By STEVE MAZZONE

Sports writer

On Monday night, Tom Kenwood was inducted into the Rhode Island Track Coaches Association (RITCA) Hall of Fame. My guess is it wasn’t a very difficult decision for the selection committee.
For the longtime Cumberland High track and cross-country coach, there’s never been a time clock.
No one's ever gotten rich coaching a high school sport. The countless hours that are required during a season never equates to the numbers on a check that a coach receives after athletes hand in their uniforms.
Coaching is primarily done for the passion, the love of the sport.
Nevertheless, Tom Kenwood is the extreme. As a runner for coach Kenwood in the late 1970s, I know first-hand. During the early morning hours on the weekends or late nights during the school week, it wasn’t uncommon to see coach Kenwood’s blue van parked at Tucker Field or up at the high school. Time was never an issue.

His duties never ended at the high school, either.  Besides hosting numerous track meets and assisting in other running-related events throughout the school season, he has kept busy in the summer months
 for several years, serving as a race director for two popular local races – the Arnold Mills Four of July Road Race and the CumberlandFest 5K. Also, during his "time off" from his job as a physical eduction teacher at the school, he has donated his time the last three decades by putting on a series of youth track meets.
In a coaching career that has spanned 34 years, his tireless efforts have paid dividends. He’s produced multiple all-staters and even brought home a pair of state titles. In 1978, on a rickety, old track at the Cranston Street Armory, his Clippers captured the indoor team title, defeating runner-up Bishop Hendricken. Just four years ago, he earned title No. 2 when Cumberland surprised the Hawks for the state cross-country crown at Ponaganset.
Kenwood was inducted into the RITCA Hall of Fame during a ceremony that coincided with the fall high school cross-country banquet, held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel.  He joins a select group that includes two other dedicated individuals from Cumberland – race official Keith Lawton and former cross-country coach Harris “Harry” Gederman.
Kenwood, who serves on the Hall of Fame selection committee, where he was a past president and vice president, didn’t know about the honor until he walked into the banquet hall. It was there that he noticed his table of 10 was actually two tables of 10 to include seating for his two sisters and brother-in-law, who were all there to witness the induction.
“It’s just a tremendous honor to be recognized by your peers,” Kenwood said. “To have my family there was just wonderful.”
A former track and field athlete at Tolman High and Rhode Island College, Kenwood began his coaching career at Cumberland in the winter of 1974. He just felt it was a natural transition from athlete to coach.
“Running has been part of my life every year since I’ve been in high school,” he said. “It’s not only a job, it’s a hobby.”
The one thing that Kenwood has cherished during his long tenure was the fact that he could coach his three children - Michaela, Mark and Chris. He estimates he’s coached at least two dozen all-staters and proudly states that 27 of his past athletes have also gone on to coaching.
Congratulations to coach Kenwood on a well-deserved honor.

Gillooly bothers honored
Speaking of Tom Kenwood, on Friday, Nov. 28, two former runners for the CHS coach will be inducted into the high school’s Hall of Fame. In a ceremony that will take place at Wright’s Farm in Nasonville, brothers Ron and Pat Gilooly will join a class of eight inductees that also includes two other standout runners, Sue Ratcliffe and Tom Grundy.
The Gillooly brothers excelled in the distance events and earned all-state honors in high school and All-American status at their respective colleges – Ron at Rhode Island College and Pat at Boston University.
The other inductees are all-state running back Chris Arthurs, multi-sport athlete John Jackson Sr., longtime boys’ soccer coach Bruce Noelte and the late Robert G. McGinnis, who will be inducted posthumously. McGinnis, who passed away in October, was a former Cumberland School Administrator and superintendent that was a tireless supporter of Cumberland athletics.
Tickets for the ceremony, which begins at 6 p.m., are $30 and can be obtained in advance by contacting Kenwood at 658-0831.

Super Sunday
I’m not going to say I predicted it, but I did feel the girls from St. Raphael Academy had a chance to beat top-seed Tiverton in the Division III state finals this past Sunday. As it turned out, the Saints did just that by shocking the Tigers, 2-0, at Pierce Field.
I had a chance to witness Tiverton’s semifinal contest against Burrillville. In the Tuesday game, the Tigers didn’t look like the offensive juggernaut that scored 70 goals this season, defeating a scrappy Bronco squad by just a 2-0 count. After that game, I did think Tiverton was vulnerable against a St. Ray’s team that had nothing to lose.
Like the Patriots found out against the Giants in Super Bowl XLII, it’s hard to go into a championship game undefeated like the Tigers did with their 18-0-0 mark prior to the tilt. The key I felt was the Saints were able to keep the game scoreless after the first half. That certainly gave the Tigers a lot to think about during their 10-minute halftime break.
There was no pressure on the Saints, who were certainly a heavy underdog having been defeated by a combined score of 10-3 in their two regular season match-ups with the Tigers. All the pressure was on the Tigers and the more the Saints kept them away from the net, the more it became mentally difficult for Tiverton to try and win the game. 
After SRA senior Tina Hopper headed in the eventual game-winner at the 57th minute on a perfect corner kick from teammate Danielle Peloquin, Tiverton coach Sue Messenger figured it would be tough to come back.
“She just powered over us,” Messenger said. “Sometimes you can match tight, but not always. Once she did that, I knew that we were in trouble.”
On the subject of the soccer finals, it was quite the busy afternoon for our local teams, and a successful one, too. In the Division IV girls’ championship tilt, Woonsocket was finally able to separate itself from defending titlist Tolman, a squad it shared the IV-North title. Kristin Cahill, a clutch performer all season for the Villa Novans, saved her best effort for last, scoring all the goals in a 3-0 win at Pierce Field. Newcomer Lincoln High was able to survive a physical encounter with 2007 champion Shea to snare the Division II boys’ title with a 2-1 victory at Rhode Island College that was highlighted by a pair of goals from Jacob McCall.