Lacrosse
Favorite athlete: Mikal Bridges
Favorite team: Philadelphia Eagles
Favorite memory competing in sports: Beating Council Rock North on Senior Night!
Most embarrassing/funniest thing that has happened while competing in sports: Slipping and falling on the sideline while celebrating someone scoring a goal during our game at North Penn.
Music on your playlist: Gangnam Style
Future plans: Study and play Division 1 lacrosse at the University of Richmond.
Words to live by: "Stay humble, stay hungry."
One goal before turning 30: Travel to Australia
One thing people don’t know about me: I used to be in a circus.
By Craig Ostroff
Like many rising seniors, Grace Gannon was eagerly anticipating her final season on the lacrosse field at Central Bucks South.
As a returning veteran on a team that had lost 11 players to graduation, Gannon would be relied upon as a leader and role model to help guide and mold a young, inexperienced team both on the field and off.
Then, with one step, everything changed.
Gannon was playing in a club tournament last summer, carrying the ball up the field from her midfield position. She made a move she’d made a thousand times before, she said. But when she planted her left foot on an imperfect field …
“I felt a little pop in my knee, but I tried to push it to the back of my head,” she said. “I wasn’t in much pain, so I kept playing a little bit, but I started to realize something was wrong and I got myself off the field.”
The immediate sideline assessment was to rest her leg and see if she’d be okay to play the next day.
But when her knee still didn’t feel right the next morning, Gannon’s mom, a nurse, encouraged her to take the weekend off from playing to see if the rest would help.
“I honestly never thought it was my ACL,” Gannon said. “I had mobility in my knee, it didn’t really hurt, I saw two doctors before getting an MRI, and when we found out it was my ACL, that was pretty devastating.”
Working with a sports-specific physical therapist, Gannon was told that in order to get back into playing condition, the rehab would likely keep her out of action for 11 months. And Gannon—who’d had her freshman season taken away when the Covid pandemic cancelled spring sports that year—suddenly lost her senior season as well.
But just because she wouldn’t be able to play didn’t mean Gannon wouldn’t have a presence on the lacrosse team this season. If she couldn’t help on the field, she’d do her part on the sidelines.
“When you have something so unfortunate as an ACL injury, you could be bitter and angry about it,” said Central Bucks South girls lacrosse coach Janique Craig. “But Grace kept positive and decided she was going to contribute as much as she could.
“Grace is wonderful, she’s a team captain, she was at every practice, worked with the kids when she needed to, she’s on my sideline at every game, she helps me coach. She might not have been able to be out on the field, but she really was an invaluable asset this year.”
It’s not always easy, however. When a standout athlete can only watch her teammates during games and cannot participate in practices, it takes some time and effort to adapt.
But her desire to be there for her teammates in any way possible was a major force in helping Gannon push through those difficult times.
“There were some hard days where I would show up at practice and be so devastated and not even want to get out of my car,” Gannon said. “But I know I have to do it for the girls around me. I have experiences and things I can pass down. Whether I’m on the field or not, I’m still on the team. I need to help to build up my team the best I could, however I could.”
The young Titans’ squad finished at 6-12 overall, 4-6 in National Conference play, including a few close losses where Gannon’s presence on the field may have made all the difference. But Gannon chooses not to dwell on such thoughts, and instead prefers to look at the way the team improved and came together despite having lost so many experienced players.
“There are a lot of ‘what ifs’ when you’re standing on the sideline,” she said. “But I can’t think about that, since I couldn’t be on the field. I’m doing the best that I can do in the situation I’m in.
“Given everything we’ve gone through, I think we did great this year. We learned so much and grew so much. I can’t wait to see what the girls will do next year.”
And Gannon played no small part in the team’s development over the course of the season.
“Grace has always been a team-first player, and it was quite a loss not to have her on the field, I think a lot of games would have ended differently if she had been,” Craig said. “But the way that Grace stepped up as a leader—helping me on the sidelines, helping her teammates, giving advice—was very impactful. We needed that this year.
