar were successful vaults, but, at low height to get warmed up. After I was warmed up Coach put the bar up to about 10'5". I knew I would have to generate enormous speed and good bend to get myself up and over. The first attempt was unsuccessful didn't have enough speed or bend. The second attempt was perfect, I could have vaulted 11' or 12'. Coach raises the bar again, and this time has a real big wise guy grin. I ran down the ramp faster than I ever had. I placed the pole into the slot and right at the maximum bend, the pole snaps and I fly upside down into the pole vaulting matting we had. Coach Trimble couldn't get off the ground he was laughing so hard. You see, all along he knew the pole would snap, and he knew where I would land, and it ended up with the joke on me this time. Coach Trimble: I will never forget that moment!!!"Chris BaileyClass of 1988Bailey, who lives in Jackson with Jennifer, his wife and there three children Braeden, Camden and Daven, has been a Social Studies teacher at Kennett High since 1995. He also has coached football, basketball and tennis for the Eagles, the three sports he lettered in while a student-athlete at KHS.Bailey lettered twice in football; earned two letters in basketball; and three letters in tennis. The former ball boy in the days of the Volvo Tennis Tournament in North Conway, he was selected to All State First Team in football as a senior and also won the prestigious Sam Fuller Award that same year. He was captain of the basketball team as a senior, leading the Eagles in rebounding and was second in scoring.Bailey was the first recipient of the George T. Davidson Award. "The recipient must demonstrate sportsmanship on and off the field, have enthusiasm in athletics and other school activities, and exhibited character on and off the field." "I am most proud of this award because the coaches I respected recognized me to be the first of many athletes honored as encompassing all the characteristics mentioned above," Bailey wrote. "I keep these characteristics as the forefront of my thoughts as I coach the next generation of athletes to become future leaders in our world."Bailey, who attended Marist College and later graduated from the University of New Hampshire with a Masters in the Art of Teaching degree in 1993, has roamed the sidelines for both the Kennett Middle School and the high school. He has been an assistant coach as well as the head coach of the middle school football team; coached the boys JV basketball team from 1999-2006; is currently an assistant football coach for the high school varsity; and been the varsity boys tennis coach since 2000. His tennis team has been recognized three years in a row for their sportsmanship, an award voted on by opposing coaches."Though I was fortunate to be honored for my individual achievements on several occasions throughout my life, my fondest memories revolve around the achievements of teams I was fortunate to participate on," Bailey recalled. "Next to me my parents the people who have influenced me the most are my former teammates and coaches. I can only remember playing on one losing team my whole life (my freshmen football team went 1-3 I believe). The successes spanned most of my childhood starting with my Jackson Little League team, coached by the late great Jimmy Howard, winning the local World Series my sixth grade year was the first of many great memories of my sports career."While at Kennett I was blessed with incredible teammates and coaches, which translated into every varsity team I played on making the playoffs. During my formative years I was blessed with having coaches like Gordon Mann, Brian Day and Bob Burns. At the varsity level the great coaching continued. Under Coach Peter Ames our basketball teams finished in the Top 10 in Class I both season. During my junior and senior tennis seasons, under the guidance of Coach Mike Veilleux, we won the Northern Division regular season title only to later lose in the playoffs to larger schools from the southern part of the state. During my junior year I was fortunate to start on the offensive line for Coach Gary Millen's first undefeated team, which was also his first championship team. The following year I started on both offense and defense, while on defense I was responsible for calling the plays from longtime assistant Phil Haynes. Unfortunately, we lost to Plymouth in the championship game that year.These experiences afforded me the opportunity to learn from Coach Millen and these other great coaches the important life lessons of how to win with humility and how to lose with dignity. Character building and sportsmanship were always the most important goals of the teams I played on. I am so proud to say I stress these same ideals with the teams I coach today. It was in large part a result of these experiences with so many great teammates and coaches that I decided to go into teaching and coaching. And to be able to come back to Kennett to do this has been a dream come true."Sean KenneyClass of 1999Kenney and Jessica, his wife, reside in Woodward, Mass., where he works as a corporate and institutional retirement plan consultant in Boston.Kenney was a single sport standout at Kennett where he was regarded as the finest male player the school has produced. He was a four-year letter winner, winning the individual state title a few times while posting the most career wins ever for the Eagles.Kenney continued his tennis skills at Assumption College, where he was a four-year starting playing No. 1 singles all four years. He graduated with a degree in economics."Athletics has unquestionably