Scholastic Notes

Delmarva region

District of Columbia

CUBS EXAMINE CHANCES LOST

Washington Georgetown Visitation (D.C.) had 20 corners and 23 shots on goal in an Independent School League showdown with Bethesda Holton-Arms (Md.).

The Visitation pressure was unrelenting, but one good breakaway against the run of play was the difference as Holton-Arms beat Visitation 1-0. Ali Ashburn broke through the Cub defense halfway through the first term and was fouled from behind in the circle.

The umpire correctly called a stroke, which was converted for the only goal of the game.

"Their goalie (Katherine Keeley) is phenomenal, and you can see that by the number of saves she had," Visitation head coach Karen Zarchin told The Washington Post. "Visitation is in a great spot because we don't have to defend anything. We just have to come out and play like we're a proud team."

And they did. Despite having a player yellow-carded in the second half, the Cubs were relentless in their attack, but could not beat Keeley.

Maryland

STATE FINALS ARE HISTORICAL IN STATURE

History was made at the 2002 Maryland state championships, in more ways than one.

For Class 2A champion Bethesda-Chevy Chase (Md.), a 2-1 win over a plucky Towson (Md.) team served to extend its National Federation record for consecutive state championships. The Barons didn't make it easy on themselves, as the defense in front of goalkeeper Elizabeth Schlossberg was cut apart by deep, strong crosses from the right wing.

After such a cross was sent in in the 32nd minute to the the score at 1-1, the Generals almost took the lead in the 45th on an identical play, but their shot attempt hit the goalpost.

"We had to start marking, and see who was open," Schlossberg said. "It was just a mental thing."

Schlossberg was a stalwart all game long, even stopping a breakaway by logging at the top of the circle in front of the onrushing Towson attacker, a move she learned from an NCAA championship goalkeeper.

"I learned a lot from the ODU camp, and Marybeth Freeman," Schlossberg said of her mentor. "She's great; I love her. These are the kinds of things I'm going to have to work on."

A few minutes afterward, it became The Katie Lee show. She had a magnificent, uncanny dribble-drive through three Generals defenders which almost led to a B-CC goal.

"I thought that this was going to be my last game in this uniform," Lee said. "Field hockey has taught me so much, and I couldn't have asked for a better experience. And there was no way I was going to lose it with 10 minutes left to go."

Lee would score in the 55th minute on a strike worthy of Zinadine Zidane. Like the French soccer player did in the 2002 European Champions' League final, she thumped a sudden long-range shot through a stunned defense which was utterly powerless to stop it.

"I actually had a dream that I had a goal," Lee said. "I woke up after the dream at 6:30 this morning, and I didn't go back to sleep."

It was the Barons' ninth straight state championship, and like the previous year's 1-1 draw with Hereford (Md.), this trophy had to be earned.

"I had to tell my team, 'These guys are good, and they're here for a reason,' " said Barons' head coach Amy Wood. " 'They're the No. 2 ranked team in Baltimore.' They made us work for it."

In the 1A final, the history wound up being doubled. Neither Rising Sun (Md.) nor Poolesville (Md.) had ever won a state championship. After 80 minutes, however, both had a state championship trophy after a 1-1 draw.

"It's hard to say that we both are state champions, but it happens," said Poolesville coach Regina Grubb. "We get a trophy and we get a banner in the gym, too. I'm ecstatic."

"I felt really good coming in today because these kids are so mentally focused, and not one that gets rattled by all of the hoo-hah down here," said Rising Sun co-coach Linda Saubier.

But an incident in the 62nd minute is likely to be the most memorable in the history of both programs. On the play, Rising Sun forward Julie Moore had a breakaway, and shot the ball under Poolesville goalkeeper Amy Harmon. The ball wedged under her pad, and the far-side umpire crossed her arms as if to stop the clock.

Tiger fans were jubilant, and Poolesville fans cringed; it was the universal scenario for a penalty stroke. However, the umpire called a Rising Sun penalty corner rather than a stroke.

"I don't know how that happened, but we had to work with what we were given," Moore said.

In the 3A title, the history was by Sykesville South Carroll (Md.), which did something few teams had ever done: beat Fallston (Md.) 2-1 in a championship final. And this one went into overtime, too.

