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 Feb. 26, 2015)
Peyton Traina doesn’t put up big numbers, and the Central Bucks West captain might be the least recognizable of the ‘Fab Four’ seniors who have been part of the basketball program since they were freshmen. But don’t underestimate her significance. Traina, according to her coach, is the glue that holds this year’s successful team together. “Peyton is unquestionably the leader of our team,” coach Terry Rakowsky said. “She’s the kid who is the voice in our practices, the captain on the floor, the one who directs things. She’s really like a coach on the floor. The one thing we lacked last year – our leadership was okay, but we didn’t really have that strong leadership. She has evolved in the offseason and into the season – without a doubt as our leader.” That’s high praise for a player who does not find herself in the spotlight on a roster that includes three Division One signees.
Basketball has been a savior of sorts for Traina this winter, following a chain of events that turned the family’s world upside down last summer. Traina’s family traveled to the Outer Banks in late July for a vacation with the family of her dad’s best friend from grad school. On day two, Traina was at the pool at the house when her father’s friend ran from the beach shouting, ‘Call 911, call 911.’ “We had no idea what was happening at the time,” Peyton said. “I had my phone, so I called 911. The operator said, ‘You need to go on the beach and tell me what’s happening.’ I just remember seeing my dad laying on the bench and his friend leaning over him. I said, ‘I don’t know what it is, but it’s my dad.’” Mike Traina – a former standout basketball player and the picture of health – was flown to Norfolk General Hospital, the victim of a stroke.
Seven months later, he continues his recovery at Bryn Mawr Rehab with daily visits from his wife Julie. Peyton is the oldest of five siblings – Jack (10th grade), Luke (seventh grade), Casey (fifth grade) and Abby (first grade), and her inspiration comes from the woman who holds the Traina family together, her mother. “She has been the strongest person I have ever seen,” Peyton said. “I looked up to her before, of course, she’s the greatest mom in the world. After this incident, I can honestly say – I have never seen a more remarkable person. She is so incredibly strong, and watching her stand by my dad’s side this whole time – it’s been unbelievable.”
A high academic achiever, Traina, who is taking three AP classes, is a member of the National Honor Society. For the past two years she has been the sole member from West on Central Bucks East’s Coaches vs. Cancer committee, an event that expanded to include West last year. She is a member of the Key Club and volunteers one day a week at the daycare at Doylestown. While she is still awaiting word from several schools, Traina’s top college choices right now are Boston College, University of Virginia and University of North Carolina. She’s been accepted at all three. She is uncertain of her major. “The only thing I’m 100 percent certain of is that I really want to work with kids,” she said. “I love working with kids. I haven’t decided if that’s going to be med school, being a pediatrician or nursing or teaching.”
“She’s a special kid,” Rakowsky said, “She’s one of those kids you know down the road you’re going to be hearing about doing great things in life.”
To read Traina’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/peyton-traina-0051193
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Feb. 26, 2015)
When North Penn basketball coach John Conrad told then incoming junior Joe Richards that he projected as a deep reserve behind a core group of seniors returning to a team that had just tied for a league title, he was being honest. And when Richards responded, his level of veracity was evident as well. “Before Joe’s junior year, we met and I told him that he was going to be the 9th-10th man on the varsity level and that playing time was going to be scarce,” recalled Conrad. “We had eight seniors back from a team that had just tied for the conference championship. He very politely asked if that was set in stone because they were seniors. I said, no, it wasn’t. His response, ‘Well, then if it’s okay with you coach, I’m going to make you change your mind and take someone’s starting spot.’ He started 21 games for us that season.”
Fast forward to this season, there was no doubt about Richards and his role. He and longtime friend and teammate Cordell Lord were the clear-cut leaders. When Lord went down with an injury during the season and again in the playoffs against favored Abington, Richards slid over to play Lord’s point guard spot. “With Joe at the point, we beat Perkiomen Valley and then Methacton (who was 18-3) on back-to-back nights,” Conrad said. “Then (Lord) missed the district game against Abington, and Joe again volunteered to play the point. He had one of his best games of the season, and we almost upset Abington, falling short 59-58.”
And now that the season and his high school career are over, he remains in a winning position. Among the schools seeking his yet-untapped potential and fierce determination to improve are Delaware State (Division I), Nyack College (Division II) and McDaniel College (Division III). “I want to put myself in the best situation – where I can thrive, both athletically and academically,” said Richards, who plans to major in business and finance. Richards has put himself in position to play at the next level with more than just basketball skill. He has the academics to match, boasting a 3.2 grade point average.
A driving force behind Richards’ quest is a vow he made to himself to make a better life for himself and his mother, JoMarie Barnes, who raised him as a single parent after Richards’ father died before he was born. Watching his mother sacrifice and work multiple jobs while obtaining a master’s degree in biochemistry at West Chester University set the bar high at home. “My angle was always to get a scholarship,” Richards said. “Me and mom didn’t have much for a long time, and I want to change that. She did things most mothers wouldn’t do. When no one else was around, she would be in the gym, grabbing my rebounds. And she put food on the table, working two and three jobs at a time.” There have been many others who have helped shape Richards into the complete package he has become. That group includes Jay Jameson, Nathan Ingram and Corey Lord – Cordell’s father and founder of the CAL Sports Academy in Harleysville.
“As a captain, Joe (led) by example,” Conrad said. “He’s a great citizen and teammate – an easy going, positive kid who battled through a lot of adversity.”
To view Richards’ complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/joe-richards-0051189
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