played a huge role in developing me into who I am today," Kenney wrote. Competing at the highest level in tennis has taught me self-discipline, sportsmanship/ethics, and the value of teamwork. Throughout my career I can think back to many "life lesson" moments, but none are more pronounced than our state title run at Kennett High School in 1998.Tennis is a sport that requires you to develop tremendous independence. In order to compete and succeed as the sport of tennis, you have to be able to step out on a court and realize you, and you alone, determine your fate; win or lose. As a tennis athlete you must commit to spending a lot of time training on the court and in the gym, most of the time on your own. Needless to say, tennis cultivates a huge amount of self-discipline.Tennis is also one of the few sports where you compete one-on-one versus an opponent. It is even more unique in high school because each opponent calls their own lines. This requires tennis athletes to have high regard for ethics and conduct themselves with a high degree of sportsmanship. I learned these first qualities from the sport of tennis, in large part prior to my high school years. The third quality, however, I learned categorically during my high school years, particularly during our run to the State Title. As I mentioned, tennis develops independence and sportsmanship, but those two qualities can tend to develop a sense of 'me" rather than 'we'. I personally felt that paradigm completely shift during my years participating in Kennett High tennis. 1998 jumps out vividly in my mind as I reminisce because it was then, more than any other time in my athletic life, that I realized I could only play a small part of the teams success. In a best our of nine point match, a player can only contribute, at best, two points to your teams overall score. You can however contribute far more than two points by being a motivator, a leader, and a role model for the rest of the team. These are qualities that immeasurable, and far exceed anything an athlete contributes by being on court. Going into the semifinal match versus Plymouth, we were big underdogs. Plymouth had beaten us earlier in the year, and were expected to beat us again. In the state title match versus Souhegan we were even bigger underdogs. As a team, we rallied together, won some big matches and took the state title for Kennett.Looking back on my high school years, I can confidently say athletics helped mold me into the person I am today. High school tennis, in particular, helped to develop my value of teamwork, and leadership, and being a positive role model. I reflect fondly on those years, and hope Kennett High School athletics instills that same sense of pride in those young athletes competing today, as it has for me." Mike LaneClass of 2000Lane and Kristen, his wife, and their son, Aiden, reside in Center Conway, where he is the assistant recreation director for the Town of Conway.While at Kennett, Lane was a standout in three sports. He received two letters in football; played four years of hockey (no varsity letters were awarded until 2002; and garnered three letters in baseball.In football, Lane was the starting quarterback for the Eagles his senior year and also earned Division III All State First Team honors as a defensive back.In hockey, Lane excelled and was captain of the first official Kennett hockey team. The Eagles posted a 12-1-1 record his senior year while he led the team in goals, assists and total points (29, 30, 59). He was awarded the Kennett Hockey Award given annually since to the team MVP.In baseball, as a sophomore, Lane received Class I All State Honorable Mention. During his junior year he earned All State First Team. His senior season, Lane led all of Class I with a .531 batting average, at one point going 26 consecutive at-bats without making an out. He was named to the Class I All State First Team; the Boston Globe All Scholastic Team; received the prestigious Jack Burns Award; was the recipient of the Babe Ruth Scholarship; was the Granite State Game and Class I Runner-up for Player of the Year. Lane, a catcher, had a career batting average of .472 for the Eagles.Lane, who went on to New England College, where he graduated with a degree in Communications, also continued his baseball career there. Posting a career collegiate batting average of .403, Lane was the Commonwealth Conference Rookie of the Year and named First Team All Conference as a freshman. In his sophomore year he attained All Conference Second Team honors;. His junior year, he was selected as a captain by his peers and went on to named All Conference Second Team. During his senior year, Lane was again chosen as team captain and earned All Conference Honorable Mention.Lane has continued his love of athletics in the private sector, serving as the assistant recreation director for Conway since 2004. He also is a certified USA Hockey official. In 2007, Lane became the head coach of the varsity hockey team at Kennett. He guided the Eagles to a 17-1 record (the most wins in team history), and the Division III regular season title and the Division III runner-up in the state playoffs. Lane was selected the Division III Coach of the Year by his fellow coaches.Lane has also umpired Little League games; coached Conway Babe Ruth baseball; is certified ASA umpire; continues to actively play softball and hockey in the local mens leagues; has been a Mount Washington Valley Youth Hockey Association coach and then referee and chief coordinator for the association; he also found time last year to assist in Kennett High baseball.