Senior Daelynn Demello, center, is one of several key returnees for a Palmer Ridge field hockey team that finished as state runner-up to Colorado Academy last season.
Courtesy photo by Danny Summers
As the price of higher education continues to rise, people are constantly looking for ways to offset some of the cost of sending their kids off to college. Paul Lewis has a suggestion, if you have a girl who's athletic and intelligent – play field hockey.
Lewis, the
Palmer Ridge (Monument) field hockey coach, said that because of the small number of participants compared to other sports, the chances of standing out and getting noticed are greater.
"The percentages are there," said Lewis, who is also a national coach with U.S. Field Hockey. "There's scholarships out there to be had. There are opportunities out there to play in college."
Lewis would know. The Bears have sent several girls on to play at the next level, including last season when Casey Deeds signed with Stanford.
The sport is very popular on the East Coast, and is growing on the West Coast, but has struggled to gain a foothold across the central part of the country, including in Colorado. While the high school game is growing locally, none of the major universities in the state currently has a program.
"(Denver University) used to have a program, but they stopped because it was too expensive," Lewis said. "There are some club programs around, and there are adult leagues, but if you want to play in college you have to go somewhere else."
Field hockey is in its 16th year as a sanctioned sport by the Colorado High School Activities Association, and has 14 participating programs. A handful are district teams – with several schools from an area competing as one. Lewis' team pulls not only from Palmer Ridge, but also from nearby Lewis-Palmer and Air Academy.
Last year the Bears made it all the way to the title game as a No. 3 seed before falling to top-seeded Colorado Academy 1-0. Palmer Ridge brings back six starters this year, including All-Colorado selection
Jessica Berg. The Bears also expect big things from
Edie Statham,
Briana Knop,
Daelynn Demello and
Courtney Child, and may have the best goalie in the state in junior
Cheradyn Pettit.
Pettit started her high school career as a soccer keeper before making the switch to field hockey. It was a good choice as she made the Under-16 Junior Olympics team two years ago, and played on the Under-19 futures team last offseason.
Colorado Academy (Denver) remains the team to beat, as the Mustangs bring back almost their entire squad from last year's state championship team. Heading that list is junior phenom
Julia Murphy, who earned player of the year honors last season as a sophomore. Murphy doesn't appear to have slowed down as she scored four goals during an 11-0 season-opening win.
Colorado Academy also brings back All-Colorado selections
Mandy Weeks and
Sterre Van Ede.
Cherry Creek (Greenwood Village) should also be in the mix behind senior Clare Kavanagh. Palmer Ridge and the Bruins squared off in the season opener on Aug. 29, with Cherry Creek pulling out a 2-1 victory.
"I thought we played well enough to win, but we came out on the wrong end of the score," Lewis said.
