CB West, CB East and CR South will be in action when the PIAA Class AAA Tournament begins Tuesday. Check back for recaps of all the games. Photo provided courtesy of Marge Bullock Photography (http://photos.margebullock.com/f1033205788)
There’s no rest for the weary.
Central Bucks West just completed its toughest stretch of the season, taking on the district’s fourth seed, one seed and two seed in a span of nine days. If it seems as though the district runner-up Bucks could exhale, guess again.
On Tuesday, the Bucks are back in action when they take on Stroudsburg in an opening round game of the PIAA Class AAA Tournament.
“It was really tough,” coach Courtney Lepping said. “We tried to give the kids off a day to give them rest.
“Districts are just a roller coaster, and it’s a lot, especially with what we went through. We’re going to take care of ourselves (Monday) at practice, we’ll be smart about things. You just hope you condition and prepare before this gauntlet of the season.”
So far, so good for the Bucks who not only survived the stretch but played some of their best hockey of the season when it mattered most en route to a silver medal finish in districts.
“I’m just so proud of them,” Lepping said. “Every time we went down, we always responded.
“Even on Saturday to score first (in a 5-2 loss to Conestoga), that was a huge thing to do. It showed what we’re capable of. You could always see them give their heart and soul, and that’s something we’ve been working toward as the end of the season came around. I think what really showed in our district playoffs was that we were hitting our peak.
“We’re playing together well, we’re doing what we’ve practiced, we’re going out there and executing, and it looks like we’re at the right point in the season to be playing the teams that we’re playing.”
The Bucks will be one of three SOL teams in action when the state tournament begins on Tuesday. SOL National Conference champion Council Rock South and Continental Conference champion Central Bucks East will also be playing in opening round games.
If things were tough in district play, they will only be tougher on Tuesday. While CB West will face District 11 runner-up Stroudsburg, Central Bucks East will take on defending state champion Emmaus. Council Rock South will be on the road at Milton Hershey High School, looking to play the role of giant killer when it faces District 3 champion Palmyra.
#1-2 CENTRAL BUCKS WEST vs. #11-2 STROUDSBURG (at Quakertown, 6 p.m.)
Central Bucks West
- 17-4-1 overall
- 9-2-1 Continental Conference second place
- Explosive offense led by Bryn Boylan (29 goals, nine assists), Cadera Smith (20 goals, nine assists), Taylor Mason (16 goals, five assists) & Ryan Murray (10 goals, 14 assists).
- Defense anchored by sophomore defensive back Casey Reichwein and junior goalie Laura Kubit
- Notable wins over state qualifiers Unionville (4-3 2 OT) and Central Bucks East (4-3) and Class AA district runner-up Mount St. Joseph (5-3)
How they got here: West entered the District One AAA Tournament as the fifth seed, and after defeating 12th-seeded Haverford 3-0 in the second round, the Bucks – who had an opening round bye – upended fourth-seeded Methacton 2-1 in double overtime and followed that with a 4-3 double overtime upset of top-seeded Unionville. West fell to second-seeded Conestoga in Saturday’s district title game.
Stroudsburg
- 21-3 overall
- 15-1 East Penn Mountain Conference champions
- Outscored opponents 132-17.
- Led by senior forward Julianna Sweeney, a first team All-East Penn Conference honoree, who has 27 goals and 22 assists. Senior forward Sydney Cramer, a second team All-East Penn selection, is the team’s leading scorer with 32 goals and 25 assists.
- Also contributing offensively are senior Lizzy Cunningham (17 goals, 23 assists), sophomore Josie Sweeney (17 goals, six assists) and senior Bridget Cunningham (10 goals, four assists).
- Senior goalie Morgan Dempsey has recorded 13 shutouts.
- All three of its losses to Emmaus – twice in regular season (2-1 OT and 2-0) and in the district final (3-1)
How they got here: Stroudsburg fell to top-seeded Emmaus 3-1 in the District 11 title game after earning wins over Parkland (1-0 OT) and Easton (2-0).
