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
Allison McGowan is a firm believer that the best memories of playing sports come not from games themselves but from the camaraderie and friendships that develop over the years. Still, there’s one game in particular that will forever be etched in McGowan’s memory. Senior Night – Feb. 6. The evening started with the Council Rock South senior being honored for her contributions to the girls’ basketball program – particularly during this season where she served as co-captain to a very young squad. It ended with McGowan having written her name in the Golden Hawks’ record books for connecting on a single-game program record six three-pointers. McGowan’s Senior Night experience was a much-deserved reward for a leader who gave up playing golf for the Golden Hawks this year so she could focus on basketball and who served as a cornerstone for a team that desperately needed her talent and steadying presence.
“Allison filled the leadership role from the first day I got the job, and the first meeting we had, she took the lead,” said first-year coach Blair Klumpp. “She was the only one with consistent varsity minutes that was returning for us. She set the tone in terms of work ethic and leadership from the first workout of summer last year and she carried it through the season this year. She was one of my two captains, and they both really do a lot of things that don’t necessarily get you articles written, but when your captains dive on the floor for loose balls, they get deflections, they take charges – that plays an important role in trying to build a successful program.”
For McGowan – who started on a team that qualified for the District One Tournament last season – it also meant adjusting her expectations as the season progressed. The underclassmen-dominated squad showed improvement throughout the season, even if those steps didn’t often show up in the team’s record. “It was really a privilege to be a leader of this young group of girls, and it motivated me to do better myself,” McGowan said. “I wanted to teach them, I wanted them to learn everything I learned these four years. I know the season didn’t go as planned in terms of number of wins, but overall, this season was my favorite in all of high school. I’m so glad to have been a part of what we’re trying to build in this program.”
McGowan is involved in the school’s Travis Manion Foundation Club, a community service organization. She is also a member of South’s French National Honor Society. Her senior course load includes an AP and honors cases. While she hasn’t made a decision where she will attend college, she knows she will be pursuing a degree in biochemistry. Although she will no longer suit up for the Golden Hawks, McGowan’s presence will be felt. “When this gets turned around, she will have been a major part of that,” Klumpp said. “She’s going to be extremely proud of what this team does down the line.”
To read McGowan’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/allison-mcgowan-0076030
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete
The Central Bucks West boys’ basketball team has soared to a 21-win season, and it’s safe to say the Bucks couldn’t have gotten this far without Stephen DeLash, who knows a thing or two about flying high. No, DeLash isn’t the team’s top scorer, rebounder or passer. In fact, he doesn’t always see the court, so you aren’t likely to see DeLash’s name stuffing the box score. However, it’s easy to forget there are usually a dozen players on a basketball team, if not more, and each plays a pivotal role in his team’s success or failure. DeLash is an especially fascinating case. When he’s not playing basketball, the senior spends his spare time doing mission work with Our Lady of the Sacred Heart Church in Hilltown Township or training to obtain his private pilot’s lesson. DeLash brings a maturity beyond his years to West’s program, and his unselfish nature has had a trickle-down effect on the rest of the West roster.
“One of the hardest parts about coaching basketball is that, unlike football, there aren’t 11 guys on the field,” West coach Adam Sherman said. “There are five spots, and the games are relatively short with four eight-minute quarters, so it’s hard to give great opportunities to every kid. I give a lot of credit to Steve for showing up every day to battle hard in practice. A lot of kids who come in as a freshman and don’t see a lot of time, they drop off the team by the time they are seniors when they don’t see opportunities they were hoping for. Steve has found his role and is an important piece of our puzzle.”
DeLash was a baseball player much of his youth, playing travel and AAU ball starting at eight years old. Going into the winter of his freshman year, his mother encouraged him to try out for the basketball team. “Once I was lucky enough to make the team, I started liking basketball more than baseball,” DeLash said. “We have such a special basketball program, and I really loved my teammates.” And while DeLash doesn’t get a ton of minutes, his true value to the program is measured behind closed doors during practice where he is one of the team’s most tenacious, hard-working defenders and routinely guards two of West’s top players. He often leaves bruised and batter, but the punishment is worthwhile knowing it’s making both he and his teammates better.
DeLash’s Catholic faith plays an integral role in his life, and he spoke of week-long summer trips he would take with his church mission group to Louisa, Kentucky. Almost a third of Louisa’s population lives below the poverty line, and what struck DeLash the most about the town’s denizens is how they found fulfillment in life despite having next to nothing. He also spends some Sundays with his team teaching children with special needs the game of basketball. “Steve sees the bigger picture and has a better perspective on who he is and how he can have an influence on others,” Sherman said.
DeLash will attend Boston University where he plans to major in mechanical engineering with a minor in political science.
To read DeLash’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/stephen-delash-0076029
- Log in to post comments
