Praises sung for KIPP’s Setalsingh
LYNN >> They are two schools separated by about the length of a Tiger Woods drive.
And each have a player who can make a claim as the best in their respective city. On Friday night at Manning Field, KIPP Academy’s Juan Setalsingh hopes that his Panthers can take a huge step forward against St. Mary’s.
For the senior quarterback, who was co-MVP of the Commonwealth Conference, opening against the Spartans gives he and his teammates a chance to get off to a flying start.
“St. Mary’s has a really good team and it’s going to be a huge test for us,” Setalsingh said.
KIPP coach Jim Rabbitt, who has led the Panthers to the vocational semifinals and the state playoffs in the last two
seasons, knows first-hand how much work Setalsingh has put into this season.
“Last year was Juan’s first full year as our quarterback and he didn’t waste much time in showing how good he can be,” Rabbitt said. “The scary thing is that in most of our games he didn’t play in the second half because we had such big leads.”
In 2021 Setalsingh, had only 36 incompletions en route to racking up 1,819 yards and 25 touchdowns. He was just as dangerous with his legs, rushing for 456 yards and six touchdowns.
Setalsingh was no slouch on defense either, accumulating 58 tackles, 16 pass deflections and six interceptions as a defensive back.
“I just want to build off of last year,” Setalsingh said. “It was just a starting point and it was a confidence-booster.”
During the lead-up to the season, Setalsingh took part in camps at Bryant University, Boston College and Harvard as he continued to land on the radar of several colleges.
“His goal is to play at the highest level possible in college,” Rabbitt said. “He’s already getting some looks and if he keeps progressing like I think he can, that’s only going to grow.”
Setalsingh’s talents have helped bring a program that is still growing in a big hurry. The Panthers made a huge step in 2021 as they qualified for the Div. 8 playoffs and beat ManchesterEssex before taking state finalist Hull right to the final whistle in a 27-20 loss.
The team and Setalsingh’s success last season gives Rabbitt plenty to be excited about when the ball is kicked off on Friday.
“We know now that we can compete with anyone and that’s why we’ve beefed up our schedule for this season,” Rabbitt said.