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 Nov. 19, 2014)
Corinne Kenney is a fearless competitor. Don’t be fooled by her slight build, the Central Bucks South senior has been able to hold her own since the day she began playing competitive sports. Picture, if you can, Kenney as a lanky youngster manning the sweeper position for her soccer team with the firm conviction that every 50-50 ball belonged to her. For the most part, they did. Last year, when South played Conestoga in a non-league hockey contest, Kenney was assigned the task of marking 6-2, 165-pound Oliver Everts, the Pioneers’ male star from Amsterdam. Rumor has it that by the second half, Conestoga’s coach was complaining that Kenney was playing too rough. It was, in fact, vintage Kenney, who has had plenty of practice standing up for herself as the youngest of three sisters. Both were tough acts to follow. Eldest sister Kiera, an elite gymnast, accepted a scholarship to George Washington University where she had a stellar gymnastics career, qualifying for NCAA Regionals three straight years. Kayla, three years Corinne’s senior, received a field hockey scholarship to Villanova where she earned All-BIG EAST first team honors this fall.
If it seems as though it might have been a daunting task to follow in their footsteps, guess again. Kenney never flinched, carving out a niche of her own. She recently inked her name on a letter of intent to accept a field hockey scholarship to Providence University. She was the catalyst during a storybook season that saw a Titan team in transition capture the program’s eighth consecutive SOL conference crown and earn a trip to the district final and then the state semifinals. The unlikely journey began in July when Brittany Grzywacz took over the helm. “We had a few running sessions over the summer, and I could tell the day I met Corinne that she was going to be a leader for the team,” the Titans’ first-year coach said. “The way she plays – she plays with a lot of confidence and a lot of strength. You can tell when you look at her that she really knows what she’s doing.”
Gymnastics was the sport of choice in the Kenney family while Corinne was growing up. All three sisters got their start in gymnastics, all three competed at a high level. It was in gymnastics that the competitive drive was nurtured at an early age. “Corinne has continued to build upon that quality,” Kiera Kenney said. “At a young age, fear is not a factor in the sport of gymnastics. You learn to be brave and just do what your coaches tell you, even if the skill is unimaginable. Corinne defined fearlessness to a ‘t.’” Corinne took that competitive drive onto the hockey field, and it was that quiet determination to succeed that was at the heart of this year’s Titan squad.
Kenney, who has been playing hockey since seventh grade, will continue her career at Providence where she will major in economics with her sights set on becoming a lawyer. An excellent student, Kenney is a member of the National Honor Society and Key Club. She is enrolled in AP classes and is on track to earn a scholarship diploma.
To read Kenney’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/corinne-kenney-0048658
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Nov. 19, 2014)
When Pennsbury fell to North Penn in the second round of the PIAA playoffs a year ago, Austin O’Neill took a look around the locker room and locked eyes with some of his senior teammates. “It was not a nice sight, seeing my buddies all upset,” said O’Neill, who also was inconsolable but awoke the next day to the realization that his career was not over. “I was real upset too, but it made me more determined,” he said. “I didn’t want to feel that way again.” So far, so good. As a senior offensive lineman, O’Neill and the rest of the Falcons – featuring Rutgers-bound tailback Charles Snorweah – have made it past the second round and are in the district finals. “Everyone is determined and focused,” said O’Neill. “This has been our goal since we lost to North Penn last year.”
It was about two weeks after last season ended that Pennsbury coach Galen Snyder approached O’Neill, an all-league choice at tackle and starter there since his sophomore year, and floated the idea of switching to guard. “At first it was a big change for me because the guards do a lot of pulling,” said O’Neill. “It worked out better in the end though because I got to show my talent more.” The Falcons’ line has been stellar, and Snyder knows where his bread is buttered. He can’t say enough about O’Neill and the job he has done anchoring the line. “He has been tremendous,” said the coach. “He is one of the best linemen we’ve ever had here.” Snyder cites the infectious toughness of the 5-10, 260-pounder as his main attribute. “I try to play tough,” said O’Neill. “I lead by example. I was elected by my peers as a captain, and I just try my best to fit that role. Being a captain has been a real honor. I’m really not too vocal. I guess I’m just the stereotypical offensive lineman.”
Off the field, O’Neill has gotten satisfaction working alongside rivals from other Suburban One League schools helping special needs kids play football with the Bucks County Challenger football program. “I like helping people,” he explained. “They all really look up to us, and it’s cool to see the smiles on their faces.” O’Neill has high sights set on playing at the next level. Right now, he is talking with Millersville and Division II schools in the PSAC. “Whoever gets him is going to get a heck of a football player,” said Snyder, who added that he could envision O’Neill making the transition to center on the collegiate level. “In our Wing-T offense, we do a lot of pulling with our guards, and he is as good as anybody I’ve ever seen at doing it. Like I said, he is one of the best offensive linemen we have ever had here.”
To view O’Neill’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/austin-oneill-0048679
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