Jess Naper had the winning goal in the 79th minute, doing what she does best: remain a threat as the player coming in late on the break when a cross finds a soft area in the circle.

"I always stop and look at the goalie, see where she is and just push it," Naper told the assembled media horde. "It was like three seconds, but it seemed like a lifetime to me. I sort of like block out everything and just do it."

In the 4A title game, Annapolis Broadneck (Md.) topped Westminster (Md.) 1-0 for the school's first state championship since 1986 -- since before most of the members of the team was born.

"I was a year old, and it was just amazing that, in our senior year, we would be state champions," gushed winning scorer Allison Haun. "The whole experience has been wonderful, and I couldn't have asked for anything else."

On the play, Maria Dupont rescued a loose ball after the Bruins' prescribed corner play fizzled out, and got the ball to Haun, who stuck the ball in for the game-winner.

"Everybody on the corner is essential," Haun said. "She did a great job; we couldn't have done it without our wings."

"The great thing," said Broadneck head coach Melissa Quigley, "is that there is no one star on this team, and that allows everybody to work together."

HEREFORD GETS A WACKER OF A GOAL

Towson (Md.) could have seen it coming if it had checked the scorebook.

In a one-game playoff in mid-October with Hereford (Md.) for the title of Baltimore County champion, the Bulls got a corner with 12 minutes to go in regulation and set up a cross for their designated finisher.

True to her name, Danielle Wacker pumped the ball into the backboard to give Hereford a win over the Towson Generals, which had come into the game with a 12-0 record.

The two teams have developed a hot rivalry north of Baltimore the past couple of seasons, culminating in a Class 2A quarterfinal match that saw Hereford and goalkeeper Christina Restivo repelling Towson in penalty strokes.

This time, Wacker was the difference.

"I remember it perfectly. It's just like a picture in my mind," Wacker tells the Baltimore Sun. "I'll never forget it."

SHELTON FINDS TIME FOR MORE HISTORY

When Lil Shelton takes Severna Park (Md.) to the annual Sally Nyborg Tournament in Baltimore, she knows she is in for good competition, as the other annual participants -- Bethesda-Chevy Chase (Md.), Alexandria St. Stephen's/St. Agnes (Va.), and host Baltimore Roland Park (Md.) -- are amongst the best in the craft.

But in one day, her Falcons broke a school record that had stood since the dawn of the team in the mid-70s.

Severna Park played goalless overtime draws with Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Roland Park, and it was the first time in the history of the Falcon program that her team had more than two ties in a season.

"We didn't score, but neither did Bethesda-Chevy Chase and Roland Park," Shelton said.

The Falcons are looking for leadership in their front seven, which was obvious late in regulation. Severna Park earned several late penalty corners, and you could see some consternation amongst the members of the B-CC corner defense unit. They did not know exactly whom to mark, since the ball could go to anyone at the top of the circle.

"We don't have a go-to player this year," Shelton said. "Sometimes, that's an advantage."

Delaware

IT"S A TIE, FOLKS

There is now a four-way tie for the most state titles ever won in the history of the National Federation.

The latest of the 13-win club (joining Severna Park, Md.; Moorestown, N.J.; and Frank W. Cox, Va.) is none other than Wilmington Tower Hill (Del.).

Tower Hill came into the season with as good a collection of talent as any team in America, and could have very well contended for being the top field hockey team in the TopOfTheCircle.com Top 10.

But the Hillers lost consecutive games to Lewes Cape Henlopen (Del.) and Bear Caravel Academy (Del.), leading head coach Robin Adair to ake some changes.

The best one: give Paige Schmidt the ball.

The "A"-camper was magnificent all year, and, in a 3-1 final over Delmar (Del.), had a goal and an assist. The game was postponed two days because of rain (odd, since Rullo Stadium on the University of Delaware Campus is a water-based AstroTurf pitch), and Delmar tried its best to take psychological advantage.

Delmar's Jennifer Hastings scored on the quarter-hour, but Schmidt dished off to teammate Lauren McCrary off the very next Tower Hill corner.

No further scoring would occur until Tower Hill's Leigh Giacco drew her side ahead on a rebound 12 minutes from time, and Schmidt would finish the scoring in the 56th minute.

While this was a very businesslike final from Tower Hill, Delmar had a long trip getting to the final. Delmar is at the extreme lower edge of the state, and, as the town's name implies, straddles the border between Delaware and Maryland.

