The field hockey season has started and the girls already have so much to share, whether it is past experiences or new ones. One of the hockey players decided to try out for the very first time her senior year; Cadence Jalbert plays defense and sometimes midfield. She is already a huge help to her team whether it is stopping the opponents from getting too close to the goal with her amazing speed or assisting Brianna Weidenhammer on a goal against Wyomissing. Cadence is a very busy bee. During doubles week she had to miss out on team dinners and team bonding activities due to band. She says she wishes she could have attended them because she missed out on building stronger bonds with her teammates. Cadence is not just a good teammate, she is also a good person after every game win or loss, she always gives her teammates a nice message to boost their confidence. Look for jersey number 5 with a sky blue stick to see the fireball Cadence Jalbert in action.
Imagine the other team is coming down the field toward the goal, a little too close for comfort. They are getting into the circle about to shoot on the Hawks’ goalie, Ash Stump, when all of a sudden it is like the ball disappeared. The opponents are looking around confused until they finally see what happened. Kaitlyn Mengel stole the ball and passed it up to midfield. Kaitlyn Mengel is a force to be reckoned with; nothing gets by her. She has beautiful drives that she hits perfectly every time. She scans the area and when she sees her opening she hits the ball so hard and fast that it gets to our offense every single time. She likes being a defender because then she can see all ends of the field without being the goalie she would rather be out in the action then being the very last line of defense. Even when it gets past our goalie, there is no promise the ball will go in. Kaitlyn Mengel saved a few balls from going in the goal during her hockey career. She is constantly talking to her teammates on the field telling them the things she sees that they can not. Without Kaitlyn Mengel as center defense the team would not have an indestructible wall that no offender can get through. That is why Kaitlyn Mengel is the JV representative and captain. Number 32 with the black and orange stick with pink tape is the iron wall, captain Kaitlyn Mengel.
On the field hockey team we have two sisters starting varsity. One is a junior, the other is just a freshman. The older sister, Kaeli Cox, is starting varsity as a junior. Kaeli has started varsity all three years of high school so far. She plays center defense, always ready to back her other defenders up. She is not the only one backing them up; they will always do it for her too. Kaeli said she trusts her other teammates on the defensive line like Rowen Epting, Kayla Kehl, and Kaitlyn Mengel. She used to play soccer but lost interest in it around 4th or 5th grade so she switched sports. Kaeli loved playing in her field hockey game against Exeter. She said she maintained good body positioning and stepped to the ball her aggression and defensive skills in that game were very beneficial for the team. Look for number 44 with a black and gray stick with red and blue stripes to see the defensive Cox sister play.
There is still another Cox sister to be mentioned. Alaena Cox is a freshman starting varsity. She played JV in the beginning of the season then got bumped up to varsity. She used to play left wing, but now she plays more left midfield. Alaena says she works well with her sister Kaeli Cox and Marcianna Dellamonica on the field. I would have expected the two sisters to battle each other on the field rather than work together. She started playing in 1st grade because her mom forced her to play a sport. I would say that her mom made the right choice. Alaena’s least favorite drill to run is corners because not everyone gets to participate at once or at all. She wants to improve on her drives and reverse chips. She will have a huge collection of shooting styles to choose from before getting a goal. Alaena has three more years after this season to improve on everything and anything she wants to. Look for number 40 with the black and orange stick to see the offensive Cox sister score.
Another defender, but this time she is a left back. Starting varsity helping out Kaeli Cox and Kayla Kehl is Rowan Epting. Rowan Epting has been playing field hockey since 8th grade when Ella Troxell’s mom convinced her to play. Rowan Epting likes to do reverse spins and lifts over the opposing teams sticks. Rowan and Kaeli have good communication skills on the field and back each other up the best they can. Rowan’s least favorite part of doubles week was the conditioning. It was too hot and there was a lot of running for the first week of mandatory hockey practices. Now that doubles are over, she is in full practice mode. She enjoys the drills but her least favorite would be flats and throughs. She does not like them because she says that they are tiring and repetitive. Number 10 with the black, red, and blue stick is the lifting queen Rowan Epting. I personally would not want to miss one of her games.
A sophomore by the name of Molly Krick has been playing field hockey since third grade. She was inspired by her older sister who also played. She thought it was cool to watch all the girls fight over a ball with just sticks and mouth guards. Molly plays low midfield and enjoys it because she gets to play offense and defense in a varsity game. She wants to improve on stick skills which come in handy when you get close to a goal. She loves being with her team and doing shooting drills during practices. Molly has one insane drive. It is so fast and powerful it could leave a bruise. She works well the most with Kylah Reading since Molly is right behind her on the field. Molly says that she is there for her if a pass from the other team gets by her. Number 17 with a black hockey stick is the monster Molly Krick.
The final hockey player is senior Kaylee Hoshauer. Kaylee Hoshauer has insane stick skills and is always trying her best on the field. She has gotten a lot of practice because she started in 4th grade because her mom, both her aunts, and her grandma all played up until college. Kaylee is a flexible hockey player. She can and has played every position on the field. She likes offensive positions like forward and midfield the most though. So far she believes her best game was against Northern Lebanon when they went into overtime. She thinks this because her and all her teammates put 110% effort into trying to win the game. Kaylee believes her mom, being a former hockey player, is her number one supporter. Her mom comes to all the games and cheers not only her daughter on but the whole team. She works well with everyone on the field but Kylah Reading and Kayla Kehl, two players she has played with the longest, are just easier to see on the field then others. Despite already being amazing with her stick skills, Kaylee still wants to improve on them. Number 24 with a black and white stick is the dribbling goddess Kaylee Hoshauer.
The season has just started and I am looking forward to seeing how well the girls improve. Some girls have already made amazing progress while others are working towards a goal. These girls act as a family on and off the field constantly checking in on each other. They have built many bonds and they will continue to build many more. The girls have many more games in the season so try to watch one. I wouldn’t miss an amazing opportunity to watch the lady hawks win.
