Andover Boys Crew took home the Dent Oars for the second year in a row after its first through fifth boats beat rival Kent on Saturday. With a slight tailwind, Andover’s B1 trumped Kent’s by 3.2 seconds. “We rowed well throughout the week leading up the race, and the whole boat really stepped it up against Kent,” said Captain Henry Kennelly ’13. “After the first 500 meters, we took a power 10 to hold Kent off and keep them from getting momentum, allowing us to keep them a boat length away,” said Franco D’Agostino ’13. “We do a really nice job of always taking another seat, focusing on being faster and never sitting on a crew. Our mentality is if you’re going to hang with us, we’re going push you and make you pay for it,” said Jay Reader ’13. Reader also emphasized the importance of cohesion in the boat. “Every crew has their own rhythm or cadence, and, when we get in sync, it feels better and makes us faster. You have to be precise with each stroke and in rhythm with the guy in front of you,” said Reader. Unlike B1, Andover’s B2 won by a mere .3 seconds. The team got off to a slow start but was able to recover to ultimately come out with the win. “Our start was a little shaky but once we got into the meat of the race, we moved on Kent and got a sizable lead,” said Ian Sigal ’12. Andover’s B3 crushed its Kent opponent by a whopping 18.8 seconds. The boat took a dramatic lead at the start of the race, leaving Kent struggling just to catch up to close range. “We had an excellent start that allowed us to get up on Kent very quickly. Despite being ahead by so much, we continued to row hard, acting as if they were right with us the entire time,” said Chris Blackwood ’12. Next week, Andover looks to carry its winning momentum to the Exeter Invitational, where it will face St. John’s, Simsbury and Exeter. Being a six-boat race, the Invitational will give Andover a good sense of how it compares to the other teams in the league. “We’re always looking to win and keep up what we’re doing. We don’t know what anyone else has; all we can do is go row our race,” said Reader.
