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FALL SPORTS 2009

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Girls’ Volleyball by Kate Godfrey, Head Coach

The 2009 Varsity Volleyball Team started off the season strong with Conference wins against Sanford, Tatnall, Westtown, and St. Andrew’s. The senior leadership of Joanna Kelly, Koko Ekong, Jenni Williams, Sloan Trapnell, and Taylor Martel powered the team to a 10-5 record. Coaches Katie Godfrey and Andrew Kornack guided the Hillers to big match wins against Red Lion and Brandywine. Despite tough losses to powerhouses Friends and Charter, the Hillers exhibited a commitment to winning and teamwork. The Homecoming game against Brandywine was an exciting match up. The Bulldogs fought hard in Game 1, but the Hillers defeated them in three games with their balanced attack and serves. Green and white packed the gym where Kelly, Gracie Firestone, Erin Yatzus, and Faith Lyons powered down twenty-four kills and nineteen aces. Captains Firestone and Kelly led the team in attacks, assists, digs, and serve receive and

Post Season Honors

VolleyballKoko Ekong: Senior All StarGracie Firestone: 1st Team All Conference and Honorable Mention All StateJoanna Kelly: 2nd Team All Conference and Senior All StarFaith Lyons: Honorable Mention All ConferenceSloan Trapnell: Senior All StarErin Yatzus: 2nd Team All Conference

Girls’ Cross CountryCaroline Holliday: All-Conference

Boys’ Cross CountryRory Slatko: All-Conference

FootballPreston Boyden: 1st Team All-Conference Offense – Guard; Honor-able Mention All-Conference Defense - LinebackerRyan Chenault: 1st Team All-Conference Defense – Defensive BackStone Lieberman: Honorable Mention All-Conference Defense – Defensive LineKhaalid Lucas: Honorable Mention All-Conference Defense – De-fensive BackDemetrius Murray: 1st Team All-Conference Defense - Linebacker Honorable Mention All-Conference Offense – Full Back; John J. Buonocore III AwardMichael Pettit: Honorable Mention All-Conference Offense – Back

Girls’ Field HockeyKatie Applegate: 1st Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-State, Sportsmanship Award Zoe Blake: 1st Team All-ConferenceKali DiGate: 1st Team All-Conference, 2nd Team All-StateChristina Freibott: 1st Team All-ConferenceBrooke Kelly: 2nd Team All-ConferenceLucy Nutting: 1st Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-State, Betty Richardson AwardLexi Saunders: 1st Team All-Conference, 2nd Team All-StateEmily Schuckert: 1st Team All-Conference, 1st Team All-State, All Star RepresentativeTaylor Van Sickle: 2nd team All-Conference

Boys’ SoccerTrip Ashley: 1st Team All-Conference, 3rd Team All-StatePhil Deardorff: Honorable Mention All-ConferenceJake Graham: 1st Team All-Conference, 2nd Team All-StateTyler Luft: 2nd Team All-ConferenceAngus Maloney: 2nd Team All-ConferenceFletch Singles: Honorable Mention All-ConferenceConnor Trerotola: 1st Team All-ConferenceAlex Zeleny: 2nd Team All-Conference

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long. Cohen, already a top track runner, used her ability to be a consistent scorer for the squad. Late season addition Cecil came in and improved on a daily basis. These three, combined with the veterans Everest, Holliday and Wilson, finished the season with a dual meet record of 5-4, improving upon last year’s lone victory. Holliday garnered All-Conference recognition with a tenth place individual finish at the DISC Championships. The ladies culminated the year with a ninth place finish at the state championships, surprising many teams that had beaten them during the season.

The men’s season had some uncertainty to it as well. Coming off a strong finish from the previous year, the team lost some key runners. The returning athletes worked with a strong core of newcomers and set out to match the successes from previous years. The core of the team included junior captain John Edinger, juniors Noah Chodos and Rory Slatko, and sophomore Josh Combs. Chodos started out the season running as one of the top harriers in the state. Edinger and Slatko provided strong performances behind him, and Combs worked with the newcomers to provide a strong group. Sophomore Will Schwartz and freshmen Linus Jung and Mason Nickel came aboard to strengthen the team and were joined by sophomore John Guzzetta mid season.

provided key floor leadership. Middle hitters Ekong, Lauren Boudreaux, and Sophie McCoy contributed blocks at the net. Lyons and Yatzus were two of our strongest hitters and passers while Kathleen Snyder supplied perfect passes and digs to ignite the Hiller

offense. Caroline Blatcher and Ali Rafetto delivered consistent serves and Sam Bush added hustle and energy to the line-up.

