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 12, 2017)
Lindsey Smith is a team-first player. If that sounds cliché, it is. Until you consider the Springfield Township senior’s offer when her lacrosse team was without a goalie last spring. “Last year when we didn’t have a starting varsity goalie, she volunteered to play,” coach Maggie Canavan said. “I thought she was kidding at first, but she was serious. She would do absolutely anything to win or put her teammates in a position to win.” Making Smith’s offer so remarkable is the fact that she is not a player looking for a way to get on the field. Rather, she is a soon-to-be four-year varsity starter who made a verbal commitment in February of her sophomore year to continue her career at Saint Joseph’s University. Smith is a dynamic player and last year led the Spartans with 72 goals. She also led the team in draw controls and is a force at both ends of the field. “She’s a go-getter Canavan said. “She’s the biggest leader on our team, and she’s been that way since her freshman year. She’s extremely coachable and just her passion for the game – she wears her heart on her sleeve. She’s the first player to do anything I ask, and the way the younger kids look up to her is very admirable too.”
Smith has also earned the respect of her teammates on the soccer field. “Lindsey’s a versatile player, and she plays anywhere on the field we need her,” Spartans’ coach Suzette Wolf said of her senior captain. “Wherever she plays, she’s the strongest player on the field physically. Lindsey is not only an outstanding athlete but a dedicated student and friend as well. She is admired by her peers, her teammates and anyone who comes in contact with her. Her goal is to be the best she can be at whatever she does.”
Next year, Smith will major in Integrated Health Services at St. Joe’s with plans to pursue physical therapy in graduate school. A member of the principal’s honor roll, Smith last year received a Congressional Scholar-Athlete Award. “Lindsey dedicates herself to whatever she is doing, and she achieves success because of it,” Wolf said. “Whether she is playing lacrosse or soccer, she gives 100 percent and is extremely coachable, honorable and, above all, a very talented young lady. She’s a great kid. They don’t come any better. She’s the best captain – she’s such a leader, a team organizer, a motivator and all those adjectives.
To read Smith’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/lindsey-smith-0072338
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of Sept. 12, 2017)
Tarin Morris is an unmistakable talent on the soccer pitch. Late in last year’s District One 3A opener against Haverford, it was the then Central Bucks West junior scoring the game winner. There’s nothing especially unusual about that, but it was the way he scored it that sets Morris apart. “Tarin was playing a little deeper central midfield role last year, so he had more defensive responsibility,” coach Stefan Szygiel said. “There was maybe 8-10 minutes left. Dylan (Smith) made a save and distributed the ball to Tarin. Tarin was able to get on the ball, connect the pass and continue his run through the midfield. He got the ball back and scored the game winner. He came deep, he got the ball and then he covered 80 yards to finish it. The play started with him and ended with him.” It’s a sequence that effectively captures the impact Morris has at both ends of the field.
While that ability alone sets Morris apart, it’s much more than that. “He’s obviously a very talented soccer player, but his character, his desire to improve himself and to support the players around him – he’s simultaneously a good leader, and he’s a glue player for a team,” Szygiel said. “He’s a guy that can be in the trenches motivating anyone really, and I think that’s why he’s been successful for us because he can do both of those things.” A four-year varsity starter, Morris points to both his father – William ‘Skip’ Morris - and older brother Brandon as important influences in his life. This year, he is joined on the team by younger brother Jayden. “It’s fun,” Tarin said. “I’m literally passing down how my older brother helped me.”
While Morris can pretty much do it all on the soccer field, it’s the same story off the field. An excellent student, he is a member of the National Honor Society, the Athletic Leadership Council and the Student Council at CB West. He is a Boy Scout and is active in his church. Community service isn’t just lip service for Morris. It’s part of his DNA, and he’s equally comfortable volunteering his time for spring cleaning at his church as he is serving as a counselor at Jacob’s Soccer Camp, a camp for disabled children at the Ukrainian National Club Although he admits he derives special joy at Jacob’s Soccer Camp.
Morris is uncertain of his future plans, but it more than likely will include soccer. “I’m just trying to find the best fit for soccer and academics,” he said.
To read Morris’ compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/tarin-morris-0072339
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