Despite small numbers, Ellis School remains on top

Tri-State Sports & News Service

When Amanda Rose took over the Ellis School field hockey program in 2015, she brought with her a somewhat foreignphilosophy.

At least one not familiar to playersfrom the WPIAL.

“I played East Coast field hockey versus Western Pennsylvania and people asked me how I would treat Western Pennsylvania since I was from the east,” Rose said. “I told them that I would train them like I would if I was still there.”

So far her ideas have workedextremely well.

With 106 students as of the most recent PIAA realignment in 2016, Ellis School is the third smallest in Class 1A ahead of only Vincentian and Winchester Thurston. Yet despite the relatively few in attendance, the Tigers have put together an impressive three consecutive championships, thefirst two in Class 2A in 2014 and2015.

With only six other teams participating in the sport at that level, it might appear to be a foregone conclusion that an all-girl prep school would have a distinct advantage, yet that is not the case. Though EllisSchool has won three in a row, none of the games have been blowouts and the largest margin of victory came last year with a 3-1 win against ShadySide Academy.

“They train extremely hard and I have some underclassmen coming up so it’s good and promising for the future,” Rose said. “This will probably be the best team I’ve hadso far.”

That could mean bad news for the other six teams as Ellis School brought back its top three scorers from last season in Angie Scheurmann, Leah Ewers and Olivia Simon, who accounted for 52 of the team’s 56goals in 2016.

Class 2A

A year ago when the PIAA announced its biennial realignment and expanded field hockey from two to three classes, Penn-Trafford had an interestingdilemma.

It wasn’t that the Warriors would be left high and dry once the WPIAL playoffs began. It was that they were guaranteed a spot no matter whatthey did.

Because of the parameters for the alteration, Penn-Trafford was one of three teams — Woodland Hills and Oakland Catholic being the others — that made up the entirety of Class2A.

Though all three play a Class 3A regular season and can win section titles at that level, once the playoffs begin they are guaranteed postseason berths and can play for a championship.

“What moving to 2A did for us was it made our path through the WPIAL a little easier,” Penn-Trafford coach Cindy Dutt said. “Our girls still look at it like you still have to play the game and you stillhave to win it.”

Penn-Trafford is the reigning WPIAL Class 2A champion and also won a title in Class 3A in 2011. Despite playing in Class 2A in the playoffs, it competes in the regular season against top-flight teams such as North Allegheny, Pine-Richlandand Norwin.

“It’s completely my goal for us to continue to play the best teams in the WPIAL,” Dutt said. “We still play the North Alleghenys, the Pine-Richlands and Fox Chapel and it makesus a better team.”

Class 3A

For the past two years, the same four teams have qualified for the WPIAL Class 3A playoffs. Though the seeding changed, there has been one constant:Fox Chapel emerged thewinner.

Overthe past five years, the Foxes have won three titles and lost in the 2013 finals to North Allegheny. The Tigers, Fox Chapel, Pine-Richland and Peters Township have made this a four-team race in 2015 and 2016 as they have been the only teams to make it intothe playoffs.

And this season could see those same faces once the postseasonbegins.

“That’s something that we’ve struggled with for years,” Fox Chapel coach Jen McCrady said. “I’ve been coaching here for 25 years and I think, unfortunately, it’s a sport that has yet to catch on in Western Pennsylvania. It’s certainly improving, but just notacross the board.”

Fox Chapel lost five seniors from last year’s team, but should once again be considered among the best four teams as it brings back two Division I recruits up front in Abby Pitcairn, who is headed to North Carolina and future Michigan State Spartan PeytonRyan.

“I think the nice thing about the position we’re in is the experience,” McCrady said. “Even the young ones whoare stepping up into starting roles have a feeling of been-there-done-that, but they also know that they can never get comfortable playing those typesof games because there’s alot of emotion.”