Girls’/Boys’ Cross Country by Steve Sinko, Head Coach

The 2009 Tower Hill Cross Country season began with a number of question marks. Would the ladies be able to field a scoring team? How would the men’s team fair after losing several key runners from the previous season? Would the team be able to build upon successes of the past year? Those questions were answered early on.

With the addition of two newcomers, the ladies were able to field that scoring team, and a strong one at that. Led by senior captain Caroline Holliday the team started out in the middle of the pack and steadily worked its way up all season long. Seniors Monica Wilson and Veronica Everest returned with Holliday to provide veteran leadership. Senior Kendall Cohen returned after a season’s absence, and she joined with sophomore newcomers Jenny Cusack and Roxanne Cecil to provide the depth the team needed. Cusack had a big impact running as the team’s number two athlete all season

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Early on the team ran well, but top runner Chodos fell to an injury which severely curtailed his season. The remaining seven put this behind them as best they could and had spirited races the rest of the way. Slatko matched

Holliday from the ladies squad earning All-Conference honors with a tenth place finish of his own. Edinger was the odd man out, taking eleventh at the DISC Championships and missed All-Conference by one spot.

Both Edinger and Slatko put their names down as runners to watch as they ran on the cusp of top runners in the state all season long. Combs had a breakout sophomore season and provided valuable points for the team. Jung and Nickel continued Tower Hill’s tradition of having some of the best freshmen runners in the state. Guzzetta and Schwartz filled out the varsity spots and competed admirably. The men ran to a 6-3 dual meet record and managed a tenth place finish at states.

Both teams’ futures look bright. The ladies may be losing four valuable seniors, but the two remaining runners should be joined by some talented new young ladies and continue to work their way up the ranks. The men return all eight athletes and will look to be bolstered by some newcomers of their own. The only question that remains is can next year’s group match the dedication, spirit, and team bonded strength from 2009? Time will tell, and like this group, they will be fun to watch.

Football by Kevin Waesco, Head Coach

We have all heard that familiar saying, “You can’t judge a book by its cover.” Those words seem like an appropriate way to tell the story of the 2009 varsity football season. The team’s final win-loss record of 2-8 is not the best barometer for measuring the success of the season, as it does not fully reflect the growth and development of the 38 young men on the team.

The Merriam-Webster online dictionary defines young as “being in an early stage of growth” and “having little experience.” The 2009 team certainly fit that definition of young, as there were only three returning players on the team who registered statistics on offense or defense last year.

Seniors Preston Boyden (team leader in solo tackles, third in total tackles), Sam Greenberg, Demetrius Murray (team leader in total tackles and total yards rushing), and Khaalid Lucas (team leader in pass breakups, second in solo tackles) were elected as team captains and led by example. The remaining seniors on the team – Sam Durgin, Ben Rigrodsky, Bryan Taylor, and Victor Walker – provided leadership and stability throughout the season as well.

The Hillers faced some of the strongest competition the team has seen in the past few years. Three opponents had eight regular season wins, another had seven wins, and two qualified for the playoffs. The Hillers lost close games against Moyer Academy and Saint Andrew’s – two games that could have gone

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either way.

By the end of the year, the players learned the value of discipline and hard work and the importance of executing assignments. The group stuck together and fought to the very end of every game. What began as a group with little game experience finished the season as a veteran group well acquainted with the finer nuances of the game. Impressively, 26 of the team’s 38 players registered a defensive statistic, and 9 players registered statistics on offense. With 30 players returning, half of whom started at least one game this year, the future looks bright for the 2010 season.

The John J. Buonocore III Award is an annual award presented to that junior or senior member of the football team who, in the opinion of the players and coaches, embodies spirit, intensity and poise. The 2009 recipient is senior Demetrius Murray.

Girls’ Field Hockey by Robin Adair, Head Coach

The 2009 field hockey season was as fun as it was exciting. Everyone involved seemed to get along well and be really enjoying what they were doing, coaches included. The team was close knit, happy, fun-loving, and extremely eager to please. Under the leadership of captains Katie Applegate and Emily Schuckert, the team worked hard every minute they were on the field and challenged each other and themselves whenever possible. Their enthusiasm, energy, and love for the game were absolutely wonderful to see, and, as a result, all of these positive things transformed into an exceptionally successful season with a 17-2 record, out scoring their competitors by 89 to 9 during the season.

From the first day of pre-season, it was obvious that this group was different in a very good way. The seniors -- Katie Applegate, Remy Denner, Lucy Nutting, Lexi Saunders and Emily Schuckert -- worked hard and set a great example for the younger players, while also pushing themselves to become even better and stronger. They led their team with positive support and encouragement and were always willing to step up and do whatever was necessary to succeed. This group was everything a coach could have asked for from her seniors. They always put the team first and gave 100% everyday, whether in practice or a game. It was also a major plus that they were all extremely talented hockey players who seemed to truly enjoy working together for a common goal.

