Sports Recap: Johnson Places Second At Federation

Johnson shines upstate

Fox Lane track and field co-head coach Steve Petrillo says that Foxes senior shot putter Janice Johnson performs her best when the competition is the greatest.

“Janice is very internally competitive,” Petrillo said. “Even though she has been to state championships before, she still gets nervous before a meet. The excitement, the energy and her internal desire to do well makes her better when she has better competition out there.”

She proved that at the state and federation track and field championships on Saturday at Caledonia-Mumford High School in Rochester.

Johnson placed second in the federation meet that afternoon with a throw of 40 feet and 9 inches after she placed third in the state championships in the morning with a throw of 38 feet and 11 inches.

“I was successful because I kept pushing myself,” Johnson said. “I worked hard because I really wanted to do well. It was nice to have people cheering me on and my coach was so supportive.”

Last year, Johnson was third in the state meet and eighth in the federation meet during the spring season.

“I was real excited to go again,” Johnson said. “Because I had been there before, I already knew what to expect. I was happy to go again and I was excited to be able to do what I did.”

What she did is perhaps the greatest accomplishment in Fox Lane girls track history, according to Petrillo.

“She is probably the most accomplished female athlete we have had at Fox Lane track,” Petrillo said. “I can’t think of any female athlete that has gone to the level that she has. Certainly, as far as being a thrower, she was our top thrower at Fox Lane as a sophomore and she has just continued to get better and better.”

While Johnson will be graduating this month, her presence will be felt long after she leaves Fox Lane.

“She has set a tone for this team that will carry on well after she has moved on to college (at SUNY-Albany),” Petrillo said. “When I gather the team around before a meet or early in the season, her name will come up and the accomplishments that she has had will set the framework for the possibility that kids can set their goals on for years to come.”

Foxes earn honors

When a team finishes 18-1, wins its league and advances to the Section 1 Class B championship game like the Fox Lane girls lacrosse squad did, there are going to be a lot of players who earn well deserved honors.

Senior Lindsay Toppe, who plays attack, and junior midfielder Sammy Jo Tracy were both named All-American for the second year in a row.

Senior Aly Dowey, a defender, was named All-Section and was a Con Ed Athlete of the Week Award winner.

“Aly really was a rock on defense,” Toppe said. “She always helped motivate us to do what we were told. She’d always do things to pump us up and if we were down she always remind us that we were a powerful team and that we can get it back.”

Junior Sydney Stern, who's on attack, and sophomore midfielder Kailey O’Hagan earned all-section honorable mention honors.

“Sydney Stern has a lot of assists and Kailey helped get a lot of the draws and ground balls in transition at midfield,” Toppe said.

Obtaining all-league honors were sophomore midfielder Kate Burbank and senior Sophia Ohler, who plays defense.

“Kate stepped up a lot getting the ball to midfield and helping in transition and Sophia was also a major rock on defense and plays the girl behind all the time and did a good job of doubling,” Toppe said.

While Toppe and Tracy got well deserved publicity during the year, the fact that other Foxes received postseason honors proved how deep of a team Fox Lane is.

“It shows that while Sammy and I got a lot of the credit and a lot of the press, it doesn’t all come from us,” Toppe said. “There are other players on the team that definitely stood out, were just as amazing and really helped carry the team as well.”