Council Rock North won its third consecutive National Conference lacrosse title this spring. The Indians’ five senior captains have been starters for four years and have been the cornerstone of the program’s ascent to the top of the standings.
Council Rock North co-coaches Pat Toner and Carolyn Kacergis can’t talk about this year’s senior class without mentioning the laughter and fun this group has brought to the team.
“There’s not a day we’re not laughing about something,” Toner said.
“I don’t think one practice has gone by in the last four years that we haven’t laughed about something funny they have said or done,” Kacergis added.
That might not sound like the sort of thing coaches of championship teams would mention, but this Rock North squad has found the magical and elusive combination of not only winning games but having a whole lot of fun while doing it.
Toner recounts introducing her team to the ‘Rubber Duck Olympics’ during a practice at last year’s spring break.
“I gave each of them a rubber duck – one’s a scuba diver, one’s a teacher,” the Indians’ coach said. “They’re just a bunch of crazy-looking ducks. I handed one to each of them and said, ‘You have to come to practice dressed like the duck you just took.’
“This could have gone either way. They could have looked at me and said, ‘Are you nuts? We’re not doing this.’”
That didn’t happen.
“The next day Kara Magley came to practice in full-out scuba gear – the flippers, the mask, the whole entire thing,” Toner said. “Everybody just stopped and roared. It was hysterical.
“They all bought into this, and it was like, ‘Who can outdo the other one.’ This year they had ducks that were in a rocket ship, and both Molly Doyle and Kara Magley came dressed as rockets. They couldn’t even move. They had cardboard outfits with pointed hats and everything else. That’s the kind of kids they are.”
Beyond being a lot of fun, this year’s seniors – Kara Magley, Molly Doyle, Bridget Doyle, Kara Le, Hannah Plappert, Michaela Gibbon and Caitlin Hannagen - have been the cornerstone of the program’s turnaround. The Indians have won three consecutive SOL National Conference championships and have compiled a 25-1 record in league play over the last three years. Their only loss came two years ago at the hands of an Abington squad that had been a perennial National Conference power.
The tables have turned, and the Indians, who closed out their league season with an 18-5 win over the Ghosts, are now an SOL power.
“Thinking back to our freshman year when they would just kill us – it feels awesome to look at the scoreboard and see what we can accomplish and how far we’ve come,” Le said.
“I remember playing Abington my freshman year and looking eight feet up at these giant girls,” Plappert added. “We were terrified. We lost to Abington, and we lost to CR South, which is my worst memory.
“Now we come out here, and it’s great to have developed that confidence in the team. We can really depend on everybody, and it’s just really satisfying to see the progression we’ve gone through the past four years growing together.”
Magley, Doyle, Plappert, Le and Bridget Doyle – the team’s five captains – have been varsity starters since they stepped onto the field as freshmen.
“Our first year coaching was their first year, and I took a look at them and said, ‘We have a ton of talent. We can definitely get something out of this group,’” Toner said. “There was just a lot of raw talent, and they had a hard work ethic.
“I knew from the minute I saw them that this was a special group of kids. The five of them contributed immediately.”
There were some early struggles. The Indians, who finished over .500, took a pair of beatings at the hands of Abington (13-4, 15-4) that first year.
“We always dreaded playing Abington,” Magley said. “As freshmen, we were so scared of them. We thought they were the big bullies, and they were going to beat us up.”
One year later, the Indians picked up a 10-7 win over the Ghosts and split the season series with them. Since then, they’ve won five straight.
“After our sophomore year, we started becoming part of the game and making them deal with us,” Magley said.
Those tough times when they were freshmen have given the seniors a deeper appreciation of the success that has come their way since that time.
“Thinking back to our freshman year when we would have the games in the stadium and they would just kill us – it just feels awesome to look at the scoreboard now and see what we can accomplish and how far we’ve come,” Le said. “Freshman year was scary – having five freshmen on the team and not really knowing what to expect.
