Emmaus returns 9 starters, looking to make a run
Casey Eck would prefer to avoid surprises, but that may be unavoidable in the coming weeks.
Eck, in her 15th season as Easton’s field hockey coach, has not seen her team compete against another team, and will not until it begins the season. Because of COVID-19, Easton was not allowed to play in a summer league or any scrimmages before its first game.
She will be learning about her team on the fly, as will every coach in the area.
“I wouldn’t say that I enjoy (the situation), but it’s definitely fun to be back on the field, back with the girls,” she said. “I’ll take what I can get.”
Welcome to the coronavirus version of a high school field hockey sports season. Some were allowed summer workouts; others were not. Some leagues began play; others have not. Some were allowed scrimmages; others were not. Some have league tournaments; others do not.
Every school is playing by a different set of rules off the field. On the field, everything is the same. The goal has the same dimensions. The circles have not moved. One important change: High school rules now dictate four quarters with no timeouts, as opposed to two halves with two timeouts per side.
The Colonial League has a tournament planned. The Eastern Pennsylvania Conference does not. As of now, the District 11 and PIAA tournaments are still on.
Northwestern Lehigh coach Lissa Opolsky said that her players were relieved just to have a season after months of uncertainty. The Tigers do not want to think about the possibility of an outbreak canceling any portion of their season, so they live in the moment.
“They were on the edge of their seat, figuring out whether it was going to happen, or not happen,” she said. “We have 10 seniors, so when they finally decided to give it a try, there was a sense of relief. Now we try to not think about it as much, because we don’t want to worry about if today is going to be our last.”
Julie Bisci, a former Catasauqua
head coach and Moravian College assistant, takes over at Parkland, where former coach Lizzie Millen remains on staff. At Southern Lehigh, Devon Hagy will fill in as head coach while veteran coach Adrienne Searfoss takes a leave of absence from coaching.
Hagy said that she is keeping things status quo as much as possible.
“These girls had enough change in their lives,” Hagy said.” I wanted to give them some normalcy.”
This year’s players will have interesting stories to tell. Most must wear a mask unless in the game. No touching anyone else’s stick. Bring and use your own water bottle.
“It’s not too bad once you get used to it,” Opolsky said. “They’re rolling with the punches. They’re doing a good job, probably better than some of the adults.”
The EPC scheduled games only within counties. For example, Lehigh County teams play Lehigh County
teams, Northampton plays Northampton and Monroe plays Monroe. The Lehigh schools were short two games because Central Catholic does not have a team. So they were given a waiver to go outside of the county for regular-season games.
“We’re grateful that we’re having some type of season,” Emmaus coach Sue Butz-Stavin said. “Hopefully, there will be some type of postseason.”
5 players to watch
1. Annika Herbine, Emmaus: 2019 Morning Call Player of the Year and Iowa commit who is productive, versatile and clutch. Has 107 career goals, including 33 goals and 35 assists last year.
2. Mackenzie Reese, Southern Lehigh: Explosive right inner who had 17 goals and 14 assists last year.
3. Lauren Schellhamer, North
western Lehigh: All-state player in 2019 coming off a season with 20 goals and 12 assists.
4. Jacey Wittel, Pocono Mountain East: Iowa commit, future teammate of Herbine. Scored 31 goals for a team that regularly contends in the EPC and District 11.
5. Aubrey Semler, Parkland: Penn State commit and leader of a team that is rebuilding on the fly under a new coach. Significant graduation losses, but Bisci has a freshman class that brings optimism.
Best of the rest: Abby Burnett, Emmaus. Christina Clymer, Easton. Kyleigh Faust, Emmaus. Iris Gluck, Southern Lehigh. Greenleigh McGehee, Northwestern. Bri Sell, Northampton.
4 teams to watch
1. Emmaus (EPC): Emmaus could lose most of its starters and still be one of the favorites, if not the favorite. Green Hornets return nine starters from a one-loss team, including Annika Herbine and sophomore Rachel Herbine (the area’s leading scorer last season), Georgetown commit and goalkeeper Bailey Tietz, Liberty commit Kyleigh Faust and Abby Burnett.
2. Southern Lehigh (Colonial): The Spartans hope they do not miss a beat under interim coach Hagy. Southern Lehigh has already beaten three top contenders in Northwestern, Moravian Academy and Bangor.
3. Moravian Academy (Colonial): The Lions graduated some talent, but replenish well.
4. Pocono Mountain East (EPC): The Cardinals remain strong despite some graduation losses. Wittel balances a team with the ability to score, play defense and control the midfield.
Best of the rest: Easton, Nazareth, Northampton, Parkland, Stroudsburg (EPC). Northwestern Lehigh, Palisades, Saucon Valley, Wilson (Colonial).
3 storylines to follow
1. Can the Emmaus seniors get a chance to finish what they started? In each of the last three seasons, the Green Hornets have suffered only one loss: in the state semifinals. With only 10 regular-season games before the District 11 tournament, and no EPC tournament, Emmaus does not have much time to develop chemistry.
2. How will Pocono Mountain East’s move to 2A affect the medium-sized schools? The Cardinals have competed well in the large-school EPC in recent years. Their entry into a bracket that includes powers Southern Lehigh, Bangor and Lehighton should be interesting.
3. How far can Southern Lehigh go? The Spartans return 10 starters from a team that suffered only one loss last year, to Bangor in the District 11 2A championship. That meant no state tournament for a team that had the ability to do well in it.