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 June 6, 2012),
Mollie Burrell, according to her coach, was the unsung hero during the Souderton softball team’s magical postseason run to the state quarterfinals last year. “Mollie called every pitch for Liz (Parkins),” coach Courtney Hughes said of her senior captain who anchored the team behind the plate. “She’s such an intelligent kid, and she was making some of those great decisions, and that’s what made us so successful last year.” Hughes was counting on Burrell’s experience behind the plate to help smooth the transition to a completely new and very young pitching staff this season, but Burrell was sidelined for the better part of the season, rehabbing from surgery to repair a torn labrum in her right shoulder. Although Burrell, who still served as a captain, helped call games from the sidelines, her present on the field was sorely missed. “The pitchers have confidence in Mollie back there, and when she was unable to be in that role, it took a lot of wind out of the team,” Hughes said.
Burrell, according to Hughes, has an uncanny knack for calling pitches, and she began calling pitches for the Indians midway through her sophomore season. “A coach can sit on the sidelines and call the game and know what they’re doing, but a catcher has the best perspective,” Burrell said. “When something isn’t working or something needs to be better, the catcher is the first person to see it.” Late in the season, Burrell filled the role of designated player and even had a few innings behind the plate. “She’s a leader,” Hughes said. “The kids emulate the things she does. To me, she was almost like a second coach. She’s very bright, and she works hard at everything she does.”
Burrell also is a member of the National Honor Society, Future Business Leaders of America, Students Against Violating the Earth (SAVE) and Student Council. She wrote for the school newspaper for several years and works on Red Alert, the school’s weekly television show. She is a member of LINK Crew.
An excellent student, Burrell has taken several AP classes and a full course load of honors classes. She has signed a letter of intent to play softball at Philadelphia University where she plans to major in health sciences.
To view Burrell’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/mollie-burrell-0026256
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of June 6, 2012)
Sam Hibbs was the fourth in a long line of runners in his family. When the Hatboro-Horsham senior ran his final race at the PIAA Track and Field Championships, it not only marked the end of his high school career but also brought to a close a remarkable family legacy. All three of Hibbs’ older brothers – Josh, Dan and Seth – were distance runners for the Hatters, and all three enjoyed successful high school careers and went on to run at college. “Sam’s seen what his brother have done, seen where they’ve had successes and failures, and he wanted to learn from that,” coach D.J. Fromal said. “He wants to be the best, but he couldn’t have done that without the work of his older brothers.”
Hibbs leaves Hatboro-Horsham as the school record holder in the indoor 3,000 meters, indoor 5,000 meters and outdoor 3,200 meters, and he ran on the school record-setting 4x800 relay as well. Hibbs’ final appearance at the state track meet proved to be golden as he claimed the state title in the 3,200 meters. “That was a culmination of all the work he had put in,” Fromal said. “For at least two years now, he’s really been aiming at this particular race and this particular championship. Along the way, there were some ups and downs in terms of injuries and not a great finish to cross country, but once the new year started, things started building and building, and there really was this attitude where he just knew he was going to be the champion,” Fromal said. Hibbs completed the race in 9:09.82, nearly five seconds ahead of the silver medalist.
In addition to his athletic prowess, Hibbs has maintained strong grades and has taken many honors-level courses throughout high school. Hibbs will attend Liberty College where he will look to make a name for himself anew at a school known for its distance program. “We’re losing a competitor and a family,” Fromal said. “We’ve been running with a Hibbs for probably the last decade. They’re such a wonderful family – they’re the All-American family, and we’re losing that. In Sam, we’re going to miss that drive. He’s someone who has been so focused and so ready to go out and compete every time. That’s not easy to replace.”
To view Hibbs’ complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/sam-hibbs-0026257
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