Field Hockey: Eastern finishes #1 in the nation

by Jeff Fisher

Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

For the fifth time in the seven year history of New Jersey's Tournament of Champions in field hockey, Eastern High School was the best that the Garden State had to offer in the sport.  That fact was just one of many that led to Top of the Circle naming the Voorhees, New Jersey school as the top team in the nation in its final national poll.  Eastern finished the season 26-0-1.  Watertown (Massachusetts) finished #2

1. Voorhees Eastern (N.J.) 26-0-1
2. Watertown (Mass.) 23-0
3. Hummelstown Lower Dauphin (Pa.) 25-1
4. Villanova Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (Pa.) 22-1
5. Shrub Oak Lakeland (N.Y.) 20-0
6. Emmaus (Pa.) 26-1
7. Summit Oak Knoll (N.J.) 24-2
8. North Caldwell West Essex (N.J.) 23-2
9. Darien (Conn.) 19-1-1
10. Fredericksburg Chancellor (Va.) 22-1
11. Lake Forest (Ill.) 27-1-1
12. Newtown Square Episcopal Academy (Pa.) 22-1-1
13. West Chester (Pa.) Henderson 24-1
14. Walpole (Mass.) 23-0-1
15. St. Louis Mary Institute-Country Day School (Mo.) 22-0-2
16. Louisville Assumption (Ky.)
17. Millersville Penn Manor (Pa.) 23-4-1
18. Chantilly Westfield (Va.) 22-2
19. Clifton Park Shenendehowa (N.Y.) 20-2
20. Gloucester (Va.) 24-1
21. Wilton (Conn.) 19-0-1
22. Virginia Beach First Colonial (Va.) 21-2
23. Farmville Sachem East (N.Y.) 21-1
24. Milford Lauralton Hall (Conn.) 18-1-1
25. Kingston Wyoming Seminary (Pa.) 19-6-1
26. West Long Branch Shore Regional (N.J.) 24-1-1
27. Lakeville Hotchkiss School (Conn.) 17-0
28. Greenwich (Conn.) Academy 19-2
29. Mountain Top Crestwood (Pa.) 24-1
30. Gahanna Columbus Academy (Ohio) 18-2-1
31. Louisville Sacred Heart (Ky.)
32. San Diego Canyon Crest Academy (Calif.) 23-4
33. Lewes Cape Henlopen (Del.) 18-0-1
34. Stafford Mountain View (Va.) 21-1
35. Skowhegan (Maine) Area 18-0
36. San Diego Scripps Ranch (Calif.) 18-4
37. Dover Foxcroft Academy (Maine) 17-0-1
38. Severna Park (Md.) 13-3-1
39. Providence Moses Brown School (R.I.) 16-0-3
40. Bel Air C. Milton Wright (Md.) 18-1
41. Los Gatos (Calif.) 18-0
42. East Chapel Hill (N.C.) 18-3
43. Carrboro (N.C.) 14-8
44. Stonington (Conn.) 18-2
45. Newport Nokomis Regional (Maine) 18-0
46. Denver Colorado Academy (Colo.) 17-0
47. Charlotte (N.C.) Country Day School 14-3-1
48. Richmond Collegiate (Va.) 17-5
49. Ocean City (N.J.) 19-6
50. Windham (N.H.) 16-1

And bear in mind:  Los Angeles Harvard-Westlake (Calif.) 14-1-1, Oklahoma City Casady School (Okla.) 11-1-1, Severn Archbishop Spalding (Md.) 21-1, Catonsville Mount de Sales (Md.) 19-1, Sykesville Century (Md.) 14-4, Hampstead North Carroll (Md.) 14-3, Exeter (N.H.) 14-3, Berlin (N.H.) 16-1, Hightstown Peddie School (N.J.) 12-4-2, Sag Harbor Pierson-Bridgehampton (N.Y.) 16-4, Smithfield (R.I.) 12-3-1, Stowe (Vt.) 14-3, Essex (Vt.) 13-1-3, Bristol Mount Abraham Union (Vt.) 10-3-3, Harland Arrowhead (Wisc.) 14-3

Watertown (Massachusetts) takes over #1 spot in last field hockey rankings

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow
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Watertown (Massachusetts) High School is the new #1 in the latest Top of the Circle national field hockey rankings.  Watertown took-over the top spot after former #1 Villanova Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (Pennsylvania) and former #2 First Colonial (Virginia) lost last week.

Watertown is currently riding a 110-game unbeaten streak, which is the second longest streak all-time in America.

