The following article was sponsored by Central Bucks South field hockey (Photos provided courtesy of CB South hockey)
Gwenyth DiPrinzio undoubtedly didn’t think a whole lot about it when – during a midseason field hockey practice – the Central Bucks South senior said to her coach, “This is the only normal thing in my life.”
That simple statement stuck with coach Pat Toner. It also gave perspective to a fall that was devoid of just about anything normal.
“It was always – at least in the back of my head – that we are so lucky that we get to spend some time together, and I feel that’s really what motivated us as a team, knowing that this could end any day at any time,” DiPrinzio said. “Just having those little practice moments or just stepping onto the field was really awesome.”
“I think that helped how we played because we went out on the field thinking – this could be our last high school game ever,” senior Sophia Wasyliw said. “So I know I gave it my extra all every single time because we never knew when – in the snap of the fingers – it could be our last game and my high school season could be over.”
“We had a season scheduled, but our first game could have been our last game,” senior Alyssa Endrick said.
Given the opportunity to play, the Titans made the most of their season, ignoring their 16th and final seed in the 16-team District One 3A Tournament and advancing to the final four.
“I’m just so thankful to be on the field with such amazing players,” DiPrinzio said after the Titans upset Wissahickon in a second round district game. “I just love the support and how much everyone believes in each other.
“It’s really nice, especially now since things have been so stressful. It’s nice to walk on the field and have a sense of normalcy. Yes, I know this season is modified, but it feels normal to walk on the field and play. It’s a nice escape. It’s truly such an awesome experience.”
Actually, the players thought their postseason was over before it began when the Titans fell from the 16th to 17th seed with their regular season completed and the district bracket about to be finalized.
“We were pretty devastated,” Endrick said. “We really wanted to get in. We thought we were in and then we weren’t. We cancelled practice.”
“It especially stunk because we had such a good season,” Wasyliw said. “And even though we were grateful to have a season, it was short, and we knew if we had more games, our record would be a lot better than it was.”
Toner was on the phone with co-captains Endrick and Wasyliw when the Titans – with a 4-5-1 record - moved back into the playoff picture.
“We were joking and saying, ‘Oh, let’s make a loser’s bracket,’” Endrick recalled of the phone call. “PT was looking at the rankings to see who we could play, and she was like, ‘Oh my God, we moved back up to 16.’ We were talking on the phone and it just changed.”
DiPrinzio, meanwhile, was not part of that phone conversation but was glued to the district rankings.
“I just kept looking at it because I obviously really wanted to get into playoffs,” the Titans’ senior goalie said. “I was telling my mom we weren’t in, and I was upset about it, and then all of a sudden we’re back in, and my mood immediately switched.”
Senior Braylee Webb was at work while the district ranking watch was going on.
“Before I went into work, I was kind of down because we were 17th,” she said. “Then when I came out of work, I saw a bunch of text messages, and I called my mom right away and told her. We were so excited.”
Postseason magic
Central Bucks South – under Toner – has reveled in its role of underdog when the district playoffs roll around. In 2016, the Titans, 23rd in a field of 24, sent 10th-seeded Avon Grove home in an opening round upset. A year later, the 15th-seeded Titans pulled off the upset of the tournament, 
upending undefeated and second-seeded Methacton in overtime. In 2018, the trend continued when the 12th-seeded Titans knocked off fifth-seeded Plymouth Whitemarsh.
Last year, the 16th-seeded Titans – after an opening round 4-0 win over West Chester Rustin - fell in the second round to top-seeded Garnet Valley. This year, the magic was back.
“I guess we go into it thinking it could be our last game,” Endrick said. “We put the rest of the season behind us and just give it our all because it’s our playoff game, and we want to win.
“No matter what, you’re going to be out if you lose. We wanted to prove that we should win.”
The Titans pulled off the stunner of the tournament in their district opener, upending top-seeded and undefeated Downingtown West 2-1 on the Whippets home field.
“I was like, ‘As long as we are in, why not prove we should be here,’” DiPrinzio said. “I feel that even being a lower seed, it’s kind of an advantage because there’s zero expectation of you winning, so I think with that type of mindset – just give it your all and hope for the best, that really .jpg)
motivated our team.”