The 2002 team was not the one that coach Linda Budd was expecting to make the state final; rather it was the one on which her daughter Erin played as a senior that contained a number of excellent athletes.

"I'm thrilled that we led," Linda Budd told the Wilmington News-Journal. "One corner after the other can be tough ... Schmidt has a tremendous shot. We held tight for as long as we could."

VAN HINKLE GRUNTS WAY TO HOCKEY SUCCESS

There was a reason that Wilmington Tower Hill found itself in the midst of a two-game losing streak in early 2002. All you had to do is listen for the distinctive sounds of Bear Caravel Academy (Del.) goalkeeper Michelle Van Hinkle.

As Caravel played a goalless draw with Smyrna (Del.) in the 2002 Turf Bowl at Rullo Stadium in Newark, you could hear distintive, primal grunts as she made 17 saves on 22 opposing corners.

It isn't as if Serena Williams is her prime role model; years of wear and tear on her young frame has left her with a back injury and shin splints.

I have to play through it," she told The Wilmington News-Journal. "This is my last year, and I know the team is counting on me."

Indeed, she stonewalled Tower Hill in the early going, but had perhaps her finest performance in Turf Bowl 2002.

"I had such a bad adrenaline rush that I have a headache," she said after the game. "I really get into it."

Virginia

JAMES RIVER OVERCOMES LAKE BRADDOCK, DRAMA

It's official: 2002 was the longest field hockey season in the history of the Virginia High School League (VHSL).

After extraordinary efforts were made to extend the season deadline one week in the wake of a series of sniper shootings, a Nor'Easter dumped several inches of rain on the fields of Oakton (Va.) where the game was scheduled.

The game was postponed for three days to get the officials and the dried-out field ready for play.

And if that wasn't enough, Burke Lake Braddock (Va.) and Midlothian James River (Va.) played a 2-2 draw through regulation. The already-longest season would get even longer through overtime.

James River, however, ended matters in the ninth minute of extra time when Erika Seay scored a golden goal.

James River had shocked everyone in knocking off two-time defending champion Virginia Beach Princess Anne (Va.) in the first round of the state tournament, leaving every surviving team in the VHSL bracket thinking, "Hey, this could be ours!" It led to some magnificent hockey, including the final.

Lake Braddock took an early lead, then allowed a pair of late first-half goals. In between James River's two markers, the Bruins missed a penalty stroke. Braddock then held James River without a shot the last 30 minutes of regulation, finally tying the score at 3-3 in the 56th minute.

And seconds before Seay's golden goal, Lake Braddock superstar Nikki Saucier almost won it on a breakaway.

It was Lake Braddock's fifth trip to the state championship final. The Bruins, however, have never won.

"It's so annyoing," Braddock forward Lindsey Daugherty told The Washington Post. "When it comes to the finals, we just can't win it, even though we want it so bad."

TWO-TIME VHSL CHAMPS UPSET

Some of the most valuable information fans can get for the purposes of gauging the result of a field hockey game can come from pre-game warmups -- at least if you know what to look for.

Virginia Beach Princess Anne (Va.), as defending two-time Virginia High School League (VHSL) champions, was all business during warmups: half the team was clad in yellow pinnies, doing European-style small-games drills in silence, then came to the sideline and sat stock-still listening to the final preparations from head coach Denise O'Connell.

Opposing Midlothian James River (Va.) chanted during the last five minutes of warmups, and danced around during the introduction music played over the PA system at the immaculate two-field complex at Oakton (Va.).

"I think part of the reason they play as well as they do together is because we have fun, and I let them have fun," said Rapids head coach Slade Gormus. "And if they aren't having fun, there's not much sense in playing."

Clearly, James River was relishing its role as underdog, and fans had to wonder what would happen once the adrenaline burned off. Turns out it never did.

James River got a pair of first-half goals to beat Princess Anne 2-0 in perhaps the single biggest upset in the history of the VHSL Tournament.

"Any time you have to play The Beach in the first round, it's something you have to work for," Gormus said. "I'm very, very happy, and the girls wanted it."

To give perspective on why the result was an upset, consider that, of the previous 25 tournaments, 20 were won by teams in the Virginia Beach area, including each of the last 13. Princess Anne, as two-time defending state champs and top seed out of the Eastern Region, was therefore the heavy favorite coming in.

