Thanks to our continued partnership with Univest Financial, SuburbanOneSports.com will once again recognize a male and female featured athlete each week. The recognition is given to seniors of high character who are students in good standing that have made significant contributions to their teams or who have overcome adversity. Selections are based on nominations received from coaches, athletic directors and administrators.
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Female Athlete (Week of Dec. 7, 2023)
A person can be an artist in anything. Paint, dance, music, food, photography, whatever the medium, there is always a select tier that perceives it differently than everyone else. What elevates that group isn’t talent, although that’s certainly a significant factor, but a willingness to endure the path to mastering that medium. Liv Grenda’s art is soccer and the Pennridge senior left her canvas full during a record setting career. “I’ve always loved the technical part of the game,” Grenda said. “When I was younger, I was always one of the smaller players. Playing ECNL growing up, it felt like everyone around me was so big so the part of my game I focused on was my technical piece. Now that I’ve gotten older and had the chance to grow, I think focusing so much on my technical piece was really helpful to me being able to control the ball as well as I can and create those plays.”
There wasn’t much Grenda didn’t accomplish in four years with the Rams. Two state titles, two District 1 titles, four SOL Colonial championships and the program’s career scoring record with 66 goals highlight an impressive resume that picked up a couple more accolades at the end of November when she was named to the PA Soccer Coaches Association all-state team and as a United Soccer Coaches All-Region midfielder. It might have seemed easy at times for the midfielder, the ball seemingly dancing between her feet as she dribbled on the move or ducking and swerving through the air as she whistled another strike into the back of another net. But like any artist’s work, the finished product only followed in the wake of unseen toiling, repetitions and frustrations not meant to be aired publicly.
After playing a key role in Pennridge’s run to the state title when she was a freshman, Grenda’s broken foot ended up sidelining her for more than half the regular season sophomore year and the entire playoff run. As a junior, Grenda suffered a displaced nasal fracture that had to be reset and protected. Grenda had her nose reset four days later, on Oct. 17. That night, she showed up at War Memorial Field an hour before tap and played against CB West. It’s still the defining moment of her career as far as her coach is concerned. “She had her nose reset, came back and played as if it was no big deal,” Anderson said. “She said, ‘I’m going to play.’ I just thought ‘wow, this kid is willing to sacrifice so much for this team.’ It just goes to show what these kids, because they believed in this program, were willing to do and that’s just how Liv is wired. She said it was the worst thing she’d ever been through, then goes out and plays a soccer game an hour later. That’s how I’ll remember her.”
Grenda tallied 29 goals as a senior, helping Pennridge to a 25-0-1 record and the team’s second PIAA 4A title in four years, the first coming in her freshman year during the 2020 season. Anderson has known Grenda for a long time, and it’s not the highlight goals that have most impressed her when it comes to Grenda. “Consistency is a great word to use for her,” Anderson said. “She never falls below the expectation. I remember talking with her parents before she got to the high school, and they said she was so excited and would do anything that needed to be done and she really did. It was almost like the moments were never too big for her.”
Anderson saw Grenda elevate her standard each year she was in the program, saying it culminated in a point where “you couldn’t ignore Liv Grenda.” “Most players at the varsity level are good with the ball at their feet, their first touch on the ball on the ground is really good. Her first touch in the air is outstanding,” Anderson said. “I can’t tell you how many times I watched a ball be played in the air, she brings it down to her feet and is on the dribble right away or she’s shooting. Her presence in the midfield, not many people are knocking her off the ball, you’re not taking the ball from her. Everybody has their off games, but when she had an off game, it never felt like an off game - you would never know it. When she had the ball, you knew something good was going to happen.”
Grenda is off to Dayton, where she will continue playing and plans to pursue an engineering degree of her own although she’s not sure what specific discipline she’ll focus on yet. The Flyers aren’t a top of the table team in the A-10, but Grenda saw a lot of potential in the program, a coaching staff that wasn’t afraid to play the best teams and an opportunity to make an impact early on. Anderson adamantly believes Grenda’s best is still yet to come and she’s excited to see what the next form of Grenda’s artistry on a field looks like going to the next level.
