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 Sept. 10, 2015)
Sarah Poli remembers sitting in front of the television as a youngster and watching her aunt, Debbie Black, playing basketball in the WNBA. “It just felt like a normal thing – oh, everyone is watching their aunt on TV,” the 
Central Bucks South senior said. While it might have seemed like a normal thing at the time, Poli has come to realize just how extraordinary it is to have grown up in a family of athletes who have excelled at every level. Debbie Black, the head women’s basketball coach at Eastern Illinois University, played professional basketball for 10 years and is in the St. Joseph’s University Hall of Fame. Her mother, Barb (Black) Poli, boasts an impressive resume as well. A member of the Archbishop Wood Hall of Fame, she went on to play three sports for four years at St. Joe’s University.
For her part, Poli never felt pressure to live up to those standards. “My mom never pressured me, and I never felt I had to live up to her expectations, but it was always a personal expectation,” said Poli, who has reached lofty heights. A first team all-league player the last two years, the South senior accepted a scholarship to play collegiate lacrosse at St. Joe’s. Poli, who is competing in three sports at South, admits she couldn’t have imagined an ending that would include a scholarship to play lacrosse at the Division One level since it was her ‘other’ sport. Coach Janique Craig saw things differently. “I knew immediately she had the potential to play at the Division One level,” the South coach said. “Her work ethic, dedication and natural talent were way above the average freshman. Sarah also had the maturity and poise to lead at a young age. Each year she continues to impress me with her willingness to learn and improve her game. She will do whatever it takes for her team and coaches. That’s what sets her apart from everyone else.”
Although lacrosse is front and center for Poli, she is also a force on the volleyball court where she moved from the setter to outside hitter. “She’s a leader, not only by example, but she also helps coach the other girls,” coach Kurt Godfrey said. “She’s always encouraging, always able to pick their spirits up.”
An Academic All-American, Poli – who is enrolled in several AP classes – is ranked of the top 10 percent of her graduating class. Although uncertain of a major, she is considering business with a medical slant because of her interest in math and science.
“She’s a leader on and off the field and court for both teams, and she’s a great student as well,” Godfrey said of the senior co-captain. “She comes from a great family, and she’s one of those players that every coach wants. She’s going to be an asset for us. She’s just an amazing athlete and a tremendous kid.”
To read Poli’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/sarah-poli-0055406
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Sept. 10, 2015)
In a traditionally low-scoring sport such as soccer, playing on the defensive end of the field can be a very pressure-filled task. Make one mistake, and the opposition can make you pay dearly. “Defense can be hard,” said Central Bucks West senior captain Brady Boylan. “In a way, it can be like being the kicker on a football team with the game on the line – you win it or the game is over. In soccer, we’re the last line between the other team and our goalie. On offense, you can miss a shot and everybody tells you, ‘Good try.’ Mess up on defense and it’s over.” Add a freshman goalkeeper into the equation, and that can be quite the burden for the back line (though frosh netminder Dylan Smith’s stellar play thus far has gone a long way toward alleviating much of that).
But if there’s anyone that Bucks’ coach Stefan Szygiel trusts in high-pressure situations on defense, it’s Boylan. “Brady is the center of our defense,” Szygiel said. “He plays there for a reason. He can read situations. He’s not the biggest, strongest guy on the field, but he makes up for that with the way he’s able to process the game. It’s a pleasure to watch him play. He very rarely makes mistakes. He has an amazing ability to read the game, and players like that can be difficult to find.”
Of course, Boylan is no stranger to high-pressure settings at CB West. Two years ago, he was the lone sophomore starter on a team loaded with seniors. “He was essentially given the keys to the castle as a sophomore,” Szygiel said. “We saw strong soccer ability, strong cerebral ability, strong leadership abilities, even as a sophomore. And he had a very successful year. He played a ton, started very game.”
After being named a captain in his junior year – a season in which he also earned All-Conference honors – Boylan finds himself on the other side of the coin in his senior season. Now he’s the elder statesman on a team that is both talented and experienced but which also boasts a large group of newcomers. “He’s grown as a leader the past two years,” Szygiel said. “He’s a lead-by-example kind of guy. He’s not the type of guy who’s going to break someone down – he’ll build them up and encourage them.”
Ranked near the top of the senior class, Boylan is taking five AP classes this year and has participated in the school newspaper and the student government. He also works part-time as a financial advisor’s assistant at Compass Financial Solutions in Doylestown. Boylan plans to major in Actuarial Science. “Brady is an example that it’s all about how you perform in the classroom,” Szygiel said. “If you happen to be a darned good athlete as well, that makes you well-rounded. Whether Brady ends up playing soccer in college or not, he’s going to end up somewhere where he’s going to get a top education, and four or five years from now, people are going to be working for him.”
To read Boylan’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/brady-boylan-0055425
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