Editor’s note: Today School News Network begins Sports Spotlight, a series on students who achieve noteworthy accomplishments in athletics as well as in the classroom.
East Kentwood senior Kyle Dent has not only excelled in football and baseball for the Falcons; he also has succeeded in the classroom.
As a quarterback, he passed for 1,800-plus yards with 17 touchdowns. This spring in baseball, he sported a .300 batting average with 13 runs and nine stolen bases.
In the classroom he carried a 3.88 GPA, and earned all-academic honors throughout high school. He’s also involved in coaching EK football camps for students in grades 2-5.
“He demonstrates leadership on and off the field and embodies what a Falcon should be,” baseball coach Marty Jackimowicz said of his two-year captain. “He has a great work ethic in practicing and tries to help others around him to also elevate their play.
“Beyond baseball, Kyle is a really great person,” Jackimowicz added. “He is always there for his teammates and classmates and wouldn’t hesitate to help anyone who needed it. He has a great personality and people are naturally drawn to him because of it.”
A four-year letter winner in baseball, Kyle played shortstop and pitched for the Falcons, and also was the team’s leadoff hitter.
Gridiron Standout too
Football coach Tony Kimbrough said Kyle also was a captain on his team last fall because of his strong work ethic and overall leadership abilities.
“He led our team to a record of 9-2 and (we) went undefeated in the OK Red Conference,” said Kimbrough, who played football at Western Michigan University, in the Canadian Football League and Arena Football League. “Great teammate and one of the most positive players I have ever coached. He is the model for the term student-athlete.”
Kyle, who completed 60 percent of his passes and was named First Team All-Conference last fall, will continue his football career at Carthage College in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He plans to major in athletic training with hopes of attending physical therapy school thereafter.
“As for football and baseball, I’ve been playing them ever since I was able to,” said Kyle, who also wrestled for a couple years in high school. “I picked up the sport of wrestling in about third grade, really only to better my agility and conditioning for my other main sports.”
He said he doesn’t stray far from sports no matter what time of year it is.
“Whenever I am not in practice or in a season, I find myself doing a lot of training for them, intense training and more relaxed and fundamental training,” he said. “I love to just go out and throw, whether it’s a baseball or a football. I find this to be a great way to relieve stress for me as well as keep me occupied.”
