MONTCLAIR, NJ — Kalvin Thomas of Orange, a junior at Montclair Kimberley Academy, recently concluded a fine football season for the young Cougars, who went through the rigors of a rebuilding 2-7 season, but closed on a high note with two straight victories against public school opponents.
Thomas, a fast and strong 6-foot-1, 170-pound all-around athlete who also shines for the MKA track team in the spring, finished as the Cougars’ leading rusher with 110 carries for 669 yards and seven touchdowns.
He had his best game of the season in the last game of the campaign on Saturday, Oct. 28, when he had nine carries for 204 yards and scored three touchdowns on runs of 64, 79 and 56 yards to lead the way in a 35-0 shutout victory against Lodi.
In that game, two other area athletes shined for MKA, as sophomore quarterback-receiver Nate Chou of Maplewood delivered a 36-yard TD pass to junior Josh Katz of Montclair and senior co-captain Jaylen Ankrah-Jones of Orange also scored on a 72-yard TD run.
Another area resident, senior co-captain Will Simms of East Orange, helped lead the MKA unit of resistance all season long as a top D-lineman and linebacker while finishing with 52 tackles and an interception.
Thomas, who contributed 31 tackles as a defender when he played linebacker, also shined in an independent road contest on Saturday, Oct. 21, when he scored the game-winning points with his second TD of the game in a 20-13 win at Bogota. He scored from 30 yards out in the third quarter and also had a 74-yard TD run in the first quarter.
“Kalvin is a dynamic athlete who has such a great upside,” said MKA coach Anthony Rea, a Belleville resident. “He showed exactly what he is capable of in his amazing performance against Lodi when he rushed for more than 200 yards on just nine carries.
“He has a tremendous future in both football and track.”
Thomas won three events for the Cougars in the 2023 prep B championship track and field meet at Newark Academy in Livingston. He won the 100-meter dash (11.39 seconds), the 200 (23.77) and the triple jump (43 feet, 7.5 inches) to cap a superb day at the Minutemen’s state-of-the-art track in Livingston.
“Kalvin is the most dynamic athlete on our team,” said MKA head track coach Tim White of West Orange. “He ranks very high in the county and in Non-Public B in all of the events that he does.
“He has basically matched what he triple jumped last year and has improved markedly in the 100, 200 and long jump. Besides being a great athlete, he’s an exceptionally positive member of our team. He is a natural born leader and he has helped build a culture of hard work and positivity that spreads across our team.”
Photos Courtesy of Montclair Kimberley Academy Athletics
Orange and East Orange players spark young Montclair Kimberley Academy football team added by Steve Tober on
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