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SuburbanOneSports.com recognizes a male and female featured athlete each week. The awards, sponsored by Univest, are given to seniors of good character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Oct. 3, 2013)
Rachel Clemens finds herself at times simply standing back as she marvels while watching Megan Schafer play soccer. She sees her moves on the field, her passing ability, her knowledge of the situation, her shots, her goals. She sees her fierce competitive nature and she sees her desire. These are all wonderful traits for an athlete, one who excels at a singular sport. Clemens has been the head coach for all four years Schafer has played for the Neshaminy girls’ soccer team, and she finds herself in awe of what she sees on the soccer field. The pair have worked well together. The Redskins reached the PIAA Class AAA state semifinals a year ago. This year, the team is off to a rousing start with only two goals scored against them in the team’s first 10 games. While much of this is because of what Schafer and her Neshaminy teammates have been able to do on the field, what makes the coach shake her head in amazement about her top player is what Schafer is like off the field – when the game is not on the line.
This standout athlete, named the best in the state last year, also amazes with her warmth and her compassion for others. “I think of her and there are just not enough adjectives to properly describe her,” Clemens said of Schafer. “She is one of those rare players that you only get every so often. It’s hard to not be a fan of Megan Schafer’s.” Schafer is a four-year starter for the soccer team, a three-year captain. She is also a three-sport athlete, the starting point guard for the girls’ basketball team in the winter and running for the track team in the spring. There is no question as to which sport she excels at the most. A two-time First Team All-American in soccer the last two years, she was named the PSCA State Player of the Year in 2012 as a junior. She has already committed to Penn State, the recipient of a soccer scholarship.
Certainly that would be an impressive enough resume for any 17-year-old. Yet, ask those involved with Athletes Helping Athletes to name Schafer’s best attribute, and they would probably not list any of the numbers. They would probably say her smile. Athletes Helping Athletes is a program dedicated to special needs children, giving them a chance for inclusion in the athletic process by allowing them to be part of a team during game days. Schafer first became aware of it while playing on the basketball team. Two years ago, she lobbied Clemens to have the girls’ soccer team participate. “It’s such a great program,” Schafer said. “I can honestly say that the program has changed my life in the way that I look at things, my outlook on life. I am so happy we started doing it for soccer and that I have gotten to be part of it. It has made me decide that I want to do something like that with my life.” This is the essence of what Clemens talks about with regard to her standout player. There is so much more than a name in a boxscore or a space on a trophy. Schaefer also excels in the classroom where she boasts a 4.3 GPA and is a member of the National Honor Society. “There have been so many awards and interviews when I’ve talked about Megan over the four years, and the one thing I can say is that even as a freshman, she was a natural leader,” Clemens said. “You could always tell she was going to be an elite player. What I didn’t realize about her back then was that she is one of the most humble players you will ever come across. She has never let any of the many honors she has received ever get to her head. You look at her leadership capabilities, and you understand that she is a great teammate and an amazing person to coach. She has a total attitude of team first.”
Even with all the accolades bestowed upon her over the years, when pressed to name a single moment that stands out above the rest, Schafer thought long to find one. “Because of my family,” she said. “I think what I’m most proud of is hearing my parents say they are of me.” Sometimes, you just have to stand back and marvel.
To read Schafer’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/megan-schafer-0038152
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Oct. 3, 2013)
Adam Strogis is one of those special players every coach would want on their team. Not only because of the athletic contributions the Souderton senior has to offer but because of the intangibles that set him apart. Consider only that Strogis, an outstanding soccer goalie, was relegated to the role of varsity backup until his senior year as he bided his time behind Tyler Afflerbach, who is the starting keeper at Drexel this year. Instead of lamenting his fate, Strogis made the best of it, assuming the role of 12th man. “Even though he wasn’t seeing time on the field, he was the emotional leader for us on the bench,” coach Matt Benner said. “He would always inspire the rest of the guys on the team to be loud and encourage the rest of the guys on the field. He handled it with great class and respect.” When it came time to elect captains at the end of the season last year, Strogis and Nick Stulb were elected.
Strogis is the starting goalie for the Indians this season. He also is the kicker and punter for the football team, a job he inherited last year when Jeff Wolf – also a standout soccer player – went down with an injury. “In a week’s time, I had to learn everything,” Strogis recalled. He was apparently a quick study. In his first game, he was 4-for-4 on extra points and handled several kickoffs. “I loved it,” he said. This year, Strogis also took over the punting chores. Playing two sports requires some serious schedule juggling, practicing with both team two days a week and – on occasion – running from a soccer game to a football game. “Adams is a great kid,” Souderton football coach Ed Gallagher said. “He is very coachable and works well on all the different kicking techniques that we give him.” Strogis also plays basketball and baseball, competing in basketball on the community circuit and playing baseball for his high school team. Soccer, however, remains his number one sport, and to say he’s enjoying his final high school season would be an understatement. “It’s literally a dream come true,” Strogis said. “I couldn’t picture anything better than my senior year being captain for the soccer team and also kicking for the football team. It’s surreal.”
During a soccer season that has had its ups and downs, Strogis has managed to remain upbeat. “Adam’s always going to be a positive guy,” Benner said. “Obviously, we were all a little bit frustrated that some of the results early in the year didn’t go our way, but you go into the locker room the next day, and Adam’s the guy that’s got the music on, that’s getting the guys going, that’s smiling. He’s a great calming presence in the locker room.”
Strogis is a member of Souderton’s LINK Crew, a group of upperclassmen who help orient incoming freshmen into high school life. He has been accepted into Bloomsburg but is leaving his options open. He plans to enroll in a program called medical imaging/radiology therapy. As for his future in soccer, that is also up in the air. For now, he is making positive contributions to his high school squad. “We really respect him for the way he handled last season and the things he’s done this year because when it wasn’t his time, he was a great teammate and didn’t let personal pride or anything like that get in the way,” Benner said. “Now that he is getting his shot, he is continuing to excel.”
To view Strogis’ complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/adam-strogis-0038221
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