“Each year we got better and better. It feels like we’ve accomplished so much.”
The team’s steady improvement and winning three consecutive championships is a point of pride for the seniors.
“It definitely means a lot, especially after our freshman year when we lost so badly,” Molly Doyle said. “We just had a really young team, and just growing as a team together – this team has been playing together for a long time, and we just learned to play together. It’s really gratifying.”
Just how far the Indians have come was underscored when they defeated perennial SOL power North Penn 8-7 in this year’s season opener.
“We had never beaten them before, and we know how much of a powerhouse they are,” Molly Doyle said. “We lost to them every year we’ve been here.”
The Indians also notched a big win over Continental Conference champion Hatboro-Horsham this season, but well beyond the wins, beyond the championships – and perhaps more important than any of that - is the special camaraderie and deep friendship that has grown with each passing year.
“The five of us captains have been playing together since we pretty much started playing lacrosse,” Magley said. “We’re all best friends. We’re a family – we’re all sisters.”
“I feel like our team is honestly like a family,” Molly Doyle added. “I know a lot of people say that, but we hang out all the time outside of sports. We’re all really close, and I think that helps.”
Bridget Doyle echoed a similar sentiment.
“Playing together all four years, we’re like a family,” she said. “At practices, we have so much fun. We get our work done, but in between, we have jokes. We’re laughing constantly.
“We’re all best friends. We play against teams, and sometimes they bicker. It never happens. It has been the best experience ever.”
With the season winding down to a precious few games, the reality that the seniors will be going their separate ways is starting to hit home.
“It’s going to be so strange next year when some of us go on to play in college without each other,” Magley said. “The five of us captains have been playing together since we pretty much started playing lacrosse.
“We’ve gotten so used to everyone on the team – our coaches and everything, and its’ going to be really different.”
“It’s bittersweet,” Bridget Doyle said. “This is the last time we’re playing together in a season, and it’s so sad.
“I love these girls. I’m going to stay in contact with them my entire life.”
“It’s sad,” Le said. “We only have (one) game guaranteed, and I don’t want to move on, but I think we definitely made the most of this.”
The seniors leave with countless memories of the special times they shared together.
“Each of the teams every year have been different but so much fun,” Le said. “Just my team in general is what I’m going to remember the most and how much we accomplished – where we started to where we are now.”
“I’m going to remember the girls,” Molly Doyle said. “We have been playing together for so long. I know a lot of us are going to play in college, but it’s going to be weird playing with different girls.”
“All the girls are my best friends,” Plappert said. “I went to preschool with Molly and Bridget. I’ve known Kara Le and Kara Magley since elementary school.
“I know in 20 years I’m going to look back and tell my kids about how much of a family our lacrosse team was. All year we can’t wait for spring because we can’t wait for lacrosse. It’s so fun. Definitely lacrosse is my fondest high school memory.”
The players aren’t the only ones sad at the prospect of seeing a memorable season end.
“This is a really special group of girls that you don’t see come along too often,” Kacergis said. “They are not only extremely talented lacrosse players, they are so much fun to be around.
“I will truly miss coaching them but even more so miss seeing and being around them every day.”
“When it ends – and I hope it doesn’t end soon, I’m not going to be as sad for the wins and losses, but I’m truly going to miss them as people,” Toner said. “I thought it was hard saying good-bye to my son leaving for college, and on a different level, you have to do this every year you coach, especially if you care about them.
“So it’s very hard to say good bye to them and their parents. They’ve helped me through some very difficult times when my brother and sister passed away. They’re just good people, and more than anything else, that’s what matters.”
Perhaps Plappert summed it up best.
“It’s unreal,” she said. “It’s one of those things you’re expecting to come, and then suddenly it’s here, and you’re like, ‘Wait, I’m not ready yet. I need more time.’
“Lacrosse season means the end of the year, and I’m not ready to transition yet.”
Whenever it ends, it’s been quite a ride for a senior class that has established a new standard for Council Rock North lacrosse.
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