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The example set by the seniors was easily followed by the rest of the team. Everyone worked nicely together and enjoyed each other on and off of the field. As a whole, this team was a group of strong, fit, tough, aggressive, very talented players. They improved in every way throughout the season and truly played some beautiful hockey in many games. Our attack scored lots of goals, with at least four players having over ten each. The midfield was a solid wall behind them, feeding the ball up and getting many assists. The midfield also played great defense by tackling well, marking tightly, and clearing the ball nice and hard when possible. The defense was also impressive in numerous ways. They had good, strong sticks, made some great goal line saves, and earned quite a few shutouts along the way. Overall, this team was loaded with talent and played together like a true team.

Highlights of the season would include opening up with three extremely strong, high scoring games; beating Tatnall at home with much more authority than the first time; winning the conference; ending the regular season with a hard and well played win over Friends; and most of all, making it to the State Championship finals and being able to have the season last as long as possible.

This past fall was a wonderful ride for everyone involved. This team was great in every way, and the seniors will be truly missed. They all had super field hockey careers at Tower Hill and gave much to the whole program. My thanks to them and their families for all they have done these past four years.

The Elizabeth H. Richardson Award was presented to Lucy Nutting.

Boys’ Soccer by Jason Land, Head Coach

The 2009 Tower Hill boys’ soccer team enjoyed a fantastic season. The team was competitive in all 15 games this past season. The team had opportunities to win every game, including games against three of the top four teams in the state. The season had many highlights and the players gained many valuable life lessons.

Tower Hill ended the season with a 6-6-3 record. Some highlights included a 1-0 victory versus Mount Pleasant to open the season. The lone goal was scored by Tyler Luft and was assisted by Erik Schubert. In addition, Tower Hill defeated Wilmington Friends 2-1 just one

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week later. The team overcame many obstacles, played with much heart, and competed with a “never give up” attitude with Evan Kreshtool scoring the game winning goal assisted by Jake Graham with under ten minutes to play in this emotional game. The momentum carried over to the next game against Wilmington Charter, who was ranked second in the state at the time and finished the season ranked fourth in the state. This game ended in a hard fought 1-1 draw. Tower Hill got on the board first with a great goal scored by Michael Kreshtool assisted by Blaise Taylor. Charter tied the score late in the second half, but great defense and outstanding saves by goalkeeper Trip Ashley held Charter to one goal. Another huge game that showed a resilient effort was a 2-1 loss to state finalist Middletown. Tower Hill tied the game up in the second half on a goal by Tyler Luft that was set up from the hustle of Chas Robino. The Dickinson game was a great game in which every member of the team saw action. The last big game was a 2-0 win over St. Andrew’s in which the team avenged an earlier season loss by scoring two great goals. One of which was an outstanding volley by Billy Esposito on a cross from Angus Maloney.

Seeing the players improve on a daily basis and watching the team mature as the season went on was just as important as any game. This team came together and supported one another all season long. Members of the team include seventeen seniors; Trip Ashley, Jake Graham, Erik Schubert, Phil Deardorff, Fletch Singles, Alex Zeleny, Blaise Taylor, Michael Kreshtool, Andrew Kreshtool, Evan Kreshtool, Ben Keller, Will Martinez, Hunter Boling, Zarshawn Jan, Nicket Dedhia, Neiley Dedhia, and Ripley Nielsen. Other team members are juniors Tyler Luft, Conner Trerotola, Chas Robino, Billy Esposito. Stevie Coax and Angus Maloney represented the team as a sophomore and freshman respectively.

Join the Green and White Club Today!

The Green and White Club is an organization of

parents, teachers, coaches, students and alumni

supporting the Green and White Club’s mission:

To support and enhance athletic experiences for

Tower Hill students by generating spirit, raising funds,

providing services, and organizing and sponsoring

activities that require resources beyond the financial

and professional means of the school.

The Green and White Club is dedicated to the belief

that competitive athletics make for a healthy and

integral part of a balanced education.

To join send a $40 check made out to “Tower Hill

School Green and White Club” and mail to:

Green and White Club, Tower Hill School

2813 West 17th Street, Wilmington, DE 19806

If you have any questions, email

greenwhite@towerhill.org.

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Tower Hill School 2813 West 17th Street, Wilmington, DE 19806

www.towerhill.org

Green & White Newsletter Courtesy of the Green & White Club Editor: Beth FriedmanLayout: Nancy Schuckert

FALL SPORTS 2009