Changes at the top in Tri-Valley hockey

Aug. 31—Tri-Valley Athletic Association field hockey has been a two-horse race between Greenwood and Newport for better part of decade.

The teams have finished 1-2 in the league for seven consecutive years. While that may or may not change this season, the jockeys definitely have.

Kent Houser retired after guiding the Wildcats to 567 wins in 33 seasons and claiming 14 of the last 15 TVAA championships.

Cheryl Capozzoli stepped down after going 107-41-3 in seven years with the Buffaloes, ending Greenwood's 12-year league title streak in 2020.

Their rivalry ran delightfully deeper than the TVAA standings — well into district and state playoff matchups, in fact — but the coaching changes promise to most impact the league.

"Those are two of the great coaches in the state, no longer leading TVAA teams," said Susquenita coach Jason Brouse. "I will personally miss the coaching competition and their friendship; they really helped me become a better coach by coaching against them. However, they have people coming in who are capable of keeping the teams going in the right direction, and both have quality girls coming through the program.

"So, no, I do not see a major change with either of those team's outcomes."

Carrie Guarente, the new Greenwood coach, was on the sidelines as Houser's assistant for nearly two decades. She saw the Wildcats beat Newport in a pair of district games and a state semifinal in recent years.

"I am so fortunate to have Kate Gantt as my assistant as she has also been in the program for years," said Guarente. "Moving forward there is a lot of consistency, and our players have handled this (coaching) transition very well."

Just last year, Greenwood topped Newport three times, including the league championship game, before the Buffaloes won the teams' district quarterfinal.

In 2020, when COVID-19 limited the state tournament to district champions, TVAA runner-up Greenwood topped league winner Newport in the District 3 Class A final to complete a district three-peat.

The Wildcats were unbeaten league champions in 2018 when the Buffaloes (who were 4-3-1 in league play) went all the way to the state title game.

And in 2017, when Greenwood won the league but finished third in the district behind Newport, it was the Wildcats who claimed the state championship.

Moreover, Greenwood has made eight consecutive state playoff appearances, while Newport has qualified in five of the last seven years. It should be noted that TVAA cohort Line Mountain, also no stranger to the state tournament, played in the 2021 Class A semifinals.

Guarente's Wildcats graduated 10 seniors (nine starters) from a team that went 18-5 last season. Four of those losses were by one goal, including an overtime game at eventual state champion Boiling Springs and their state first-round exit at the hands of New Hope.

Greenwood's top three scorers moved on, as did three-year goalie Lydia Miller. Bekah Brinser, a junior, emerged last year with 17 assists, while senior Naomi Lyter, a Messiah commit, has scored at least six goals in three straight seasons.

"We expect our incoming freshmen to positively impact our team this year," Guarente said. "They have already impacted us every day at practice by working hard and pushing the older players, and several of them will see valuable minutes."

Newport, which lost its state quarterfinal to Boiling Springs, graduated the top scorer in league play, Claire Weidenhammer, and the league's top goalie, Ella Weidenhammer, in addition to a third TVAA all-star, Molly Wright. New Buffaloes coach Laurie Zaring returns a number of starters, including three who emerged as scorers last season: junior Addy Geer, sophomore Delaney Greene and freshman Korimae Reisinger.

Susquenita was swept by Newport (0-3) and Greenwood last season, and also lost twice to West Perry (including the district first round) but that was it. The Blackhawks won 12 times (eight by shutout), averaging seven goals per win, and they return 13 seniors, including All-Star Addy Graupensperger and goalie Ava Taube.

"We are really hoping to continue with the trend to the top," said Brouse, who is in his seventh year. "We have the tools in place to do this as we have the largest, most experienced, and deepest team I have had.

"The team is comprised of some very athletic and fast players who have been playing field hockey for many years."

Line Mountain had five- and four-game losing streaks that coincided with the Greenwood-Newport-Susquenita stretches, then the Eagles scored just one goal in three district games. They averaged 4.6 goals in nine wins, but just 0.45 per in 11 losses (seven shutouts).

Seventh-year coach Maggie Fessler welcomes back Brooke Barwick, who broke out as a junior (17 goals, 38 points), and junior Kaitlin Kline (seven goals, 15 points). Miley Brezgel had a terrific freshman season in the cage for the Eagles.

"We are definitely a much younger team than in years past. However, this can be used to our advantage as we can mold our players into the right mindset and style of play," said Fessler. "We have a hard-working group of girls, and as we gain experience playing together we will see a lot of progress throughout the season."

East Juniata struggled mightily last season, scoring just 11 goals in 17 games (11 shutout losses).

The Tigers, whose average margin of loss was 12.0 goals, had the bare minimum of 11 players for several games. That will be a challenge for first-year coach Dorothy Boreman, who has a 13-girl roster.