The District One seeding committee has to be feeling pretty good about itself right about now.
Although there was considerable debate when the brackets were released, when all was said and done, the top eight seeds advanced to Friday’s quarterfinal round. And on Friday, the top four seeds earned wins to move on to Wednesday’s district semifinals.
That doesn’t mean the seeding was perfect because no one will ever know if this same scenario would have played itself out if – let’s say – two SOL schools had been in the bottom quarter of the bracket where there were NONE.
It’s doubtful that there was too much discussion about which SOL schools were the best. Wissahickon earned its top seed (and has proven it deserves it) as has Central Bucks South, which, as a result of its non-league win over Pennsbury, earned its position as the SOL’s second seeded school as well.
It could be argued, however, that Pennsbury and Council Rock North got the short end of the stick. No one will ever know how they would have fared if they’d both been seeded just one spot higher.
And it does seem a bit unusual that last year’s Rock North squad – after finishing second to Neshaminy- was the sixth seed in the district tournament but this year was seeded ninth despite sharing the National Conference crown with Pennsbury. The Falcons, meanwhile, were seeded seventh.
A look ahead shows that Central Bucks South will face third-seeded Great Valley in a 3 p.m. contest at Wissahickon while Wissahickon will take on fourth-seeded Owen J. Roberts at Plymouth Whitemarsh at the same time. It’s a bit of a mystery why the semifinals are played at two different venues, forcing fans to choose. Why not play at the same site the way soccer did in the past? (This year soccer has gone with two sites as well. Go figure!)
Springfield is alive and well in Class AA competition. The Spartans will face top-seeded Villa Maria on Tuesday at Conestoga in a 3 p.m. game.
They’re back – It would have been easy to write off Central Bucks South this season. After all, the defending Continental Conference champions lost five key players from last year’s district runner-up squad to graduation.
Yet, the Titans not only won the conference crown but also find themselves one win away from playing for a district title, and they’ve already bought their ticket into the state tournament.
The secret?
“Definitely just working together and chemistry,” senior Liz Lewallen said. “We all work well together, and we’re all friends off the field.
“Our coaches also push us every day which is fantastic.”
Talk to coach Christina Ford, and it’s pretty apparent that under that soft-spoken exterior resides a fierce competitor.
“Our mentality since district playoffs is that the highlight of our season is not being Continental Conference champs,” Ford said after Friday’s big win over Pennsbury in the quarterfinals. “Making it to states was a goal, and now we want to play in the district championship game. I have a fighting team. They never give up. I believe in them 100 percent, and they believe in themselves.”
Friday’s quarterfinal matchup against Pennsbury was a rematch of a non-league game between the two teams earlier this season, but if it seems as though the Titans would have been confident after that 3-2 win, guess again.
“We knew they were a strong team,” South senior Sarah Hughes said. “The last time we played them they were winning 1-0, just like this game. It was the exact same thing.
“It’s just our faith. If we believe we can, we can.”
Kelly Hamilton deflected a shot by Hughes into the cage for the game winner, propelling the Titans to an emotional 2-1 overtime win.
National Conference
Golden Hawks take flight – Lisa Defeo had some big shoes to fill when she took over the helm of the Council Rock South program after the resignation of the legendary Pat Toner last summer, but the former Council Rock and The College of New Jersey standout was well prepared.
After all, she had been an assistant under Toner for eight years – one year at Council Rock and, more recently, seven at Rock South.
“Pat gave me a lot of responsibilities from the get-go,” Defeo said of Toner. “She always trusted my opinion and didn’t just take everything on herself, which was good because she prepared me to be a head coach. She always did a good job of planning practices, and she included me in that as well.
“I really appreciate that.”
So when it came time to make tough decisions, Defeo already boasted experience.
“I really felt like I had a good background,” the Golden Hawks’ coach said. “I went through two very competitive hockey programs, and I was coached by two very good coaches in high school and college. That experience alone prepares you to be a coach.”
Defeo officially took over the position in July.
“At first, it was hard to think of all the things you had to do,” she said. “Being an assistant, all you really need to do is coach.
“Being the head coach, there are all these other administrative things you need to do. It’s a lot on your plate at once.”
Defeo’s first order of business was finding a pair of assistants, and not surprisingly, she hired two former Rock South players – ’04 grads Carly Bedesem and Erica Hellerstein. There also was the not-so-little matter of summer workouts and camp at Old Dominion University.
Making the transition easier for Defeo was the support and assistance she received from her three senior captains – Maria Karidas, Sam Facciolla and Lea Britton.“They’ve been great,” Defeo said. “They had two new assistant coaches, but they already looked at me as a coach. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh my god, we have a brand new coach – what are we going to do this year?’
