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 19, 2017)
Lauren Koestler has a vision of her future self, carving out a career working with children as a speech pathologist and driving off into the sunset in a red Lexus with her patented smile on her face. The way the Council Rock South senior has turned bad times into good, there is no doubt she will embody her watchword quote by Maya Angelou: “Nothing can dim the light that shines from within.” But by her own admission, the plug was suddenly and tragically pulled on this eternal and internal light when her father, Donald, succumbed to a brain aneurysm. Koestler had only recently discovered volleyball, having been fully converted from basketball in middle school, and she had just made the cut as a freshman on the high school team. “I was going into my freshman year when he went into the hospital,” recalled Koestler. “I had just made the volleyball team. I was so excited.” But when her father didn’t make it, passing away on Sept. 9 of 2014, she was devastated and wasn’t sure where to seek solace. With her parents divorced, her dad had yet to see her play in person. “I think if he could see me now, though, he would be proud of me,” she said.
The daughter he would see “in the now” is a 6-foot senior co-captain who plays the front line at the opposite position for a team with high aspirations. She has not forgotten the journey back to the light. Her salvation began with volleyball. “The only thing that could bring me back was volleyball,” she said. Council Rock South had just been hit by tragedy when three sophomore boys died in a car accident, but that didn’t stop her teammates from postponing their match with William Tennent to attend her father’s funeral. From there, the team’s seniors took Koestler under their wing, and the healing slowly began with what has become her surrogate family. “After he died, my priority became volleyball,” Koestler said. “I would go to school, tough it out and then go to practice. I would say that I started becoming happier again after a few months of constant support from my friends, team and family.”
John Wright, who also coaches Koestler in club volleyball, took over as the team’s head coach going into her sophomore year. He knew her well enough to know, despite her grace, that it wasn’t easy. “She handled it with class and strength far beyond her years,” Wright said. “Lauren is a gifted athlete who has an infectious personality. I rely on her to keep the team loose when things get tense. She’s become a valuable weapon on offense. Lauren excels both in the classroom and on the court.”
Koestler, who takes all honors classes and holds down a 4.31 weighted GPA, is the press officer for the National Honor Society, sings in the choir, is active in the school’s Travis Manion Foundation and takes her athletic skills outside the spring season, playing attack on the lacrosse team. Armed with a 1260 SAT score, she is now weighing her options for college.
To read Koestler’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/lauren-koestler-0072624
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Sept. 19, 2017)
When it comes to being a leader, Josh Smith’s philosophy is simple. The Hatboro-Horsham senior – a captain of the football team explains. “I try to do the right things on the field, I try to do the right things during practice, I try to do the right things at school, and I try to do the right things in the community,” Smith said. “I try to be a leader in those ways and set a good example for others to follow.” It’s a leadership style that is highly effective. “Every coach, to a man, just respects him, loves being around him,” Hatters’ coach Mike Kapusta said. “All his teammates like him. He’s not part of one clique or anything. He’s the type of kid who sort of transcends all of those types of things. He really enjoys his teammates and has a good time all the time doing what he’s doing. He’s the best, there’s no question.”
A dominant defensive player at outside linebacker, Smith also showed his value on the offensive side of the ball when one of the Hatters’ main ball carriers was limited to only defense in a recent game against Souderton, finishing with 137 yards and one touchdown on 15 carries. The consummate team player, Smith tipped his hat to his teammates. “The offensive line did a great job coming off the ball,” he said. They did a great job blocking. The holes were very wide open and easy to run through.” Smith attributes his success on the gridiron to the work he put in during the offseason. “He’s one of the hardest workers,” Kapusta said. “Pound for pound, there’s no question he’s the strongest kid on our team. He’s really a great weight room kid.”
Coming as no surprise, Smith takes that same work ethic into the classroom where he has a 4.8 weighted GPA. It’s a work ethic he learned at a young age from his parents, Kenneth and Kocoa Smith. “When I was younger, they would sit with me when I would study,” he said. “They would help me with my times tables. My mom would make me write the multiplication tables tons and tons of times. They really invested time into me to study and be the best I could be in the classroom.” With an impressive GPA and a 1270 on his SAT, Smith will not have a hard time getting into the college of his choice. “Nothing right now is set in stone,” he said. “I would like to go somewhere in the engineering field of technology.” As for football, Smith hasn’t decided whether he will play at the next level. “There’s a good possibility,” he said. “Honestly, what I’m going with is the best situation for my future for me.”
To read Smith’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/josh-smith-0072623
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