COME TOGETHER
Twin sisters Karissa and Jocelyn Doerr from Fleetwood have forged a strong bond with their Schuylkill Valley teammates, fueled in part by support for teammate Bailey Unterkofler, who is battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma
Twin sisters Karissa and Jocelyn Doerr from Fleetwood have strengthened an already close-knit bond by persevering through adversity with their teammates on the Schuylkill Valley girls lacrosse team.
“We go to different schools, some of us go to Schuylkill Valley and some of us go to Fleetwood, but we’re definitely one team here; this year even more so,” said Jocelyn, a junior defender on the Panthers.
Last year, Schuylkill Valley rallied around the Doerr sisters after they lost their younger brother, Kolby, to osteosarcoma. This year, the Panthers are rallying around teammate Bailey Unterkofler, who is battling Hodgkin’s lymphoma after being diagnosed in December.
“I think with how close we all were last year and her being on the team last year, that’s really been something for us to rally around this year,” said Karissa, a junior and the starting goalie for Schuylkill Valley. “And everyone’s really pushing to do good this season for her since she can’t play and we’re looking forward to having her back next year when she’s ready.”
“We’ve all rallied around Bailey a bit,” Jocelyn said. “We all put purple tape on our sticks and it’s definitely something that has brought us all together.”
Schuylkill Valley players have yellow and purple tape on their sticks in sup- port of osteosarcoma and Hodgkin’s lymphoma.
Unterkofler, a junior, is working as the team manager this season. Last season, she played defender. She is also the starting goalie for the Schuylkill Valley field hockey team.
“They’ve been great,” Unterkofler said of her teammates’ support. “I’ve been able to be a manager this year so I’ve been to a bunch of practices and I’ve been to almost all the games to support the girls.
“It’s amazing; I love being there and miss playing, but it’s great to be able to be in that same environment even though I can’t play. Everyone’s really come together to help me through this time.”
The Panthers (2-5, 3-9) are a young squad, active since 2017, with students coming from the Schuylkill Valley and the Fleetwood school districts to fill out the roster. The team is continuing to grow and has improved on their 2021 season as the Panthers are emboldened with love for each other.
“Last year we went 2-10 so obviously we’re looking to improve on that this year,” Jocelyn said. “It’s going well. We’re very optimistic and the energy is definitely different this year. We’re a lot more united as a team and we’re a lot more together this year.”
A strong sense of togetherness has fueled the Panthers’ ambitions, and, like Jocelyn, Karissa said she thinks that the team’s incoming talent, combined with the increased team chemistry, has Schuylkill Valley poised for future success.
“I think we have a lot of talent this year,” Karissa said. “I’m super excited to work on improving the program over the next two years and everyone has been super committed to that. We’ve got a great class coming up next year and I’m really excited for the future of the program.”
In addition to helping uplift the Schuylkill Valley program, both of the Doerr sisters play for the reputable Xtreme Lacrosse Club out of Lancaster and have made college commitments.
Karissa has committed to the Division II Queens University of Charlotte, N.C., which is ranked first in the South Region, while Jocelyn has committed to the University of Mount Olive, another top-25 Division II school.
Schuylkill Valley head coach Robert Newpher said he believes that having prospects like the Doerr sisters helps to elevate the team.
“It’s great to have top prospects like that because they’re great leaders,” Newpher said. “They can show the other girls how the game should be played and help them grow to play the sport.
“I mean, with all the positive people like that on the team. I think it can grow to be a really good program and a great positive program for girls to play the sport and be positive role models.”
Karissa reached 300 career saves after making 16 during Schuylkill Valley’s 9-5 loss against Conrad Weiser on April 21 and had a career-high 24 saves in the team’s 13-0 loss against Wyomissing on April 19. She has 335 career saves through Monday and boasts a career save percentage of 52%, all while establishing herself as one of the key leaders on the Schuylkill Valley squad. It’s a role that seems to be another byproduct of the team’s closeness.
“With goalies, a lot of it is mental, and you definitely have to be a leader on defense,” Karissa said. “I talk a lot and I lose my voice a lot. I’m really, really tight with our defensive unit this year and it’s nice to see that we’re starting to come together as a unit.”
Both Karissa and Jocelyn said they believe the team has grown stronger through everything the Panthers have endured the past two years. With such a strong connection existing between the two and their teammates, playing against each other in college will be unusual, to say the least.
“I’ve never played without her right next to me,” Jocelyn said. “It’s definitely going to be strange to first of all not see each other most of the time, but also then to be against each other for the first time in a serious manner; it’s something we think about a lot.”
Karissa, who will miss Jocelyn’s average of two forced turnovers per game, explained that the experience may be strange at first, but ultimately will be fun for both her and her parents.
“We’re always on the same team and we communicate really well together,” Karissa said. “She’s someone I can rely on down on defense. It’s something we’ve never really had to do before so that’ll definitely be strange but I’m really looking forward to it. I think it will be my favorite game of the year and I think it will be awesome for my parents to see.”