Blake Field Hockey Team Looks To Continue Success

(Photo courtesy of Blake Athletics)

After one of the best seasons in Blake High Field Hockey history in 2016, this year's field hockey team led by Coach Howley is looking to build on their exceptional success this season.

Last year, the team was 12-5 overall and was undefeated in their conference. They ended up winning Maryland Division 3A and also were the 3A South Regional Champs. This was the first year that the team has won both the division and the region in the same year. “The program has won the region or the division before, but not at the same time, so this was pretty special, “ Coach Howley said.

The team last year was led by two seniors Caroline Lamb and Keara Lindsay. and four juniors Ava Edwards,Nicole Kidwiler, Sabrina Simpson, and Rachel Tregoning. This season those four seniors are back for their final season and are the captains of the team. “I have a variety of veterans and young players and a unique team that has four seniors that have been starting since their freshman year,” Howley said. He also adds, “that experience is much stronger than any other team that I’d had with the amount of leadership and the amount of varsity games our team has played”.

The experience of a veteran team definitely shows based on their strong 5-1 record starting off the season. Seniors; Edwards, Kidwiler, Simpson, and Tregoning have been on the varsity team since their freshman year and have started all four years of their high school careers. They also provide leadership for the younger players on the team.

This leadership also leads to their strong team chemistry. Many of the girls including Edwards, Kidwiler, Simpson, and Tregoning have played field hockey together long before Blake when they were 10 and 11 years old. The girls also have a really good sense of each other's playing styles and where their presence is on the field. “On the field we know how we play, just how I know how Ava plays like what her style is. I know where she will be,“ forward Simpson said, about knowing her teammates style of play.

This great chemistry doesn’t just shine on the field. It also has a huge presence off the field. “Basically we are with each other all the time and when we are not with each other, we are texting with each other and all that stuff,” midfielder Tregoning says, about the team being close with one another. Some activities that the team does together are bonding activities such as having team sleepovers, pasta dinners, and hanging out off the field. “The people on the team, they are great. They feel like my sisters. They are part of a family. I love it, “ sophomore halfback Anna Eaton adds.

The girls' strong bond and team chemistry works so well that, it’s really hard to tell if they have any weaknesses many times during games. “If someone has a bad game we try to keep our heads up and play better,” Eaton said, when asked about the team's weaknesses. This definitely shows based on the many games that the team has won in the last two years. “ If we do have weakness it really doesn’t last long, but we try to study our films and look for weaknesses,” Howley said. Howley also adds that, “we did lose one game before conference play and I think that one game made us stronger coming into conference play.”

The team's overall goal as a whole is to constantly improve each game and to win states. "[Our goal} for the team, to go to states and to give our all in every game no matter who we are playing and kind of play for each other," Kidwiler said. Eaton added, “Our team goal is to make it to states. That’s always been our goal. We always wanted to get rings,”

Come out and support the Blake Field Hockey Team as they take on rivals Springbrook 9/19 at home at 7pm and Paint Branch 9/26 away at 7pm. Come and watch this very powerful team play. Those are games you won’t want to miss.