SBR FIELD HOCKEY: State championship three-peat not even possible this fall

NOTE: The interviews for this Somerset Berkley Regional field hockey story were conducted Tuesday night, before the South Coast Conference had voted on Monday to cancel its fall 2020 sports seasons. Somerset Berkley Regional has opted to follow suit and to move fall sports to the newly-created Fall II wedge season (late winter, early spring). Playoffs technically, are still possible, after the Fall II season. The MIAA’s existing no-tournament decree pertains only to the fall season.

SOMERSET – On the positive side, Somerset Berkley Regional’s reign as state Division 1 field hockey challenge is secure for another season.

But there will be no three-peat, or even an attempt at three-peat, in 2020. That possibility was erased when the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association, in response to COVID-19 fears, decreed that while most traditional fall sports were approved to compete this fall, the MIAA would not sponsor fall state tournaments.

Somerset Berkley has won the previous two state Division 1 field hockey championships.

“It’s sad,” said head coach Jen Crook on Tuesday. “But I’m just hoping for a season this year. Anything at this point is better than nothing.”

“It’s hard to be motivated,” said junior quad-captain Lauren Rothwell, a two-year starter.

For most of 2018 and for all of 2019, the regular season was simply a prolonged tuneup for the Raiders, who went undefeated last season and have experienced one loss and no ties over the last seasons. The serious competition has come in state tournament time.

“No playoffs is very disappointing,” said senior Cami Crook, who last year verbally committed to Providence College for field hockey, “because that’s, honestly, where we shine the most. Or at least the past few years, that’s where we have shined the most. So it’s kind of disappointing that we only get maybe not even a full regular season. I’m kind of upset about that. But at least we get a season.”

“It’s really upsetting because, obviously, playoffs is kind of what we really thrived on the past few years, and that’s been the most exciting part of the season,” said senior quad-captain Kayleigh McDonald, a four-year starter on defense. “But I’m excited about the possibility of being able to play at all because there was a point in time when we didn’t know if we’d be able to.”

PROVING THEMSELVES

Somerset Berkley field hockey is traditionally a motivated group. That motivation may have been turned up extra high this season. SBR graduated nine seniors from a year ago. Seven of those seniors were starters. Among them were stars Lucas Crook (55 goals, 33 assists), defender Alexander Millar and defender Janey Silvia.

“Everyone thinks we only won because of the boys,” said Cami Crook (49 goals, 47 assists in 2019), one of the elite players in the state. “But I wanted the season to prove everyone on the team’s skilled, so maybe we can win again, or just have a good season.”

“We were still excited for a possible playoff run this year,” McDonald said.

OH, THOSE RULE CHANGES

The MIAA instituted very significant rules modifications for field hockey teams wishing to compete this fall. Introduced to reduce physical contact among players, the modifications include reducing the on-field competition from 11-on-11 to 7-on-7 and the elimination of penalty corners, which frequently produce high-quality scoring chances. SBR was lethal on penalty corners the last two seasons. It’s comparable to reducing or eliminating power plays in ice hockey.

After watching her brother Lucas, Millar and Silvia serve as penalty corner hitters the last two years, Cami Crook was likely going to get a shot at that role this season.

The 7-on-7 format is also a game changer.

“You don’t have to be skilled. You just have to have endurance,” Coach Crook said. “You have to have speed. And your defense, they’re not going to be very disciplined because the worst that happens is the ball gets brought back to the 25 with a long hit going in.”

It’s debatable to what degree 7-on-7 will affect overall playing time. While fewer players will be on the field at once, players will be doing more and longer sprinting, while wearing masks, resulting in more fatigue. That would lead to an increase in substituting.

Cami Crook’s eye brightened, just a bit, when she was asked about 7-on-7. She has strong endurance to go with amazing stickhandling skills and good speed. An uncrowded field would serve as a canvas for a field hockey artist.

READY TO PLAY

Coach Crook and her players interviewed for this story were all in favor of playing restricted field hockey in the fall rather than rolling the dice with Fall II. The coach noted the significant logistical challenges in Fall II, with football (designated for Fall II), field hockey and girls’ and boys’ soccer competing for practice time on the one artificial turf field in situations where the natural turf fields might be covered by snow, frozen or muddy.

“I would say field hockey now, because that’s what we’re used to,” Cami Crook said. “Ever since I was a freshman, I’ve been looking forward to my senior year in the fall.”

Email Greg Sullivan at gsullian@heraldnews.com. Follow him @GregSullivanHN.