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. 28, 2013)
Kristin Donohue wasn’t a headliner on this year’s SOL National Conference championship Council Rock South field hockey squad, but the senior captain, according to her coach, embodied all of the traits that made this year’s team such a special one. “She leads by her actions,” coach Tina Reinprecht said. “She’s not going to yell at anybody. She’s just going to work hard and have everybody’s back throughout the game. Hard work – everybody working together, everybody works hard, everybody sticks together, and we never quit.” That not only described this year’s Golden Hawk squad but Donohue as well. The senior midfielder did whatever was asked of her and then some. “It wasn’t necessarily in stats, but in terms of work output,” Reinprecht said of Donohue’s contributions. “She flies on corners, she strikes on corners, so she goes end line to end line. There were moments during the season when she was like, ‘Darn it, I’m going to carry this team on my back.”
Donohue has been a varsity contributor since her freshman year when – along with several teammates – she was a swing player. A starter since her sophomore year, she has endured her share of nicks and bruises. Last year Donohue battled a hip flexor, and this past season, she dealt with a back issue and then injured her ankle midway through the season before pulling her IT band late in the season. Still, she never missed a game. “She really battled through it,” Reinprecht said. “I expected a lot of her, and boy, she played her heart out the last three quarters of the season and really did a phenomenal job.” Donohue’s time spent in the trainer’s room influenced her career choice. She plans to pursue a degree in biology and follow that with three additional years to become a physical therapist. “I just love helping people get better at their sport,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of injuries, and just coming out of them, I’m so thankful for all the help I’ve gotten to get back in the game.” Next fall, Donohue will take her talents to perennial Division II power Messiah College, choosing Messiah over a final list that included Kutztown and Eastern University.
When she’s not playing field hockey, Donohue is volunteering her time at her church where she helps out with the children’s programs once or twice a week. “She’s a great kid with a tremendous work output,” Reinprecht said. “I really couldn’t have been prouder of her and how she led the team and finished the season.”
To read Donohue’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/kristin-donohue-0039613
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Nov. 28, 2013)
Perhaps it was poetic justice that Jake Clark’s long association with the Abington High School football team ended on Thanksgiving Day against neighborhood rival Cheltenham. Clark had a lot for which to be thankful. His time with Abington, dating back to serving as a game-day ball boy while in grade school, became a dream realized. “His association here has been a long one,” said one of his biggest fans, coach Tim Sorber. Clark has been a true rarity for larger schools. He has been a starter on the defensive line since his freshman year and a two-way lineman the last two seasons. “He is a big reason why we have enjoyed a lot of success,” said Sorber. “From week to week, he has played at a high level on both sides of the ball.”
Sorber, a standout lineman in his days at Abington, estimates that Clark played around 100 snaps a game since becoming a two-way starter, making him one of just three such gladiators in the SOL’s National Conference. “It’s very uncommon,” Sorber said. “It doesn’t happen a lot, and that’s because it’s very difficult to do.” During a three-game stretch this season, Clark was called upon to fill in for the regular punter. Answering the call was not an issue. “If you have the right mindset, you can do it,” Clark said. And the right mental approach helped him to be an ideal leader for the Ghosts. “He enjoys football,” Sorber said. “It’s fun for him. For me, it makes coaching a whole lot easier.” What has impressed Sorber is that Clark’s commitment to football was maintained while working 40 hours a week in the summer in the township’s public works department. “He still never missed a workout,” said Sorber. “His commitment and effort translated to his leadership skills. He’s not afraid to talk to people. Leaders can’t just be rah-rah guys. He’ll get in a kid’s face. At the same time, he’ll give a kid a pat on the back. He’s not afraid to do that either.”
Whether or not football will be part of Clark’s future remains to be seen, but he’s had himself quite a career at Abington, this season earning first team all-league honors on both sides of the football. “He is one of the best players I have ever coached in my 14 years of head coaching,” said Sorber. “Most of all, I will be forever appreciative of Jake’s commitment, leadership, effort and fun he has brought to the Ghosts football program in his four years.”
To view Clark’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/jake-clark-0039631
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