To view photos of the Abington/CR South and CR North/CB East games, visit the photo gallery and click on the following link: http://photos.suburbanonesports.com/
Co-champs might not have the best ring to it for teams aspiring to finish on top, but talk to the coaches from either Council Rock North or Abington, and it’s a safe bet co-champs doesn’t sound too bad at all.
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During her lacrosse team’s first practice this spring, Abington coach Julie Martinez pulled out veterans Liz Wilson, Courtney Cox, Kate Cooper, Cait Enderle, Courtney Enderlee, Molly Seefried and Carli Fitzgerald while her remaining 24 players continued scrimmaging.
“I stopped the scrimmage and said, ‘What’s the difference between those girls on the sidelines and you on the field?’” Martinez asked her players. “They said, ‘They’re good.’
“I said, ‘Yes, they are good,’ and I’m laughing. They said all these things, and finally, I said, ‘They’re champions, and you’re not, and if I were you, I’d want to be standing over there with them. You have a long way to go to prove that any of you here are champions.’”
The Ghosts came a long way, surviving an early season loss to Council Rock North to finish with eight straight league wins. On Thursday, thanks to their 13-6 win over Council Rock South, the Ghosts clinched a share of the National Conference crown.
It is the fourth straight title for the perennial league power.
“I asked some of the freshmen how it felt, and they said how proud they were to be part of the team and contribute, and it’s something they’d never forget,” Martinez said. “Ultimately, that’s why these girls play, that’s why I coach. It’s so fun to be a part of and see the light in their eyes knowing that all the weights that they lifted, the sprints they ran and the balls they threw against the wall paid off to achieve their ultimate goal – which was winning a league championship.”
There’s no arguing that with the graduation of seven senior starters, including All-American goalie Alisha Aqulina, it looked as though it would be tough to repeat. Throw in the loss of senior standout Kate Cooper to a torn ACL, and it looked like mission impossible.
“The loss of Kate Cooper at the beginning of the season was devastating to the entire team,” Martinez said. “For a moment, it took that glimmer of hope for a repeat champion away.”
The Ghosts also lost sophomore Kelsey Fitzgerald to a torn ACL as well.
“These girls have shown nothing but resiliency,” Martinez said. “There were many points in the season when they could have buckled under the pressure.
“We have a core of experienced, seasoned veterans with a heart and a work ethic to match. They refuse to lose, and it’s fun to watch. They keep me excited to come to practice every day. There’s another core group of girls – this is their first varsity experience, so they’re kind of in awe.”
An early-season loss to Council Rock North made the road an especially difficult one for the Ghosts, which is why this championship is especially sweet.
“We talked after the game (Thursday) – I said, ‘Seniors, you’ve won four league championships, juniors three, sophomores two and freshman, this is your first. How does this one compare to the others?’” Martinez said. “They said, ‘That’s easy – we had to work for this one.’ This one did not come easily. We had to fight every game.
“We had to challenge ourselves, we had to improve. We couldn’t just sit back and expect to win. We had to go out and earn it. I think they were so proud of what they accomplished. Regardless of what we expected going into the season the fact that four times in a row these girls have won a league championship – that’s a special feat, and this season being the toughest one is icing on the cake.”
According to Martinez, the Ghosts faced the toughest non-league schedule she has had in her tenure, which included – in addition to Upper Dublin - teams like Ridley, Conestoga, Downingtown East and West Chester Rustin. Three of those teams are seeded in the top 10 in the district tournament.
“There weren’t really any easy, cruise control kind of games,” Martinez said. “We’ve been challenged day in and day out.”
In their season opener, the Ghosts were humbled by Upper Dublin 14-6.
“These kids looked like deer in headlights, and at that point, we knew we had a lot of work to do,” Martinez said. “I think people expected – It’s Abington. They’ll be fine. They’ll find a way to bounce back.”
The Ghosts bounced back, and mission impossible because mission possible.
“Liz Wilson said, ‘Coach, I remember at the beginning of the season you gave us forms to fill out, and really, my team goal was to repeat as Suburban One champion, and today we did that. We made sure we took care of that,’” Martinez said. “I think Liz Wilson is the hardest working player in the Suburban One.
“Here’s a kid with over 70 ground balls and 40 caused turnovers. She never stops working, and it was that sort of contagious energy and passion and attitude that I think spread like wildfire throughout the team. No one stopped working.
“Being athletic will get you far, but when you have the work ethic, the passion and the desire – that’s what really makes a champion, and that’s what I tried to reaffirm today.”
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Council Rock North might not have been anyone’s choice – not even their coach’s - to capture the National Conference championship, but the Indians weren’t concerned about what the prognosticators were saying, opting instead to take matters into their own hands.
Last Thursday, the Indians clinched a share of the National Conference title, thanks to their 20-7 rout of Central Bucks East. They closed out the regular season with a 14-1 record – quite a step up from their 9-6 record of the preceding year.
“We knew we had talent, and we knew we could get them to a little bit higher level than last year,” coach Pat Toner said. “We did all the things we needed to do in the offseason.
“Never once did we talk about being undefeated – that was the furthest thing from our minds. We talked about the possibility of within the next year or so winning the league. We wanted to have a winning record, but honestly, the Abington game could have gone either way, and to be in a position where we were one goal away from a perfect season was the furthest thing from my mind.”
During the offseason, Toner sought the advice of several coaches with established programs.
“I called Phyllis Kilgore at Radnor and said, ‘What do you do to produce the type of team you produce?’” Toner said. “She spent 45 minutes on the phone with me just talking about some of the things they do.
“She said, ‘Do the same thing you do for hockey – you need to work on the basics,’ and she gave me suggestions. I really appreciated that. I call people who know a lot – I’ll ask (North Penn coach) Jami Wilus, or I’ll ask (Upper Dublin coach) Dee Cross, people who I really respect.
“I don’t feel as though my knowledge is as great in lacrosse as I wanted to be, but working with Carolyn Kacergis is a huge help also. She sees things from a very clear perspective.”
Toner has won championships at every level in field hockey, but this is her first lacrosse title.
“We’ve always come close and never quite won it,” the Indians’ coach said. “It was exciting to come back to lacrosse, to come back to North – I’m so excited for these girls. They’re that team you always wish you could have.”
The Indians’ journey to the top wasn’t quite as dramatic as the Ghosts – they established a stronghold on the conference’s top spot with their early-season win over Abington. Their only blemish in an otherwise perfect season was a 12-11 loss to the Ghosts.
“Losing a game wasn’t the worst thing that could happen,” Toner said. “It makes you hungrier.”
Making the co-championship even more impressive is the Indians’ youth. They start five sophomores and only three seniors – Elly Plappert, Sara Clark and Sarah Kiely. Kiely is a first-year player who is playing in goal for the Indians.
According to Toner, this championship was a team effort.
“They’re just great kids, they really care, and they come out every day and practice hard,” the Indians’ coach said. “There are no fights, arguments or bickering. I attribute that to the fact that they really care about each other on and off the field.”
That camaraderie plus some serious talent has led the Indians to the top of the conference sooner than even they expected.
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