THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Sunday, October 30, 1994 TAG: 9410280310
SECTION: SUFFOLK SUN PAGE: 25 EDITION: FINAL
TYPE: Sports
SOURCE: BY PAUL WHITE, STAFF WRITER
LENGTH: Medium: 78 lines
Nansemond River's Bay Rivers District field hockey title, the school's first-ever district crown in a girls sport, may have come as a surprise to some.
To the team, however, it was all part of the plan.
``From the start of the year, we felt like we were one of several teams with a good chance to win it,'' Warriors coach Bucky Payton. ``But the first thing the girls had to decide, as a unit, was how bad they really wanted it.''
Evidently, the players wanted it enough to take a 8-0-1 district mark into Thursday's game against York, guaranteeing themselves the league crown and the top seed in the district tournament beginning Thursday at Bruton.
Making the championship all the more remarkable is the fact that, five years ago, no one at Nansemond River, including Payton, knew much about field hockey at all.
``If you had told me we'd be winning a championship in five years, well, that would have been a stretch,'' Payton said.
But the sport has really taken off for the Warriors. Nansemond River was a factor in the league standings by its second year. The school also added a junior varsity program that season led by coach Vivian McClenney, and that has both introduced newcomers to the game and kept a steady flow of talent rising to Payton.
Finally, Payton has gone after players from other sports, ones who are used to dealing with pressure situations.
``We like to have girls that compete year-round,'' Payton said. ``I'm not sure that that competitive nature can be taught.''
The result is that Nansemond River is developing a most unlikely field hockey power.
The future looks pretty bright, too. The junior varsity team also won the league title this year.
``This year has been a lot of fun,'' Payton said.
Scoring whiz Kari Harrell (18 goals this season, 53 in her career) has gotten most of the press this season. But Payton said the team's success has been a true team effort.
``Kari Harrell scores the goals, and that's her job,'' Payton said of the junior who is three goals shy of the Bay Rivers District scoring record. ``But there's 16 other players out there doing their jobs, too, allowing Kari to score those goals.''
Actually, Harrell, a first-team all-district player as a sophomore, is one of four players who have been central to the team's success, the coach said.
``Kari, Rebecca Keeling, Tracy Allen and Cathy Canada are the girls who've been together four years now,'' Payton said. ``They've been the nucleus.''
Allen and Canada, playing link for the first time this season, were both second team all-district players last season. Both have anchored the Warriors' midfield. Keeling, the stopper, is perhaps the best defensive player.
Other key players include Sarah Eberwine, Katie Sklar, Heather Todd, Jennifer Sherard, Catherine Sherwin, Heather Behrends, Kristi Mizelle, Rebekah Thompson, Kim Griffin and goalie Carrie Morgan, the last line in a defense which has allowed just two district goals all season.
It's also been a season, the Warriors have not only continued their mastery over Lakeland (despite a series of close games, Nansemond River has never lost to its city rival), but also broken some new ground. The 1-0 victory at Bruton marked the first time the Warriors had ever won there. And they came close to winning for the first time at Poquoson. The Warriors outshot the Islanders, 14-4, but had to settle for a scoreless tie.
``We've had some good teams before, but this group really respected each other and let people do their jobs,'' Payton said. ``I think that's why they've been so successful.'' ILLUSTRATION: Staff photo by MICHAEL KESTNER
Nansemond River's Kari Harrell, center, aims at the ball during a
recent field hockey game with Lakeland. Harrell is the leading
scorer for the team and the district.
by CNB