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 for week of Dec. 6, 2018
To fully understand Elizabeth Pohle’s worth to the Abington girls’ soccer team, one must look at the games she didn’t play. The Ghosts’ center midfielder was looking forward to a memorable senior campaign, and it turned out that way for all of the wrong reasons. First, two days into preseason practice, Pohle stepped into a massive divot in the field, badly spraining her ankle, which immobilized her foot in a walking boot for about a month. She worked her way back, only this time to be derailed by asthma, allergies and a cough she couldn’t quite shake. Pohle would play in a game or two, only to find herself too sick to be out there again. It was, to say the least, frustrating. “I would basically play until I couldn’t breathe, and Coach would hear me coughing and not want me to have an attack,” Pohle recalled. “I was able to contribute a little bit in the middle of the season, but when I couldn’t play, I shifted my focus to helping the younger people on the team.”
Rick Tompkins, Pohle’s head coach at Abington, expanded upon his senior’s value.“She kept showing up to support her team, and I appreciated that because I knew she was frustrated,” Tompkins said. “Not having her hurt us, because she would have added an element to our team that we were missing without her at full strength. She would have shone had the opportunity presented itself differently, but there was nothing she could do - it was just bad luck.But her whole attitude was, ‘OK, I can’t do what I normally do, so I’m going to find something else.’ She helped our manager out as a spotter for stats, she brought the younger girls along and showed them the expectation of what we have to do. She goes out of her way to make it easier for everyone else. She doesn’t just promote that type of dedication and commitment - she epitomizes it.”
Pohle played JV as a freshman, and by her own admission was surprised when she wasn’t cut from the varsity team as a sophomore. Because Pohle is undersized, Tompkins worried about her getting beat up on the field, but at the same time, the coach liked Pohle’s intelligence and her ability to serve as a largely mistake-free playmaker. She contributed much more and gained an increased comfort level as a junior. Pohle was just coming into her own when injuries and illnesses derailed her promising campaign.
And while she is indeed a standout soccer player, Pohle is so much more than just an athlete. For starters, she is in the top 10 percent of her senior class, holding a remarkable 4.42 GPA. A dedicated animal lover who works as a rescue transporter, she assists a shelter in South Carolina place animals in no-kill shelters up north. Pohle has ambitions to major in Pre-Veterinary Medicine before moving on to medical school to become a veterinarian. Pohle also is a member of Abington’s student council. Not to be stopped there, Pohle also plays the violin in the school orchestra. “She’s a driven kid,” Thompkins said. “You’d like to bottle that up and give it to everyone else. The key to success - she’s got it, and there’s no doubt in my mind she’ll act upon and do very well for herself. It’s hard to quantify exactly what it is, but I know I can’t wait to see her when she comes back to visit and watch us play. She’ll be missed for sure, no question, but I know it’s not a forever ending. She’ll be back.”
To read Pohle’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/elizabeth-pohle-0081718
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete for week of Dec. 6, 2018
Mention the name Carson Snyder to Stefan Szygiel, and it’s a safe bet the Central Bucks West soccer coach will somewhere in the conversation refer to his senior captain as a ‘West kid.’And what exactly is a West kid?“Understanding that you’re part of something bigger than your own individual accolades,” Szygiel said. “That you’re not only representing CB West but representing the Doylestown community on and off the field, and deep down, you’re willing to give yourself to the program no matter what it takes.”
That, in a nutshell, describes Snyder, who’s been a part of West’s varsity for four years and a fixture in the central midfield the last two years. While he might not fall into the category of headliner on a team that included all-state goalie Dylan Smith, his importance to the Bucks’ run to a District One 4A title cannot be overstated.“Carson, for me, is an all-timer,” Szygiel said. “He was part of a senior class that was a special class, a real tight group with camaraderie, talent and just a nice blend of personalities.Carson always, even as a freshman when he came in, was very talented. By the end of his freshman year, he was already a swing player. He was a guy we knew we could put a lot of stock in. We knew he’d eventually end up as a key part of our central midfield, which obviously last year and this year is unquestioned with what he did for us.”
Snyder was a key player on a squad that took the program to new heights, advancing to the PIAA 4A state semifinals last year and this year earning a share of the SOL Continental Conference title and going on to win the program’s first ever district title.“The thing about him was he wasn’t always recognized for the amount of work he put in on the defensive side and in the transitional phase of the game,” Szygiel said. “We define players now who are attacking players. It’s always about statistics, and the reality is if we averaged out minutes from the past two seasons he’d easily be in the top three for minutes played.“That’s a testament to his ability to defend, attack and do everything in between for us. We valued him that highly. He was in a captain role as a senior, and he had such a great consistent career for us.
Although his high school playing days are over, Snyder will not soon be forgotten.“He came into the program, and we knew the talent was there,” Szygiel said. “I think he’s leaving the program as a guy we’ll always refer to and reference. We want players who can do the things he did in the midfield for us.For me, one of his best attributes is how much he loves being a West kid. Not every player fully buys into what you’re trying to do. You can’t get 100 percent buy-in from 100 percent of your program. It’s just impossible. You need the right ones to buy in and you hope the others will follow in those footsteps.”
To read Snyder’s complete profile, please click on the following link: http://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/carson-snyder-0081710
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