The two biggest heroines of the match were clearly goalkeeper Jessica Shepherd and center midfielder Shannon Taylor. Taylor, who played last year at Seaford (Del.), cemented an extremely strong midfield presence that thwarted just about every Princess Anne thrust.

"The middle of the field is the strongest part of our team, and there is no way they are going to get the ball down the field," Taylor said.

"We have a very strong middle of the field and that forces people to go left or right, and it helps us," Gormus said. "As long as we can cut off the middle of the field, we do well."

And when Princess Anne, led by the relentless attackers Rebecca Bossler and Jessica Mantel, got though, Shepherd, who stands at 4-foot-11 ("and a half," she chimes in) was extremely stout throughout, making stop after stop against a team which would have beaten a lesser goalkeeper.

"By the second half, I knew what they were going to do," Shepherd said. "I was watching their crossing and how they were playing."

HOWARD BRINGS EXCELLENCE, ATTITUDE TO W.T. WOODSON

Sophomore Sam Howard wears the blue and white of Alexandria W.T. Woodson (Va.) proudly. But in the fall of 2001, she took a road trip to The College of New Jersey, site of the New Jersey state field hockey championships, to see another blue and white team in which she sees a kinship.

Despite the fact that she loves her new school, Howard had to see how her old school, Washington Warren Hills (N.J.) was doing in the Group III championship.

She saw Warren Hills' loss to Ocean City (N.J.) and took away lessons that she has applied to her 2002 season at Woodson. The Cavaliers, thanks in part to the forward's heroics, took one of the Virginia High School League's regional championships. Woodson beat Burke Lake Braddock (Va.) 2-0 in the Northern Regional championship.

"I credit everything I know to New Jersey, but I play here now," Howard said. "Coming from a program that's so amazing and upbeat, it's a change to come down here where it's not that big a sport. But with a school like Woodson, we came together and made it so good. We've never made it this far."

"Sam Howard is hockey through and through," said Woodson coach Andy Muir. "When you've got someone with that much enthusiasm towards the game, you cannot help but have it rub off onto people around her. People feed off that enthusiam."

The 2002 Northern Region title is the Cavaliers' first in field hockey.

"These girls work their butts off to be as good as they are," Howard said. "And it shows; we play great hockey here."

"They really wanted and went for it, and they got their just desserts," Muir said. "Two-nil may be a bit flattering, but I thought it was a fair result."

FOWLKES BACK AT COX -- SORT OF

Imagine Bill Tierney, the legendary men's lacrosse coach at Princeton University, coaching soccer. He did at one time while at Johns Hopkins.

He isn't the only one who had to coach something else before finding championship success. Before Sandy Chronic won three state championships at Flemington Hunterdon Central (N.J.), she was a cheerleading coach. Nancy Williams of West Long Branch Shore Regional (N.J.) coached track and field for a time.

There's something about coaching that remains in the blood, and translates across the boundaries of sport.

Nancy Fowlkes, recently retired from coaching field hockey at Virginia Beach Frank W. Cox (Va.) after more than 300 wins and 13 state titles, has returned to wear the forest green and gold one more time.

But in an almost Dickensian twist, Fowlkes is now an assistant football at the school to which she has given 30 years of her life.

"You stand two feet away from it and it's a bit of a 'wow,'" she tells The Virginian-Pilot. "It's legalized assault and battery."

Oddly enough, with the Pilot reporter looking on that day, Fowlkes got a little too close to one drill and was bowled over by a defensive tackle in full pads.

"No ice," said when offered an ice bag at the end of the day's drills. "I'm a football coach now."

SHOWING THE WAY

Marsha Way had every right to be worried. The legendary head coach at Alexandria St. Stephen's/St. Agnes (Va.) did not have her full contingent of players in preseason because of a senior retreat.

She has seen what can happen with a slow start; her team opened the 2000 season with a 3-0 loss to Richmond St. Catherine's (Va.), and her team never really recovered that season, losing in extra time to St. Catherine's in the VISL final.

However, at the Sally Nyborg Tournament in Baltimore, the Saints appeared to be in mid-season form, beating Bethesda-Chevy Chase (Md.) 3-0 and host Baltimore Roland Park (Md.) 2-1.

For last year's notes from this region, click here.