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 April 21, 2016)
Amanda Camp is the very definition of a team player. If that sounds cliché, it is, but the Council Rock North senior’s selfless, team-first approach is anything but cliché. As a matter of fact, it’s as rare as it is refreshing, going well beyond the ‘I’ll play anywhere you need me, coach,’ line that’s associated with the team-first concept. After compiling a 6-2 record in SOL play as a sophomore, Camp was relegated to the bench last season when a new coach and a new pitcher entered the picture. This year, John Engelhardt was named the program’s third coach in three years, and also bursting onto the scene was freshman Jenna Khantzian. “Amanda is coming in this year, and all you hear about is this all-world phenom freshman, and it started in tryouts,” Engelhardt said. Camp’s reaction to her competition caught the first-year coach by surprise. “Amanda was injured a little bit, and she’s standing there on the sidelines cheering Jenna on,” Engelhardt said. “I remember going, ‘Oh my god, this girl is a senior cheering on this freshman, and they’re competing for the number one spot.’ I’m an athlete, and I would never be able to do or have done what she did.”
So far this season, both pitchers have seen time in the circle, and while Camp has a passion for pitching, she is far more concerned about the bigger picture. “I pulled her aside – I want all my players to know where they stand,” Engelhardt said. “She said, ‘Coach, look, I want to win. If that means I’m on the bench, that’s fine. Give me the ball whenever you want. I’m ready to go.’”
Camp’s high school career has followed a somewhat bumpy path. It began with a concussion in her first varsity start in the fifth game of her freshman year, sidelining her the remainder of the season. That was followed by a banner sophomore season and then last year’s stint on the bench. The script this season has been a much happier one for the senior captain – who is 2-0. Camp’s coaches have nothing but high praise for the quiet leader. “One of the mottos we have is – the wins and losses will go away, but it’s the character and integrity you bring to the game that we’ll remember forever,’” Engelhardt said. “She’s the perfect person for that.” CR South coach Greg Heydet is the coach of Camp’s Warrington Blue Thunder squad, and he also is her pitching coach. “She’s a team player,” Heydet said. “For someone to pick up (pitching) at 14 years old, you don’t hear that. She’s a stud as far as I’m concerned. She’s a great kid.”
Next year, Camp will continue her softball career at Penn State Altoona where she will major in nutrition with an interest in possibly working in sports nutrition.
To read Camp’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/amanda-camp-0061540
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete (Week of April 21, 2016)
For a young man who prefers to blend in with the crowd, Justin Sutton certainly manages to find ways to stand out. While the Cheltenham senior might not be the type of guy who seeks the spotlight, his efforts and leadership on the basketball court and track have earned Sutton a place of distinction in the eyes of his teammates and coaches. “Justin’s work ethic is what’s going to separate him,” basketball coach John Timms said. “Justin is not the guy who’s going to get the bright lights and the stars. If you’re looking for the flash, you’ll miss Justin. But if you’re looking for effort and quality and consistency, you’ll never overlook him.”
Timms points to Sutton’s hook shot as a natural gift, but everything else Sutton has achieved on the hardwood, he’s done through hard work. And he’s amassed a high school career that might not land him among the leading scorers in the area, but it has gained him the respect of those around him. He earned the honor of a First Team All-American Conference selection as a senior after being named to the third team in his junior year.
Sutton also competes in the long jump, triple jump and high jump for the track and field team, and his only regret is that he didn’t go out for the team sooner. “Justin is a kid who wants to improve, and he is improving,” said boys’ track and field coach Dr. Robert Beale. “His work ethic has really picked up this year.” It’s made him an ideal leader for a Panther team that is the defending state champion but – having lost numerous elite athletes to graduation – is undergoing a rebuilding process. “Justin certainly leads by example,” Beale said. “Justin doesn’t say much, but he backs it up.”
It’s not all track and basketball for Sutton. There is a third team of which he is an integral part. And just like in track and basketball, this team needs all of its members performing in sync and striving to achieve a common goal in order to succeed. “I play the double bass in the Concert String Orchestra,” said Sutton, who has been playing standup bass since fifth grade. “Music gets me calm, puts me in a zone. It makes you feel good to be part of that.”
A solid student as well, Sutton will continue his basketball career at Elizabethtown College and will attempt to walk on to the track team. “Justin is the face of a student-athlete,” Timms said. “He gets the role of student – he takes his grades very seriously. He’s well-rounded and respectful. There are a lot of people in this world who at some point were behind a group of people they are now no longer behind because they work harder. Justin is that example. If there’s one player who exemplifies what I look for in a student-athlete, Justin Sutton would be that student-athlete.
To read Sutton’s compete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/justin-sutton-0061539
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