“They took on the big responsibility of leading the team, reaching out to the younger kids, getting everyone to do the team bonding stuff, and that’s what you want out of your captains. They’ve been great leaders, communicators and role models.
“I’ve been very, very proud of those three.”
In Rock South’s 2-0 district win over Hatboro-Horsham, Karidas set a new school record for goals in a season when she scored her 18th goal of the year, and goalie Ashley Hart picked up her 11th shutout to tie a school record for most shutouts in a season.
Facciolla and Britton anchored a standout Golden Hawks’ defense, and there were others who came up big this season as well.
Junior Cara Deola started and played every game as a sophomore and assumed a larger role this season as the center midfielder.
“She takes on a big role,” Defeo said. “She’s one of those players – in the big games, she really performed, and that’s important. If somebody isn’t playing their best, she leads the team with her play.”
The forward line also needed to step up when Karidas became the focal point of opposing defenses.
“Kayla Hempel has been working so hard, and I think she’s improved the most out of everyone,” Defeo said. “Sarah Brotman and Colleen Diviny really stepped up as well.”
The Golden Hawks jumped out of the gate to a 5-0 start but then went through a difficult week that saw them fall to Pennsbury, Council Rock North and William Tennent.
“That was a reality check,” Defeo said. “At that point, we took a step back, we changed the lineup a little bit, we made some adjustments, and we tried to get back on track.”
The Golden Hawks rebounded to win six straight but a pair of late-season losses to Pennsbury and Rock North forced the Golden Hawks to settle for fourth place in the National Conference.
“I don’t think that demonstrates how competitive we really were,” Defeo said.
The Golden Hawks showed they were more than simply competitive with a huge 2-0 win over Hatboro-Horsham in the opening round of districts, and they extended top-seeded Wissahickon to overtime before falling 2-1.
It was a memorable season for the Golden Hawks under their first-year coach.
Continental Conference
Indians end on high note – The scene was an unusual one for a Souderton squad that has grown accustomed to making serious noise when the post-season rolls around.
The Indians – who moments earlier had seen their season come to an early end when they were upset by Strath Haven in the opening round of districts – were gathering at midfield for a photo. Then the seniors got together for a photo with their coaches.
There were plenty of smiles and lots of laughter. As endings go, this one was pretty special for everyone, even the coaches.
“I saw they were really upset after the game,” coach Mary Ann Harris said. “I don’t always know what to do in those situations because it’s difficult, so I said, ‘This is a team - you played together, you like each other. Let’s just get together and do whatever you like to do.’
“The coaches all talked, and it was positive. They went from there, and some of the parents came out and took pictures. It was handled well. It was a very positive ending for me, one of the most positive endings after a loss. They were disappointed, but yet they knew they had a good season.”
Harris credited her seniors for their role in pulling the team together, although only three – Carly Hughes, Olivia Shoemaker and Nicole Bencsik – were regulars last season. Kelsey Bradshaw, Jaclyn Zylka, Sarah Rodzewich and Kayla Schlosser were relative newcomers to varsity play while Olivia Zimmerman had never so much as played hockey before.
“She knew we needed a goalkeeper because we lost Ann Jefferis last year, and I wasn’t sure with the younger keepers what was going to happen,” Harris said of Zimmerman. “She came out for hockey, and she’s doing really well.
“At this stage of the game, we think she could play at a Division III or II college program. She picked it up very well. She just didn’t have the experience, which is what (starting goalie) Morgan Brozena had over her, but she’s really learned a lot. This is the very first hockey team she’s ever been on. We were glad to have her. It was a nice addition to the team.
“The seniors really came together. Even though many teams have seniors who have played varsity together, we did not.”
The Indians may have surprised even themselves by staying in the hunt for a Continental Conference crown until the final day of the regular season. They ended up tied with Hatboro-Horsham for second place.
“It was fun to go to practice,” Harris said. “All the coaches enjoyed them. They worked hard. We really enjoyed this year.
“We weren’t sure where we would be, and we were pleasantly surprised when we started winning our games early on, and they kept working really hard. I think it was a good experience with such a nice team that worked hard, and I think everyone improved.”
The cupboard is hardly bare for the Indians next year. They return a group of key veterans including juniors Alex Atiyeh, Kirsten Russell and Natalie Guerreiro, Caroline Tarlo as well as sophomores Morgan Brozena, Alayna Brown and Taylor Yoder. Newcomers Rachel Valentine, Courtney Bradshaw, Corrine Stiles, Anna Schwyter, Caitlin Wetzler, Courtney Wright, Moira Golden, Olivia Miorrelli and Rachel Brost also will be counted on to contribute next year.