South followed its win over the defending district champion Whippets with a 1-0 upset of eighth-seeded Wissahickon to earn a date in the district semifinals against archrival and Colonial Conference champion Central Bucks East. The Patriots used a late goal to earn a 1-0 win and went on to win the district title.
Although the Downingtown West win is a favorite memory of the team’s four seniors, they admit they didn’t recognize the magnitude of the victory until after it happened.
“After the Downingtown West game, we were like, ‘Whatever, next game,’ and PT was like, ‘You guys are clueless,’” Wasyliw said. “We didn’t understand what we just did.
“We knew what we did, but it was ‘whatever, who’s next,’ and we brushed it off, but it really was a good feeling what we accomplished. I think PT calling us clueless will forever be in my mind.”
More than just field hockey
Listening to the team’s four seniors talk about their final high school season, they make no mention of what they missed.
“This is my 42nd or 43rd year coaching, but honestly, every single year is something different,” Toner said. “This year will be remembered because of what they didn’t have.
“They didn’t get to have camp at Spooky Nook, they didn’t get to have summer league. There are so many things they didn’t get to have, and I’m so thankful they got to have something and they were able to be successful. It’s a tribute to them because they could have been miserable about it, and they could have said, ‘Poor me, this is my senior year,’ but they didn’t.”
Instead of lamenting what they didn’t have, they celebrate the good times they shared. They laugh when they recall coming to practice dressed as Toner for Halloween.
The ‘costume’ – according to the players – consisted of yoga pants, a gray South warm-up t-shirt and a black windbreaker, an outfit completed with sunglasses and white Nike running sneakers. If there had been a winner, Webb – who even wore a blonde wig – would have won hands down.
“I actually looked at the picture later on, and I thought that was me, and then I remembered – I’m not tall,” Toner said. “That’s not me, that’s Braylee.”
The required masks also became a point of humor to the team.
“Whenever I tried to say something, Erin Smith would not understand if I was joking or not,” Toner said. “I’m always joking, but with a mask on, she couldn’t tell.
“I must have said 200 times, ‘I’m just kidding.’ Just having to wear the mask the whole time – you couldn’t even hear each other.”
The bond the team shared despite the absence of the usual intentional bonding activities is apparent.
“The past four years we’ve been together almost every day for three or four months, and they become your best friends,” Endrick said. “Sometimes you feel like they’re you’re sister because you’re always with them.”
“Going with what Alyssa said with our teammates – we’re so lucky that CB South field hockey has such a great bond,” Webb said. “We just have a great bond with everything we do, especially since we’re with each other so much, including preseason.”
“Our friends and the silly moments on the field are going to be really memorable,” DiPrinzio said. “Just being able to spend time with people you really love – it’s amazing.”
“Hockey is such a big part of our high school career,” Wasyliw said. “Starting from the summer and going all the way until mid-fall. It will always be with me.
“I’m someone who never remembers the stats of the game from the previous year or what happened. I feel as though everyone else is like, ‘Oh, we beat them by this.’ I just take every game that day at a time. I’ll definitely remember all the friends I’ve made, all of our funny memories – the bus rides, practices, pregame dances and all the fun memories and obviously my love for the sport and playing.”
Their high school playing days are over, and although they’ll remember games like their win over Downingtown West, they’ll also remember the little things.
“We have a really big speaker, and a song that has been there since my freshman year – we always sing the Pitch Perfect “Riff Off” song, and we usually have a little actual riff off on the bus between the upperclassmen and lower classmen,” Wasyliw said. “Also, every time when we have an away game, right before we leave the bus, we play the song ‘With My Team’ when we’re walking off the bus.”
It’s those memories that will far overshadow the restrictions, the games they didn’t play and the things they didn’t do.
“They’ve gone through basically hell, and yet they came out every single day with a good attitude and were a lot of fun to be around,” Toner said. “When Gwen made the comment, ‘It’s the only normal thing in my life,’ the same goes for me.
“I really was not comfortable going out there at first – I really wasn’t. I’m probably the oldest coach in my league, and I’m probably one of the most vulnerable people. Is this a good idea – what if I carry this to my grandkids? But I have to say thank you to the four of them. They led this team in the most unbelievable way, and they were really a lot of fun to be around, so for me, it was one of the few normal things in my life, and I really appreciate it.”
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