Powder Keg 2016: A Well-Earned Victory for the Huskies

Saturday's Powder Keg competition against Tilton School Rams proved a victory for New Hampton in many ways. The Huskies won the annual rivalry and will keep the Powder Keg for yet another year. More importantly, the day served to highlight the collective spirit of Husky Nation; a student body full of dedicated athletes, strong sportsmanship, and vibrant school spirit.

 

Not all teams won their respective competitions; however, the Huskies also lost graciously and congratulated their peers and competition on a job well done. The fight for the Powder Keg came down to the final Women's Varsity Field Hockey game played late in the day on Kennedy Field.

 

The annual tradition includes all fall sports teams; mountain biking and cross-country competed earlier in the month – Varsity Mountain Biking won; Men's and Women's Cross-Country was defeated by the Rams. Men's JV A & B soccer played games on Palazzi Field. The Men's JV-A lost their match to the Tilton Rams. The Men's JV-B overcame the earlier loss with a victory. The Men's Varsity Soccer team defeated Tilton early in the day with a 2-1 win on the Lower Field. Following their game, the Women's Varsity Soccer team also earned a 5-0 victory against Tilton School, a great send-off for the team's 11 seniors.

 

Despite a valiant effort, the New Hampton Varsity Football team was defeated by Tilton School in a 12:00 game on the Kennedy Field. With a final score of 39-49 in the Powder Keg game, New Hampton football finishes the season with 5 wins and 3 losses.

 

Ending a day of close competition, the fight for the Powder Keg came down to an intense game between the Women's Varsity Field Hockey teams. Tilton School led the game for the first half. As anxious fans watched, the Huskies scored one goal and then a second to take over the lead in the second half of the game, carefully guarding the goal for the final eight minutes to maintain their win. Harry the Husky kept the crowd engaged, and our fans demonstrated exceptional team spirit and pride, filling the stands and sidelines to support their peers in the final match. Going into the final game, the Huskies led the Powder Keg competition by one point, and everyone knew we needed to win the game in order for Husky Nation to retain the Keg.

 

New Hampton School students filled Kennedy field with shouts of enthusiasm and pride as the Field Hockey game came to a close with the Huskies in the lead. As Tilton Head of School, Peter Saliba said in his closing remarks, the Powder Keg is an event rich in tradition and school pride, and no two schools have what we have. Teams competed with impressive talent and skill, and modeled the strong character marked by New Hampton School student-athletes and fans. Victorious Huskies lifted the Powder Keg in the air and posed for photos with the keg following the games. The whole school celebrated with a bonfire later that evening. For many teams the Powder Keg marks the end of their fall season. Saturday was a great close to a strong season and a memorable event for the whole community.