“We have other sophomores who will be moving together,” Harris said. “They should look forward to trying to do a lot of out of season play. We provide a lot of opportunities ourselves – they don’t have to spend money. They just have to take the step forward to do it.”
It’s the way Harris has built a program that has advanced to districts every year since she took over the helm in 1992.
American Conference
Spartans battle tested tough – Springfield stood out in a crowd in American Conference play and not because of the size of its players but rather because the Spartans did what no other conference team could do – they were more than competitive with Wissahickon.
Actually, the Spartans are the only American Conference team to score against the Trojans, connecting for a pair of goals in both games – a 4-2 loss and a 3-2 loss.
In truth, they’ve had quite a year under veteran coach Linda Nixon, who is filling in for Kati Dougherty (maternity leave).
“It’s been a lot of fun,” Nixon said. “We are a little school, and we have a lot of kids that don’t play a lot of hockey.“It’s very difficult to compete against kids that are playing hockey 11 months of the year. That’s what we’re faced with in our league because a lot of kids do that. It’s been interesting to watch them continue to grow as the season has gone on.”
The long-time Spartans’ coach, who serves as an assistant under Dougherty, was joined by former assistant Jodi Field as well as former player Mary Kate Gordon.
“We’re all very familiar with each other, and I think things ran pretty smoothly once we got up and running,” Nixon said.
The Spartans finished second only to Wissahickon in the league standings, and they are one of four teams still alive in the District One Class AA Tournament.
“I don’t know what our expectations should have been,” Nixon said. “I expected we would be competitive, but we had some big senior losses last year from graduation.
“I think the most fun was trying to sort out who was going to play where. Other than Maggie Olson in goal, I was putting people all over the place trying to see where they would shake out. I’m very pleased with the progress the kids have made.”
Nixon has seven seniors on her roster, all of whom start – goalie Maggie Olson, defensive backs Ali Roy, Jill Simmons and Sarah Studdiford, midfielders Laura Campbell and Kierstan McLennan and forward Tierney Carabba.It is the return to the field of Campbell that has brought Nixon the most satisfaction.
“Three years ago, she was a forward line player, but between ninth and 10th grades, she had a very bad concussion during the summer, so she didn’t play hockey,” the Spartans’ coach said. “She lost 10th grade.”
Last year, Campbell attended hockey camp but then suffered an ankle injury that sidelined her for the entire season yet again.
“She never stepped on the field,” Nixon said. “But she never lost interest and was always willing to help in any way she could.”
This year, Campbell came out for the team and earned a starting spot at midfield.
“It just brings a smile to my face every time she goes out there,” Nixon said. “She just wants to be there, and she is just doing a really nice job. “That’s made the whole season for me to see someone come back that honestly wanted to play. That’s been a fun story, and that truly made the season for me. It just is incredible, and she’s such a nice kid.”
The Spartans boast a 15-3 record, and they’re still going strong.
“We seem to have meshed together very nicely,” Nixon said. “It’s been really a lot of fun.
“I’m just very, very pleased.”
Three of the four remaining Class AA teams will advance to the state tournament.
SOS.com’s Fab Five
- Wissahickon (19-0) (The Trojans needed OT to defeat both Council Rock South and Radnor, but they remain undefeated and are one of four Class AAA teams still standing in the district.)
- Central Bucks South (15-3-1) (The Titans surprised everyone but themselves by defending their Continental Conference crown and, after Friday’s win over Pennsbury, earning a spot in the district’s final four.)
- Pennsbury (14-6-1) (The Falcons extended CB South to overtime in the district quarterfinals, and they’re still in the hunt for a state playoff berth.)
- Souderton (11-4-3) (The Indians dominated their opening round game against Strath Haven but never could recuperate from an early 2-0 hole and saw their season come to an earlier than expected ending.)
- Council Rock North (14-5-1) (The Indians saw their 12-game winning streak snapped when they fell to Radnor in a second round game.)
Under consideration: Springfield ( 15-3) (The Spartans are one win away from a spot in the District One Class AA title game as well as a state tournament berth.). Central Bucks East (9-9) (The Patriots were 6-1 in their second go-round in Continental Conference play and were one of the league’s most improved team’s by the end of the season.) Council Rock South (12-6) (The Golden Hawks showed their mettle with an impressive win over Hatboro and hanging with top-seeded Wissahickon before falling 2-1 in OT.) Hatboro-Horsham (11-5-2) (A first round exit from districts was not what anyone envisioned for a dangerous Hatter squad.) William Tennent (13-6) (The Panthers lost a heartbreaker in penalty strokes to Conestoga in their district opener.) Upper Dublin (12-6-1) (The Flying Cardinals notched an impressive win over Central Bucks East before falling to CB South in the second round of districts.)
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