#1-5 CENTRAL BUCKS EAST vs. #11-1 EMMAUS (at Whitehall High School, 7 p.m.)
Central Bucks East
- 16-5-1 overall
- 11-1 SOL Continental Conference champions
- First conference championship since 2002
- Multi-faceted attack is led by Riley Donnelly (27 goals, 11 assists), Cailey Lever (22 goals, 10 assists), Emma Donnelly (11 goals, eight assists), Reilly Finegan (nine goals, six assists), Abbey Butler (six goals, 10 assists) & Lindsey Adriaansen (nine goals, one assist).
- Notable wins over state qualifiers Downingtown West (3-2 OT), Central Bucks West (4-3 OT) and Council Rock South (3-1).
How they got here: After an opening round bye, the Patriots earned a 2-1 second round win over 11th-seeded Owen J Roberts. In a quarterfinal game, East fell to third-seeded Downingtown West 2-1 but came back to defeat Plymouth Whitemarsh 9-1 in a playback game and went on to earn a 3-1 win over Council Rock South in the fifth place game.
Emmaus
- 24-0 overall
- 13-0 East Penn Skyline Conference champions
- Outscored opponents 161-9
- District 11 champion for 28th straight season
- Defending PIAA Class AAA champion
- Led by UNC commit Meredith Sholder, who was named the Max Field Hockey Preseason National Player of the Year. The 2015 First Team All-American was named the East Penn Conference MVP with 52 goals and 34 assists this season. Sholder has 208 career goals.
- Other contributors are senior Kira Koehler (28 goals, nine assists), junior Leah Zellner (29 goals, 17 assists), junior Emily Ingalls (nine goals, three assists) and sophomore Kayla Kisthardt (10 goals, five assists).
- Defense anchored by sophomore goalkeeper Claire Nielson, who has 16 shutouts.
How they got here: The Hornets – under coach Sue Butz Stavin – captured their 28th straight District 11 title with a 3-1 win over Stroudsburg after defeating Pocono Mountain East (9-1) and Whitehall (6-2) in the earlier rounds.
#1-6 COUNCIL ROCK SOUTH vs. #3-1 PALMYRA (at Milton Hershey, 7 p.m.)
Council Rock South
- 17-5 overall
- 12-0 SOL National Conference champion
- Senior Caroline McGovern (39 goals, nine assists), the SOL’s most dangerous offensive weapon, surpassed the 100-goal milestone and broke the 36-year-old single season record for goals held by Neshaminy’s Monica Mills.
- Other offensive contributors include Tori Wright (10 goals, 12 assists), Mikayla VanAken (eight goals, 10 assists), Paige Schmid (10 goals, three assists) and Katelyn Cocco (eight goals, three assists).
- Notable win over state qualifier Central Bucks East (4-3)
How they got here: After an opening round bye, the Golden Hawks defeated ninth-seeded North Penn 1-0 in the second round but fell to top-seeded Unionville 1-0 in the quarterfinals. Rock South came back to defeat fourth-seeded Methacton 2-1 in a playback game before falling to Central Bucks East in the fifth place game (3-1).
Palmyra
- 19-2 overall
- 8-2 Mid-Penn Keystone regular season tri-champs
- District 3 Class AAA champions in 2011, 2013 & 2015
- Led by Jessica Dembrowski (20 goals, 11 assists), Alexis Smith (19 goals, 4 assists), Katelyn Mark (14 goals, nine assists) an Lauren Wadas (eight goals, nine assists)
- Only two losses came at the hands of Hershey.
How they got here: Palmyra, the second seed in the District 3 Tournament, had an opening round bye. Wins over seventh-seeded Dallastown (3-0) and third-seeded Hershey (1-0) set the stage for a district title showdown against top-seeded Penn Manor. Palmyra earned a 3-2 win in overtime when Lauren Wadas scored on the rebound of a goalie save.
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