Flanked by parents, Pat and Amee, and brother Declan, Southwestern Central School senior Aidan Kennedy signs his letter-of-intent Friday afternoon to continue his academic and football career at Pace University in Pleasantville, New York. Standing, from the left, are SWCS school counselor Chelsey Winchester; head football coach Jake Burkholder; athletic director Kevin Salisbury; and assistant football coach Mark Arnold. P-J photo by Scott Kindberg

Quarterback Aidan Kennedy, one of the most accomplished football players in Southwestern Central School history, made it official Friday afternoon when he signed his letter of intent to continue his academic and gridiron career at Pace University, a Division II school in Pleasantville, New York.

“A huge part of it is the connections I had with the coaches,” he said. “When I went down to the campus, I felt the love from all of them. … I got to talk to a lot of the guys, and the culture they have there is really something I want to be part of.”

A member of the Northeast-10 Conference, the Setters, who were 2-8 last season, are coached by Andy Rondeau.

“The head coach was very honest with me and gave me the whole rundown,” said Kennedy, who was also considering Monmouth and Wagner. “When I was talking with him, I didn’t feel he was (kidding) me or anything.”

“Obviously, if I’m going to get my spot, I’m going to have to earn it,” Kennedy added. “I believe in myself and I believe I’ll be able to compete and, potentially, be able to win that spot out.”

Pace’s starting quarterback is returning for his seventh year after sitting out normal redshirt, medical redshirt and COVID seasons. The other three signal-callers on the roster are all juniors.

Now, the Westchester County school will be getting a good one from the other end of the state.

Last season, Kennedy completed 112 of 203 passes for 1,687 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions, and rushed for 599 yards and 14 TDs. Also a standout defensive back, he intercepted six passes, earning spots on the New York State Sportswriters Association Class C, The Post-Journal and The Buffalo News first teams. Kennedy was also named Section VI Class C South Offensive Player of the Year and was selected the division’s first-team quarterback. For his varsity career, Kennedy completed 269 of 468 passes for 4,805 yards and 58 TDs compared to 17 picks, and rushed for another 1,002 yards and found paydirt 20 times.

Kennedy plans to major in sports management at Pace, which is located about 45 minutes from New York City.

“They have a lot of great internship opportunities connected with the city,” he said. “They discussed with me the players on the team and the kind of internships they have, and it’s definitely something I’m excited (about).”

Asked what he’ll remember most about his high school career, Kennedy said it was the “family and culture we have here, year-round.”

He added: “I’m still in touch with guys (I played with) my sophomore year, even going back to my freshman year with Cole Snyder and Alex Card and all of them. We always say, ‘Once a Trojan, always a Trojan.’ I really believe that. Everyone has that connection once you play Trojan football.”