Last week's NHSCA Sports Hour guest Austyn Cuneo of Eastern High School made more history this week when she became the first player to top 200 goals in her career.  The nation's all-time leading scorer, who's only a junior, now has 207 lifetime goals.

Here's the latest rankings...

1. Watertown (Massachusetts) LW: #3
2. Episcopal Academy (Pennsylvania) LW: #5
3. Eastern (New Jersey) LW: #6
4. Lower Dauphin (Pennsylvania) LW: #4
5. Emmaus (Pennsylvania) LW: #7
6. Crestwood (Pennsylvania) LW: NR
7. Palmyra (Pennsylvania) LW: #10
8. Farmingville Sachem East (New York) LW: #8
9. Suffolk Lakeland (Virginia) LW: NR
10. Shrub Oak Lakeland (New York) LW: #9

Listen to October 24th NHSCA Sports Hour on-demand

by Jeff Fisher

Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Follow @NHSCARadioShow

Follow @NHSCA

If you missed last night's radio show, don't fear, it's right here.  Just click here and you can listen whenever the time is right for you.

Guests on the show are: Austyn Cuneo of Eastern High School (New Jersey), America's all-time leading goal scorer in field hockey and David Taylor of XCNation.com, discussing boys' and girls' cross country.

Eastern's Austyn Cuneo sets new high school field hockey record

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow
Follow @NHSCA

Courtesy Eastern High School

Congratulations to Austin Cuneo of Eastern High School (New Jersey) who broke America's high school field hockey record for goals in a career on Wednesday.

Cuneo, who is only a junior, scored three goals in her team's 11-0 shutout of Cherry Hills East to move past Lexi Smith of Florence High School's mark of 191 career goals.  Cuneo now has scored 193 goals with plenty more games to play for her school that is currently ranked 6th in the nation.

Eastern's Austyn Cuneo moves within one goal of all-time field hockey record

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHCSA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow
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There's no change in the latest Top of the Circle Top 10 Field Hockey national rankings, but  there will be a change at the top of America's all-time field hockey goals list sometime this week...probably tomorrow.

Austyn Cuneo of #6 Eastern (New Jersey) scored five more goals last Thursday in a 12-2 win over Washington Township, moving her one away from the all-time mark of 191 career goals by Lexi Smith of Florence (New Jersey). Cuneo could tie and then break the record in upcoming games against Cherry Hill East (Wednesday) or Moorestown (Thursday).

In Massachusetts, Watertown is now second on the all-time consecutive games without a loss list.  Watertown passed former #2 Casady School (Oklahoma), placing the school behind Eastern, which owns the all-time mark at 153 straight games without a loss.  Watertown's unbeaten streak is now at 108

1. Villanova Academy of Notre Dame du Namur (Pennsylvania) 13-0, LW: #1
2. First Colonial (Virginia) 10-0, LW: #2
3. Watertown (Massachusetts) 15-0, LW: #3
4. Lower Dauphin (Pennsylvania) 17-1, LW: #4
5. Episcopal Academy (Pennsylvania) 16-0, LW: #5
6. Eastern (New Jersey) 14-0-1, LW: #6
7. Emmaus (Pennsylvania) 20-0, LW: #7
8. Farmingville Sachem East (New York) 13-0, LW: #8
9. Shrub Oak Lakeland (New York) 15-0, LW: #9
10. Palmyra (Pennsylvania) 17-1, LW: #10

Eastern High School's Austyn Cuneo close to setting new all-time field hockey goals mark

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow
Follow @NHSCA

Courtesy Eastern High School

Eastern High School's (New Jersey) Austyn Cuneo is closing-in on America's all-time goals record in field hockey.

Cuneo, who announced earlier this year that she'll play college field hockey at North Carolina, scored five goals Wednesday, giving her 185 goals in her career.  That leaves her six goals shy of the all-time record of 191 held by 2013 NHSCA National FIeld Hockey Player of the Year Lexi Smith of Florence High School (New Jersey).

Cuneo's team is currently ranked #6 in the country, according to the latest Top of the Circle Top 10 rankings.  

