By Sam Bernardi for The Montgomery News | Posted April 14, 2026
As a sophomore, Sohil Patel tried out for the Montgomery varsity fencing team. During a round-robin, he lost all five of his bouts and, unsurprisingly, did not initially make the team.
He still had fencing friends, though, and wanted to be involved. Sohil became the Cougars’ armorer, fixing equipment and doing whatever he could to help the team.
MHS Varsity Fencing Team Captain Sohil Patel
A year later, he not only made the team, but was named captain. “It was a really sad time after going through tryouts… getting cut was not the best news,” Patel said. “But, due to my role, I stayed close to the team. I was there every step of the way, every meet, every competition.”
Patel worked on his foil game in his basement, primarily doing target practice on a refrigerator and improving his footwork.
That growth has not gone under appreciated by head coach Matt Popadiuk, who has seen Sohil evolve from the outskirts of the program to one of its foremost leaders.
“He’s a resilient kid, and he just wants to make everybody around him better. He’s a very fun, easy-going personality… He’s at times, asked to pull himself from the lineup to make sure some younger guys got opportunities,” Popadiuk said.
“I’m proud that he’s part of our program and representing us,” Popadiuk added.
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Montgomery finished its campaign 3-6, but there is still plenty of growth in store, and with Patel helping lead the charge, expect that record to perhaps flip next winter.
“It was a really good experience because we got to go against some pretty good teams, and we learned a lot this year. I think we’re going to carry that into next year with a lot of new, self-determination, a lot of new strategies that we can put into our meets,” Patel said.
Beyond the vast one-year improvement, Sohil made a significant in-season adjustment. Previously, he had been a defensive fighter, planning his counters and, like a Chess player, always thinking about strategy, always thinking one move ahead.
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But, his teammates encouraged him to attack more, and he ended as a more balanced player. “Foil has a lot of rules. It’s more strategy than anything. You have to be quick, you have to be reactive. And, there are just so many rules to memorize,” Patel said.
While maintaining his rate of improvement, Sohil is getting more involved in club fencing, knowing his role on that team, should only help the Cougars. “He’s trying to keep everybody on the right path, making sure no one’s being disrespectful, and making sure that every drill has some intensity,” Popadiuk added.
