Scholastic Notes

Far West region

Colorado

FOR KENT DENVER, ONE IS ENOUGH FOR NUMBER THREE

Englewood Kent Denver (Colo.) scored fewer goals in its state championship final against Greenwood Village Cherry Creek (Colo.) than against any opponent in 2003.

But, given the fact that Kent Denver had given up only three goals all season, it was enough for a 1-0 win on the turf at the Stutler Bowl.

The game's lone goal was a Madison Gregor deflection off a Lauren Miller free hit.

"I was right there for the deflection, and it just went into the net," Gregor tells The Rocky Mountain News. "It was nice to get off to a good start. That's what we needed to do, and I knew that we were going to dominate the rest of the game after that."

But Cherry Creek, the 2002 state champion, came back early in the second half and forced a barrage of penalty corners that Kent Denver's defensive unit of Emma Palley, Kristina Brenman, Sophia Cohen, and Jana Berglund were outstanding in preventing the Bruins from scoring.

"Their sticks are always on the ground," Cherry Creek's Stephanie Hoyer tells The News. "They might have known what we were doing and where we were trying to play it, and we really couldn't get anything off."

California

DISNEY TOURNAMENT ACTUALLY HAS NO "WINNERS"

When the Kaylee Scholarship Associates held their annual multistate field hockey tournament at the Wide World of Sports Complex at Walt Disney World, a problem arose.

The tournament was actually three weeks earlier on the calendar than in years' past, meaning that none of the five states represented -- Rhode Island, Vermont, New York, New Jersey, and California -- had actually started their field hockey seasons yet.

TopOfTheCircle.com has learned that the tournament was run like a playday in that the scoreboard was turned off, no scorebooks were allowed at the officials' table, and none of the eight teams could wear their uniforms.

However, that didn't stop Los Angeles Harvard-Westlake (Calif.) from posting a perfect record, beating Wappingers Falls Roy C. Ketchum (N.Y.), Woonsocket (R.I.), and Newfane (N.Y.).

MUSSELMANN TAKES NEW JOB

When Christy Musselmann took the junior varsity position at Morgan Hill Live Oak (Calif.) in 2001, she knew that she might have to be called upon for extra duties if head coach Mike Sanders were to leave.

When that day came in 2003, Musselmann was ready.

"Some of the things we’ve built together, I will be carrying on,” Musselmann told The Morgan Hill Times. “I have got big shoes to fill. But I am excited about the chance. Mike was really good on staying on top of things and brought a lot of enthusiasm to the team.”.

That enthusiasm seems to have been sustained; some 50 players tried out for field hockey this fall.

That could be due to her personality, which is stern, but very thoughtful.

The most important thing is for the girls to have fun,” Musselmann said. “When they look back, they are not going to remember their exact records from season to season. They will remember the camaraderie between each other and the fun they had. The focus is not solely on winning, but if we put out the effort at practice, wins will happen.”

Sounds like the Acorns are on their way.

For last year's notes, click here.