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 Jan. 18, 2021
Tyrese Maxey’s name popped up in conversation when coach Steve Polinsky was talking about Rachel Saxton. That’s hardly surprising since both share a common denominator. The Philadelphia 76ers effervescent rookie and the New Hope-Solebury senior share a love for the game, and it shows every time they step onto the court. “It’s almost like watching the Sixers with Maxey,” Polinsky said of Saxton. “He enjoys playing, and Rachel is like that. She adds joy and excitement to the game whenever she steps on the court. It’s nice to have kids like that. I have a number of them, but she’s every day. There’s no bummer. Every day she’s there.” It’s pretty much the same story in lacrosse. “Rachel brings positive energy to the team,” NHS lacrosse coach Betsy Dougherty said. “She loves to play and compete, and her passion is inspiring and infectious. She plays midfield mostly because of her speed and seemingly inexhaustible endurance, but her defensive skills are outstanding probably because of her basketball knowledge and experience.”
Every day in every sport, Saxton competes and competes hard. A two-year captain of the basketball team, Saxton is the Lions’ floor general at point guard. She can also score in bunches as evidenced by her 12-point first quarter in a recent Lions’ win. “She’s a true basketball player,” Polinsky said. “I think what makes her great is she’s willing to learn, and she’s also a fabulous leader. She’s very good with the younger players we have, talks to them, and when your point guard does that, it makes your job a lot easier.”
With parents who both competed in sports in high school, Saxton was destined to love sports. “We’re just a big sports family,” she said. “With my (twin) brother and younger sister, we just have this strong bond, and competitiveness is something that stands out between the three of us.” Saxton shares an undeniable bond with her twin brother Jake, who excels in floor hockey for the Philadelphia Flyers PowerPlay, a power wheelchair floor hockey team. Jake was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy as a toddler. “My parents realized I was walking by myself, learning to go up the stairs, and it was harder for my brother,” Rachel said. “I remember kindergarten he got leg braces that would help him walk, but in second grade, he got his first wheelchair. I never looked at him as anything different. He’s just been my brother. I’ll never forget when my dad bought us our first mini basketball hoop that you hang on the door. My brother and I would get this little ball, and we’d play horse. Even now, sometimes I’ll get in his manual chair and we’ll play wheelchair basketball, and it’s a lot of fun. When we’re not playing the sport I love, we’ll be playing the sport he loves. I’ll go outside, I’ll get in goal, and Jake will do his thing with hockey and I’ll try and stop him.”
Jake’s disability has done nothing to hold either twin back. “If anything, it’s made both of us just to be grateful for what we have and to push each other to be the best,” Rachel said. “Jake just loves sports. He’s still in the college process, but he knew right away that sports management is the thing he’s going to do. If anything while I was growing up and playing sports and he was figuring out what he wanted to do before he found out about hockey, I think it just showed me to be grateful for the little things in life.”
Muhlenberg College will be Saxton’s home next year, offering both the athletics and academics she was looking for in a school. Coming as no surprise, Saxton excels in the classroom. She plans to major in biology and is considering a career in physical therapy.
To read Saxton’s complete profile, please click on the following link: https://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/female/rachel-saxton-0092583
Univest’s SuburbanOneSports.com Featured Male Athlete for week of Jan. 11, 2021
Drew Stover is the man everyone is looking at on the basketball court. A captain on this year’s squad, last season’s leading scorer is the only returning starter and only player with any significant varsity experience for the Cardinals. His opponents see Stover as the focal point of every defensive game plan against the Cardinals. A first team All-SOL American selection during a breakout junior season, the senior forward will find himself the subject of double- and triple-teams throughout the season as foes try to disrupt and stop one of the most dangerous offensive players in the league. If the early season is any indication, Stover and the Cardinals could be in for an exciting season. His inexperienced Upper Dublin squad stands at 5-1 after its first six games, and Stover is picking up where he left off last season, dominating defenses and pouring in an average of 28.25 points per game thus far. “One of the great things about coaching and having kids come through is seeing them mature,” said Cardinals’ coach Chris Monahan. “Seeing that process with Drew, seeing him grow as a three-year starter and watching him bloom into the leader he’s become has been fun to watch. Where I’m most pleased with Drew so far this season is that I’m expecting him to bring energy to the practice floor every day, be the best player, the hardest worker, and show everyone else what’s expected. He knows what’s demanded of the kids and he knows what we need to be successful. And he’s providing that.”
And for Stover—who will almost certainly see his name added to the banner of Upper Dublin 1,000-point scorers this season—there’s one word he uses to describe how he feels to be able to play out his senior season. “I’m extremely blessed,” he said. “It’s a blessing to be able to play, and I want to make sure this season goes on as long as it can.” Stover doesn’t toss the word blessed around lightly. Missing his senior season would have been devastating, but Stover has been through worse. As a child, he came very close to losing out on athletics—and a lot more—completely. When he was in fourth grade, Stover experienced persistent neck pain for about a month that grew more and more painful. X-rays revealed an aneurysmal bone cyst, a benign but very rare bone tumor that had eaten away at a bone in his neck. Stover was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery performed by a specialist who flew in from Texas to operate. After the cyst was removed and repair work was done to the bone, Stover was out of school for two months and was told to refrain from any contact sport for two to three years.
When he got to high school, hoping any issues with his neck were behind him, Stover’s athletic dreams didn’t have him on the hardwood. Instead, the youngest of three brothers longed to follow in the footsteps of his father Bret—now the longtime Cardinal football coach—and oldest brother Ryan and line up under center for Upper Dublin on the gridiron. “Football would have been my sport,” Stover said. “I went back to the doctor freshman year, and he said there was no way I could play. I ran the risk of being paralyzed. I could never play football again. That was a very tough day for me.” While Stover is talking with basketball coaches from several local colleges, school visits to see the campus and spend time with potential teammates are nearly impossible. Wherever Stover ends up, his coach is certain that success is waiting. “Drew is a great kid who comes from a great family,” Monahan said. “To have a player of that ability come through your program, seeing his maturity and growth as a leader, it’s been amazing to watch and it’s something he’s going to be able to take off the court and further into life. Whatever school he chooses and whatever profession he goes into, he’s going to work hard and he’s going to be successful because he knows what it takes to get there. Being a coach and being in a leadership position, it’s been great being able to impact Drew a little and hopefully he can go and impact others in the future in his profession.”
To read complete profile, please click on the following link: https://www.suburbanonesports.com/featured-athletes/male/drew-stover-0092584
- Log in to post comments
