Blake Field Hockey Team Prepares to Avenge State Title Loss

A year removed from their second-place finish in the state championship game, the Blake High School field hockey team is once again hard at work. Led by second-year head coach Patrick Howley, the Bengals are gearing up for great things this season.

Despite a mediocre 5-7 regular season record in 2009, the Blake team was able to turn on the gas once the playoffs hit, winning five straight games before losing in the state title game.

"We surprised a lot of people [last season], and teams are going to be coming after us this year," Howley said at his team's scrimmage against Churchill on Thursday.

In preparation for the increased competition, the team has been on the grind since Montgomery County teams were officially allowed to begin practice more than two weeks ago. However, with expectations of success set so high, Howley said the pressure on the girls is lower than expected.

"The girls know that we have to work harder than before. We're conditioning hard, but I don't think they feel more pressure," he said. "We're very competitive, but we are here for fun. Winning isn't everything — but wanting to is, and they all want to."

One might think with such success already under their belts, the expectation-laden Bengals would be built around a core of senior superstars. Counterintuitively, this is not the case at all. In fact, of the 20 roster spots, just five are filled by seniors. In the starting lineup alone there is a freshman and a sophomore, the latter of which, Caroline Wannen, was a second team all-league selection last year as a ninth-grader.

"Wannen is going to flourish this season and have a lot of goals," Howley said. "She went to camp and picked up more field hockey skills this summer. She's going to have a special season."

One senior who will certainly make an impact this year is Bridget Hawvermale.

Currently the starting halfback and co-captain of the team, Hawvermale never played field hockey before her freshman year of high school. An opportune injury to a senior on the varsity team gave her the chance to play immediately at a high level, where she has stayed ever since.

According to Howley, she is "super fast, very aggressive, and has one of the hardest drives in the county. She will play basically every minute of the game in the most challenging position. She has a lot riding on her."

Hawvermale plans to use her charge of responsibility as a tool for team-wide success.

"Of course we want to win, but I want to make sure we score as many goals as we can," she said. "It's really important that as many girls on the team as possible score a goal this season."

As pre-season practices were coming to an end last week, Howley and his squad were anxious to pick up where they left off a year ago.

"Last season, the girls got a taste of going to the championship and winning the regional final," he said. "They're working hard and really want to go back and go for it all this season. We're going to have fun trying, and it's going to be an exciting season."

Blake will officially kick off its 2010 campaign on Sept. 7 at 7 p.m. at home against Quince Orchard.

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