To read Grenda’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/liv-grenda-00110118
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Dec. 7, 2023)
Calling Central Casting. Needed is the quintessential high school quarterback to play the part of the All-American boy. Enter Quakertown senior Vince Micucci, an all-league signal caller/punter and captain. “He is like that Friday Night Lights TV Show quarterback,” confirmed longtime Quakertown coach George Banas. “He has that whole package.” This package includes a GPA in the neighborhood of 3.9 and volunteer work with Best Buddies, National Honor Society and at local elementary schools. And it includes textbook leadership skills, whether in the huddle during games or on the practice field or locker room or weight room. “You knew when he wasn’t at a workout because it was quiet,” said Banas. “When he would step into the weight room or into the gym or the turf for speed camp, everybody knew he was there. He is kind of larger than life, and it was a positive thing, as far as him being vocal and out in front and always leading by example and motivating his teammates.”
For Miccucci, who grew up through the Quakertown program while serving as a water boy and then as a ball boy on the sidelines in middle school, it was just a matter of realizing his role and taking it seriously. “I was voted captain my junior year,” he explained. “With the majority of the other captains being seniors, and with them leaving, I knew I was definitely going to be on me to lead the team in the best way that I could. It wasn’t just me, but I definitely had a sense that I’d be relied on a little bit to lead the guys as much as I could.” As for making the workouts more upbeat, Micucci credited his coaches for giving him space. “They let me be myself in the locker room,” he said. “I’m a very energetic guy. They know I’m going to be loud and vocal, even when it’s not always the best of times, but they still let me express all of the emotions. I’m going to miss playing for them.”
In his two years behind center, Micucci threw for close to 3000 yards and ran for 800 more. He accounted for 40 touchdowns. It is important to note, however, that Micucci’s impact went way beyond raw statistics. “He was, essentially, our heart and soul this year – as far as being an emotional leader, a physical leader and as far coming to work all the time and being there,” said Banas. “He was totally inclusive of everybody – every player, grades 10 through 12, he was always asking them how they were doing and would notice them if they were having a bad day and talked to them. It’s crazy. I knew his parents growing up. Everybody said, ‘You’ve got to watch this kid.’ He was just such a personable kid, and you got to know him so well.”
Fortunately, for Micucci, the story does not end here. There will be more little moments to treasure. He fully intends to play football at the next level while studying to become a physical therapist. While he would be viable as a college quarterback, he would listen to alternatives and be recruited as an “athlete” (receiver, defensive back, etc.) “My first goal is go to the next level to play football,” he said. “I just want to have the opportunity to get on the field and play somewhere. If that means playing quarterback – and I would love to, just because I feel like I have been growing with the position, but I’m open to switching. I just want to get on the field somewhere.”
As for going into PT, the choice was a fairly easy one. “There are two paths in my family,” he said. “Either you’re a teacher or you’re in health care. I didn’t really have any interest in being a teacher. My father has dedicated his whole life to health care. He has been in the medical field for as long as I can remember. I wanted to stay around sports for as much as I can, and I thought physical therapy would be a good way of doing that.”
Micucci, who overcame some small wrist fractures earlier in his career, also wanted to give a nod to the training staff at Quakertown. He felt a need to be on the field, despite the injuries, because he felt a deep obligation to the community. “It’s a great place to play,” he said. “It’s been a blast, these past two seasons, especially starting at quarterback for them. Alumni Field will always hold a special place in my heart, so I just want to give a special thank you to the Quakertown community. Those are the people I’d thank the most, as well as God for blessing me with the opportunity to go out on the field and to keep me healthy as well. I battled some injuries throughout my career, but nothing real serious, like torn ACLs or anything. To be able to go out on the field and still compete is a true blessing.”
To read Micucci’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/vince-micucci-00110117
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