“I know she had bad days, it’s tough to deal with an ACL injury, but she never showed that she was down, and that shows you how much of an unselfish person and player she is. She was there to support everyone and help, and I can’t say enough amazing things about her and what she did for this team this year.”
•••
Her injury may have slowed her down athletically, but in the classroom, Gannon was still moving at top speed.
“I’ve kept myself pretty busy this year,” she said. “I’ve had a lot of hard classes. I figured, why not? It’s my last year, I’ll get a nice break in the summer, and I took some electives to balance things out.”
Gannon is a member of the Central Bucks South chapter of the National Honor Society and the Spanish Honor Society. She also participates in Titans Connect, a peer-mentor and autistic support program that holds a special place in her heart.
“My gym teacher in middle school started something similar at Tamanend, and my neighbor and my sister were involved in Titans Connect,” Gannon said. “I love getting to be involved with these kids who are always so happy and have so much life and joy in them. I hope to be able to keep it as a part of my life when I leave C.B. South.”
In the fall, Gannon will head to the University of Richmond, where she will play lacrosse and study business in the hopes of tying it into a career related to sports.
“The summer going into my junior year, I was visiting campuses, emailing coaches and going to camps,” Gannon said. “I always knew I wanted somewhere that I could push myself in the classroom. I really stressed academics during the recruiting process. I had heard from a few schools, but at Richmond, all the girls on the lacrosse team there were so friendly and inclusive, the campus was so pretty but also very homey and welcoming. I knew that was where I wanted to be.
“I got to talk with the coaches after my injury, and they were all so supportive, they keep reassuring me if I need anything when I’m there, they’ll do whatever they can for me. I’m so grateful and blessed that they’re so supportive.”
And while her current coach has no doubts that Gannon will excel on the lacrosse field for the Spiders, the same drive she brings to her game will also serve her well in the classroom and beyond.
“Grace is going to do amazing things at Richmond,” Craig said. “She’s always one of the most hard-working players on the field, and not just scoring, but getting ground balls, causing turnovers, making defensive plays, helping on offense, talking and managing the game out there. That’s the type of player I value the most—she works hard and she hustles, and that’s a very rare breed to come by. No matter on or off the field, those traits are going to go into her schooling, into her career. No matter where she goes, she’s going to be successful. Richmond is very lucky have her.”
And for her part, Gannon is prepared to move on to college, and will be ready for the opening faceoff of her freshman lacrosse season at Richmond.
“From the moment we set the timeline for rehab, I’ve been 100 percent devoted to getting back stronger than I ever was,” she said. “I’ve spent so much time doing PT, taking care of my body so when I do come back, I’ll be the best I’ve ever been. Still to this day at the gym or if I’m going for a run and I really don’t want to do it, I just remember 10 months ago when I couldn’t even walk or drive my car. That’s still a motivator and something to keep in the back of my mind.
“Obviously I wish I had more time in a Central Bucks South uniform, but I grew a ton and learned a lot and I’m so grateful for everything I learned at South. And I’m ready for the next chapter in my life.”
And once she has moved on from South, she hopes the returning players will remember her as someone who did everything she could to contribute to the team’s success, whether she was on the field or not.
“Tomorrow’s not guaranteed. You never know when you might play your last game,” Gannon said. “I hope every time they step on the field, they think about that and they play their hearts out. And I hope they remember that - whatever situation you’re in, you do whatever you can in order to help the team.”
•••
While Gannon may not have had a storybook high school lacrosse career, her tale did have the perfect ending.
On May 8, Gannon suited up and was able to play in a 15-11 win on Senior Night over Council Rock North. In limited playing time, Gannon forced a turnover, recorded an assist, and scored a goal.
Those few minutes gave Gannon one more chance to suit up in Titans’ colors. One more chance to step onto the field with her friends and teammates. One more chance to feel the rush of game action. One more chance to feel the love of being mobbed by her teammates in celebration of a goal.
“Being able to play on Senior Night, it meant absolutely everything,” Gannon said. “It’s been such a long process. There were so many bad days … but to be able to get back on the field, the love I have for lacrosse, I felt it stronger than I ever had that day.”
