Central Bucks South will face West Chester Henderson in Saturday’s District One AAA field hockey final.
By Mary Jane Souder
There’s a certain mystique surrounding the Central Bucks South field hockey program.
The kind of mystique that goes hand in hand with success, and this year’s squad has continued the program’s tradition of excellence.
The Titans have played 21 games this season. With absolutely no fanfare, they’ve won 20 of them and captured their seventh consecutive conference crown. On Saturday, the second-seeded Titans will take on top-seeded West Chester Henderson in an attempt to defend a district crown they own.
On the field, they are all business.
Off the field, they know how to have serious fun, and according to co-coach Marie Schmucker, they’re like sisters.
“They’re one big happy family,” the Titans’ coach said. “They all take care of each other from the seniors on down to the freshmen on the team.
“They know how to look out for each other. They win together, and they lose together. They’re high energy at practice, but they know when to practice and when to have fun. Sometimes teams have a hard time separating that, but these girls know how to practice and have a good time and when it’s time to get down to the nitty gritty.”
The Titans love their tunes and say they dance whenever their coaches aren’t looking.
“When they turn around, we stop,” senior Megan Hamilton said.
To protect their reputation, the players refuse to divulge the name of their favorite artist, but did acknowledge they are partial to a certain unnamed boy band with “really cute hair and accents.”
“We’ve been together for so long, we’ve known each other for such a long time, and we’re just like goofballs with each other,” senior Mackenzie Harding said. “We make each other laugh a lot.
“I think that helps us too because we don’t take anything too seriously. We love playing hockey, but we love being with each other too.”
While plenty of practice time is spent refining their hockey skills, they take a break for team challenges. The entire team – varsity and jayvee – has been randomly split into four different countries, Canada, Holland, England and the United States.
“We all do these different activities,” senior Jessica Schmidt said. “We went bowling, we had a scavenger hunt, and we had a swimming challenge. That gives us a break from hockey, and we had some fun.”
The winner is announced at the end of the season with the winning country receiving a trophy and t-shirts. There are those, they say, who will even bend the rules to win.
“It’s not competitive, but we’re all so competitive within ourselves,” Harding said. “We do whatever it takes to win.”
Thursday night for the Titans means a trip to Jade Island in Warrington for $1 sushi.
“It’s not just when we’re practicing that we’re having a good time with each other,” Harding said. “We all try and meet up at football games. We all really want to see each other.”
The players share an unmistakable bond.
“It’s awesome,” Schmidt said. “Both inside and outside of hockey, we’re all friends. I have known every one of these girls since middle school, and since then, we’ve been together.”
“Even when we go to college, I’ll still be friends with all these girls because we’ll all want to stay in contact,” senior Shannon Flynn said.
Ask the seniors what they’ve enjoyed most about the season, and no mention is made of winning titles.
“I enjoy being with everyone,” Flynn said. “Even when we’re not playing hockey, we still get together, and it’s always a good time.”
“We’ve all been together for so long,” senior Gabby Villa added. “We have so many inside jokes. We like to goof around and make fun of each other.
“We just have a good time together whether it’s at practice or on the bus rides home.”
“I’m going to remember all the times we laughed,” senior Rachel Gorman said. “We laughed at each other and with each other.
“On the bus rides, we have a good time, but when we come to the field, we know when to get serious. We just have a really good bond.”
If there’s pressure associated with trying to maintain the program’s level of excellence, the players certainly don’t let it show.
“With South hockey, you have to live up to that because you know it’s a strong program,” Harding said. “We know we have something to live up to, but we all just really have fun with it.
“We push each other, and we know how to take a joke.”
“”We’re just a fun team,” Hamilton said. “I just think we have actually unbelievable amounts of fun – on the field, off the field, even at practice.
“I just like how through all the years we’ve been here there’s never been any kind of drama at all that we’ve ever had to deal with. We’ve always gotten along, and it’s been such a blast.
“Everyone always looks forward to practices. It’s going to be sad to see it end, and hopefully, it won’t end any time soon.”
Setting the tone for this year’s squad are the six seniors – Harding, Hamilton, Schmidt, Gorman, Flynn and Villa.
“Our senior leadership is unbelievable,” Schmucker said. “They’re nice kids – they’re very respectful, and that’s a big thank you to their parents because it starts at home.”
And carries over to the hockey field where the Titans really are “one big happy family.”
#1 WEST CHESTER HENDERSON vs #2 CENTRAL BUCKS SOUTH, Saturday, Nov. 2, 3:30 p.m., at Wissahickon High School
Central Bucks South
- 20-1 overall
- 13-1 SOL Continental Conference champions (seventh consecutive conference title)
- Saw 15-game winning streak to open season snapped with 1-0 overtime loss to eighth-seeded Central Bucks West on Oct. 10.
How they got here: Senior Megan Hamilton scored a pair of goals to lead the Titans to a 2-0 win over conference rival Hatboro-Horsham in Wednesday’s district semifinal contest. In a district quarterfinal game, the Titans, despite 20 corners and 24 shots, defeated seventh-seeded Council Rock South by just a 2-0 score in a district quarterfinal game. Corrine Kenney and Rachel Gorman accounted for the team’s goals. In South’s 5-0 second round win over 18th-seeded Strath Haven, Gorman and Kenney each had a pair of goals while Megan Hamilton scored one goal.
West Chester Henderson
- 13-0 Ches-Mont National Division champions
- Led by senior Katie O’Donnell, who has accepted a lacrosse scholarship to Penn State. The senior standout, the owner of a powerful shot, surpassed the 100-goal mark for a stellar career in September (Interestingly, she scored 117 goals in lacrosse last season alone.)
- The Warriors are undefeated heading into Saturday’s district title game against CB South
- First district title game appearance since 1994.
How they got here: Katie O’Donnell scored the game winner on a penalty corner with seven minutes remaining in Wednesday’s 2-1 semifinal win over fourth-seeded Owen J Roberts. Earlier in the game, Susannah Pitt scored a goal. In the Warriors’ 2-1 quarterfinal win over Central Bucks West, Pitt scored a pair of goals, both with assists from O’Donnell, who has 30 assists on the season. In a 2-0 second round win over West Chester East, Olivia Schwartz scored an early goal, using an O’Donnell assist. Claire Applebee came off the bench to add a first half goal.
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