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 March 11, 2024)
Faith Jampo was born to be a defender. Name the sport, and it’s a safe bet the Wissahickon senior – if she played it – was on the defensive end of the field. And listening to field hockey coach Lucy Gil talk about her standout defensive back, it’s easy to understand why. “I think what made her a great defender is knowing when to be patient and knowing when to go in hard for an interception,” the Trojans’ hockey coach said. “She’s really quick, so when she makes those decisions, she can do it. She’s quick enough to the ball where she can get it and take it down the field. She also has patience and knows when to make the tackle.”
From the moment she stepped onto the field as a freshman, Jampo was in the starting lineup at left defensive back. “She made an impact right away,” Gil said. “She started at the left back position, which is probably the hardest position on the field because you’re defending on the wrong side of the stick.” For three years, Jampo, according to her coach, “owned that position,” but this past season – out of necessity – the all-league defender was moved to the midfield. “I needed her to take more of a central role, and she was great,” Gil said. “I don’t think she liked it, but she did it.” The Trojans’ coach might be surprised to know that Jampo says she genuinely enjoyed it, but then again, she knows the senior captain is a team-first player. “She’s a great kid overall, just a wonderful human being, and she also happens to be super talented,” Gil said. “She’s always about the team, always super dedicated.”
This year, Jampo served as a captain. “She’s always been very quiet, but not in a meek kind of way – that’s just who she is,” Gil said. “She definitely leads by example. She’s the hardest working kid out there, and she always pushes everybody else to do the same. She’s not sitting there going – ‘Oh, they can do whatever they want, I’m going to work hard.’ She’s like, ‘Come on, come on, come on, let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.’ She’s a good motivator. She’s strong, she tells people what she thinks. She not over the top in your face. She’s the strong, quiet type.” Jampo says she leads by communicating with her co-captain as well as her teammates. “I made sure we were in a good environment and always encouraging everyone,” she said, going on to note the highlight of her high school experience. “Just the team bonding and getting to play with people I have fun with.”
It’s not a coincidence that Jampo is an outstanding communicator. It’s a skill she refined long before she came to high school. “My father (Jeff Jampo) was born deaf,” she said. “He reads lips, and I always had to look him the eyes to talk to him. Especially during COVID, I had to communicate for him. I think it helped me learn stuff in the real world growing up. His loss of hearing impacted me as a listener and a communicator, teaching me to be patient, attentive and understanding.” They are traits that will serve her well. Jampo -who committed to continue her field hockey career at Bloomsburg University in November of her junior year - plans to major in speech pathology with a possible minor in sign language. “Bloomsburg has a good five-year program, which is another reason I chose it,” she said. Jampo, whose course load has included honors and several AP classes, is a member of the National Honor Society and the German Honor Society. As a senior, Jampo earned first team All-SOL Liberty Division and second team PHSFHCA All-State recognition. She also was recognized with a GPA award by the PHSFHCA for carrying a grade point average above 3.6. “She’s a very, very good student,” Gil said. “She’s just super all around.”
To read Jampo’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/faith-jampo-00111304
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of March 11, 2024)
NFL players Mark Andrews and Patrick Peterson. Former baseball players Ron Santo, “Catfish” Hunter and Dave Hollins. Retired NBA player Chris Dudley. And … Philadelphia Flyers’ legend and three-time MVP Bobby Clarke. The list goes on to include Olympic gymnasts, NASCAR drivers and wrestlers. Cheltenham’s Asante Johnson, who just completed his senior season as a captain, may not know all their names. But he knows they are out there, and he has drawn inspiration from their courage. Johnson, as a Type 1 Diabetic, is well aware of their struggles. “I don’t know them by name,” he said. “I do know that one of Ray Allen’s sons is a Type 1 Diabetic, and I’ve seen Ray Allen speak on it. I’ve seen some different athletes throughout the years. I just don’t recall their names, but it’s good to see other people who are in the same situation as you are having success. It lets you know that it’s possible for you.”
Johnson was first diagnosed in second grade. One weekend, he fell seriously ill. His parents took him to the doctor and a test – the final test – revealed that he needed to be rushed to the hospital and the diagnosis was made. “It used to be a challenge for me when I was younger,” said Johnson, who uses an insulin pump. “I was diagnosed when I was in second grade, so I’m about 10 years in, but it used to be kind of difficult for me.” Coming from an athletic family – his father, Brian Johnson, was the former Cheltenham coach – he was still determined to get onto the court. “It was adversity for me to overcome, in terms of not being able to go as hard for as long without having to stop and get my blood sugar in order and get back in,” said Johnson “But, I think it has helped to shape me and build the toughness I’ve had after that.”
Johnson slowly worked his way up the ranks to the point where he was a starter as a D-and-3 swingman and a vocal senior captain. “Clearly, from his sophomore year to his senior year, his strengths changed, and his knowledge of the game changed,” said Fleury. “His role on the team changed, in terms of being one of those guys who was quiet but who, as time went on, began to find his voice and his place. He is one of those guys who sets the culture. He isn’t afraid to confront anybody who isn’t doing what they need to do. He has gotten stronger. He is able to guard anything from a 1 to a 4. Like most athletes in our sport who are guards or forwards, he has a very good understanding of how to guard them. He is a physical defender and also a very capable shooter.”
Just as Johnson is team player on the court, he is one off the hardwood as well by offering help with academics. “If there is something he can help with or address, he has no fear of doing it,” Fleury said. “He’s constructive with it but, if something needs to be said, he has no problem with saying it. Sometimes people don’t want to hear it, but they need it. He has been a (role) model for us. He is everything that Cheltenham is, both on its good and bad days. He’s just a leader. He expects a lot out of himself and others.” Johnson is in the National Honor Society and boasts a 4.23 GPA. He looks to major in computer science at a HBCU with an eye toward cyber security. “Academics - balancing that with being a student-athlete - is very important to my family and to myself,” Johnson said. Meanwhile, Fleury will have to make a plan to move forward without a “glue” player. “It’ll be a void,” said the coach, who also serves as the school’s athletic director. “To fill that spot, it takes a unique person. I know a lot of people are more into stats and things of that nature, and that has its value. But realistically, you can’t maintain a program or a team without people who are as invested and who care as much as him. He’s unique. He is one of those athletes who is multi-faceted. You really can’t put him in box. If he chooses to do something in business or finance or open his own business, nothing that he accomplishes or does will be a surprise to me.”
To read Johnson’s complete story, please click on the following link: https://suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/asante-johnson-00111303
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