BIG 11 FIELD HOCKEY
FIRST TEAM MEMEBERS
LYDIA GEORGE, BIG SPRING
Senior forward
Field hockey is a team sport, but it is hard to imagine that the Bulldogs would have won the Mid-Penn Colonial Division without George, the most explosive scorer in that division. Her 23 goals were nine more than any rival scored this year, and her 11 assists proved she could set up teammates as well. “I could always count on her to keep on going and never give up,” teammate Jordan Yaukey said. George, the Colonial Player of the Year, will be attacking the net at Lock Haven next season.
JORDAN YAUKEY, BIG SPRING
Senior goalie
Big Spring did not just win the Mid-Penn Colonial Division because of offense. Yaukey was critical throughout the season, but never more than in the division tiebreaker against Boiling Springs when she recorded 12 saves for one of her nine shutouts. She had 103 saves and a 1.00 goals against average. That caught the attention of Appalachian State, where she will play next fall. “I always felt safe with her back there,” teammate Lydia George said. “She’s really good with our defense, keeping them in line. We always know where we have to go.”
Memorable moments for Big 11 first team members
KATIE FORAN, CENTRAL DAUPHIN
Senior forward
Like balance? Then you’ll love the way Foran plays the game. She accumulated 24 goals and 24 assists for the Rams, who won the Mid-Penn Commonwealth title and reached both the District 3 finals and the PIAA Class AAA quarterfinals. “She brings a lot of speed,” teammate Aggie Sutherland said. “Her speed with her breakaways really made a difference.” Foran will be headed for Temple next year, where she will be reunited with former Central Dauphin standout Amber Youtz.
AGGIE SUTHERLAND, CENTRAL DAUPHIN
Senior midfielder
New Hampshire will be getting the total package with Sutherland next year. Her 15 goals and 10 assists hardly tell the story of how integral she was to the Rams’ charge into the state’s Elite 8 this year or Final 4 in 2011. She was in the middle of everything, stopping the other side from getting down the middle of the field and setting up teammates for scoring chances even when her name did not make it to the scoresheet. “She’s a very hard worker who always gives 150 percent,” teammate Katie Foran said. “Offensively and defensively, she helped us all around our team.” Mid-Penn coaches noticed, naming her the Commonwealth Player of the Year.
More photos of the Big 11 first team
ELLIE HEMPT, CUMBERLAND VALLEY
Senior midfielder
Three goals. Seven assists. Those might seem like pedestrian numbers for a Big 11 midfielder, until the on-field presence is accounted for. Hempt was in the middle of everything for the Eagles, starting defensive play well up the field to get the offense into high gear for Cumberland Valley in a hurry. “She talks a lot, which is good on the field,” teammate Caitlin Rhoades said. “She has a really, really good drive and can take control on the field.” Hempt will be going to Shippensburg.
CAITLIN RHOADES, CUMBERLAND VALLEY
Senior forward
Cumberland Valley pushed some of the more established AAA teams for a while this season, forcing Central Dauphin down to the last game of the season for the Mid-Penn Commonwealth title and nearly upsetting District 3 champ and PIAA finalist Penn Manor. Rhoades was not the only reason, but her 15 goals and six assists helped. “She brought a lot of offensive intensity,” teammate Ellie Hempt said. “She distributed the ball out front and could go back to defend when we needed her to.” Rhoades will be joining fellow Big 11 member Katie Foran at Temple next fall.
List of the Big 11 first team, second team and honorable mentions
MADI PARISH, HERSHEY
Senior back
Hershey’s reputation as a field hockey power is so strong that a season with two wins in the District 3-AAA tournament might seem like a letdown. But there was no letdown on Parish’s part. Spending much of her time keying the Trojans’ defense, she was still able to score five goals and tally six assists. “She was very fast to get to the ball,” said Susquehanna Twp.’s Maggie Reddecliff, who played against Parish twice. “We would have to work the ball around her because she was the strong point of the team.” Parish will be taking her versatility to Cornell in 2013.
MORGAN BITTING, LOWER DAUPHIN
Sophomore midfielder
One of two underclassmen to make the Big 11 First Team, Bitting must have other teams in the Mid-Penn worried about how strong the Falcons will be for the next two years. She scored nine goals to go along with seven assists, and was often the player who set up the scoring chances on Lower Dauphin’s corners. Her peppering of the opponents’ goal in the state tournament softened defenses for her Falcon teammates. “She has skills that are not like those of an underclassman,” teammate Hunter Bracale said. “In the middle of the field, she controls the game.”
HUNTER BRACALE, LOWER DAUPHIN
Senior midfielder
Of course, senior leadership helps on the way to a PIAA Class AAA title, and Bracale provided that with some to spare. Fans who looked on stat sheets and saw 12 goals and nine assists may have been impressed, and those who saw her hustle back on defense to break up numerous opposing scoring chances may have applauded. But her biggest achievement was giving on and off-field guidance to a young team that only had three starters back from 2011. “There is no way we could have accomplished what we did without her,” teammate Morgan Bitting said. “She led this team all season.” That’s why the Duke recruit was named the Mid-Penn Keystone Player of the Year.
KATIE DEMBROWSKI, PALMYRA
Sophomore forward
The second underclassman to make the Big 11 First Team, Dembrowski was described by her coach Kristi Costello as the backbone to the Cougar squad. She had nine goals and 10 assists, and got them when Palmyra needed them most. The Cougars played four must-win games this season, and she had an assist in three of them and a goal in one. “I’ve played club with her and she can just run forever,” Hershey’s Madi Parish said. “She’s really tough on the field.”
MAGGIE REDDECLIFF, SUSQUEHANNA TWP.
Senior midfielder
Reddecliff is bound for Ohio State now, but before her high school season was over she was part of one of the feel-good stories in the District 3-AA tournament. The Indians entered the post-season as the No. 13 seed but played their way to sixth, just one sport short of the state tournament. Reddecliff scored 10 goals and had nine assists this season and left a couple teams shaking their heads at how Susquehanna Twp. kept extending its season at their expense. “She was a really good team leader,” said Palmyra’s Katie Dembrowski, who played against Reddecliff three times. “The kept her team in line and had good field vision."
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