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. 4, 2016)
Sammy Lochner plays basketball for all the right reasons. It might be easy to assume that the Abington senior was pushed toward pursuing a career on the hardwood. After all, her father – Tom Lochner – is a collegiate basketball coach and was on the sidelines of the La Salle University women’s program for 23 years – six as a head coach – and the past four as an assistant at the University of Delaware. But there was never any pressure to play basketball. For Lochner, it’s about her love of the game. “They always told me it’s my decision if I wanted to play, and just because we were a basketball family – I didn’t have to play basketball,” Lochner said. But Lochner wanted to play, a passion that had an early start. “My dad took me to all the practices, so I was in the gym before I could walk,” she said. “I went to all their games. I always liked going because I would always go with my brother and just play with him on the side courts. We would just play basketball all day.”
These days Lochner – who has accepted a basketball scholarship to St. Peter’s University – is the floor general for the Ghosts, and while she is capable of putting points on the board, her first instinct is to find her teammates. “Sammy’s a pure point guard,” coach Dan Marsh said. “She’s kind of opposite Deja (Rawls) – Deja 
was a scoring point guard, and Sammy’s the old school pass-first point guard. Sammy’s strength is getting other kids the ball in a position to succeed. Even when Sammy drives, she’s going to look to pass first. She’s a pass-first kid. You could definitely tell she’s a coach’s kid. She came in very fundamentally sound, fundamentally above most of the kids we had.”
Last year, Lochner – a four-year varsity starter - was an integral part of a SOL National Conference and district runner-up Ghost squad that advanced to the state quarterfinals. This year, she is a captain of a squad that boasts an abundance of youth, and according to Marsh, she has grown into the role of leader. “It took a little while,” the Ghosts’ coach said. “She had kids ahead of her that were leaders. This year she needed to be a leader, and she’s a coach on the floor.”
Lochner’s future on the hardwood is secure. She selected St. Peter’s from a final list that included University of the Sciences and Bloomsburg, drawn to St. Peter’s by the school’s close proximity to New York City and also her major. Lochner, a member of the National Honor Society, is looking to pursue a career as a physical therapist.
To read Lochner’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/sammy-lochner-0059577
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Feb. 4, 2016)
There was a time when Gavin Caroff worked on his family’s farm in the Harleysville area and felt a million miles away from his Quakertown-area friends who were doing the things that other young boys do. But he has come to realize that the daily toil made him into the person he is today. “Before I drove, when I was younger, it was tough sometimes,” the Quakertown senior said. “My friends would be doing stuff – especially in the spring and summer – and I couldn’t. But later in life, I’m glad I did it. It taught me hard word.” And the hard work has paid dividends for him athletically at Quakertown. “Not too many kids are used to doing that kind of physical labor,” he said. A state-qualifying wrestling standout and all-league lineman during football season, Caroff would not trade the experience for anything. That’s why he is planning on attending Delaware Valley College and majoring in agricultural business. “I want to come back to the family farm,” said Caroff, who is still undecided about wrestling for the Aggies.
Quakertown wrestling coach Kurt Handel was once given a concussion in practice by Caroff, but that is about the only headache caused by the two-time captain who has volunteered his time for the midget wrestling program. “He is a unique young man,” said Handel. “He helps with the family produce stand in the spring and summer months. He leaves the house at 4 a.m. to pick up the produce for the family stand. After dropping off the produce, he then helps his father take care of 500 peach trees and 400 apple trees, along with the family’s 200 acres of field crops the rest of the day. He works with his father on a daily basis in hopes to take over the family business after graduating college.”
Before that, there is some business to take care of. A year ago, Caroff kept his head down and plugged away. When he looked up, he found himself in Hershey in the state tournament in the 195-pound weight class. “I didn’t expect to make it,” he said. “I want to make it back and win more matches than I did last year.” On the road to Chocolatetown, Caroff has eclipsed the 100-win total for his career in a sport he first fell in love with as a toddler watching his uncle, JJ Siegfred, grapple for Souderton. As for being captain, being able to “show them the ropes” is a role Caroff relishes and his coach appreciates. “Being the biggest guy in the practice room helps in getting his teammates’ attention, but they listen to him because he leads by example,” Handel said. It is not hard to connect the dots to understand where Caroff gets his leadership skills as he is just following the lead of his parents, John and Bonnie, a couple described as “awesome” and “salt of the earth” people by Handel.
To read Caroff’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/gavin-caroff-0059580
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