1. Villanova Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (Pennsylvania) 10-0, LW: #1
2. First Colonial (Virginia) 10-0, LW: #2
3. Watertown (Massachusetts) 12-0, LW: #3
4. Lower Dauphin (Pennsylvania) 16-1, LW: #4
5. Episcopal Academy (Pennsylvania) 14-0, LW: #5
6. Eastern (New Jersey) 12-0-1, LW: #6
7. Emmaus (Pennsylvania) 18-0, LW: #7
8. Farmingville Sachem East (New York) 11-0, LW: #8
9. Schrub Oak Lakeland (New York) 11-0, LW: #9
10. Palmyra (Pennsylvania) 17-1, LW: #10

High School Field Hockey: Watertown looks to extend unbeaten streak to 103

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow
Follow @NHCA

Watertown High School's (Massachusetts) field hockey team is no stranger to unbeaten streaks.  The Massachusetts power is currently on a 102 match unbeaten streak, which is the third longest all-time in high school field hockey.  Watertown also owns the ninth longest streak of 77 straight without a defeat from back in the 90's.

On Thursday, I'll talk with Watertown head coach Eileen Donahue, who is the 2013 NHSCA National Field Hockey Coach of the Year on the NHSCA Sports Hour at 6 P.M. Eastern Time. Donahue's all-time record is 538-30-45 in 29 years as the program's head coach.

Below is the all-time undefeated list...

Eastern (New Jersey) - 153
Casady School (Oklahoma) - 106
Watertown (Massachusetts) - 102
Walpole (Massachusetts) - 93
Darien (Connecticut) - 92
Sacred Heart (Kentucky) - 87
Marathon (New York) - 87
San Diego Serra (California) - 87
West Essex (New Jersey) - 86
Watertown (Massachusetts) - 77

Watertown is currently ranked #3 in the nation, according to Top of the Circle.  Below is the latest Top 10...

1. Villanova Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (Pennsylvania) 9-0, LW: #1
2. First Colonial (Virginia) 9-0, LW: #2
3. Watertown (Massachusetts) 10-0, LW: #4
4. Lower Dauphin (Pennsylvania) 14-1, LW: #5
5. Episcopal Academy (Pennsylvania) 13-0, LW: #6
6. Eastern (New Jersey) 6-0-1, LW: #7
7. Emmaus (Pennsylvania) 15-0, LW: #8
8. Farmington Sachem East (New York) 8-0, LW: #10
9. Shrub Oak Lakeland (New York) 11-0, LW: NR
10. Palmyra (Pennsylvania) 15-1, LW: #3

Field Hockey: Latest Top of the Circle National Rankings

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

The top six in the latest Top of the Circle national field hockey rankings held steady, but there is movement at the bottom part of the poll.

Emmaus (Pennsylvania) is biggest mover.  The Green Hornets moved from #11 to #8 after a win over former #9 Penn Manor (Pennsylvania).  New to the poll is Lake Forest out of Illinois at #9.

1. Villanova Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (Pennsylvania) 7-0, LW: #1
2. First Colonial (Virginia) 7-0, LW: #2
3. Palmyra (Pennsylvania) 13-0, LW: #3
4. Watertown (Massachusetts) 8-0, LW: #4
5. Lower Dauphin (Pennsylvania) 11-1, LW: #5
6. Episcopal Academy (Pennsylvania) 8-0, LW: #6
7. Eastern (New Jersey) 6-0-1, LW: #T9
8. Emmaus (Pennsylvania) 11-0, LW: #11
9. Lake Forest (Illinois) 17-0-1, LW: NR
10. Farmingville Sachem East (New York) 5-0, LW: #10

Field Hockey: National Rankings

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

Top of the Circle has been cranking-out the national high school field hockey rankings for years, so that's what we follow on the show.

Below is the latest Top 11 (actually 12) as of September 24th....

1. Villanova Academy of Notre Dame de Namur (Pennsylvania) 5-0
2. First Colonial (Virginia) 5-0
3. Palmyra (Pennsylvania) 5-0
4. Watertown (Massachusetts) 5-0
5. Lower Dauphin (Pennsylvania) 8-1
6. Episcopal Academy (Pennsylvania) 6-0
7. Hempfield Area (Pennsylvania) 6-3
8. Darien (Connecticut) 3-0
T9. Eastern (New Jersey) 3-0-1
T9. Penn Manor (Pennsylvania) 7-1-1
10. Farmingville Sachem East (New York) 3-0
11. Emmaus (Pennsylvania) 8-0

High School Field Hockey: Pennsylvania may re-examine whether boys can play with girls

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour
Follow @NHSCARadioShow

In 1975, the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) was ordered by the courts to allow girls to be able to participate in football.  That ruling also affected other sports like wrestling and field hockey.

According to a story on Philly.com by Chris Palmer, 38 schools have reported that they have boys playing on girls' high school field hockey teams.  The story also states that a PIAA survey found that more than 100 schools allowed girls to play on their high school football teams and 112 schools had girls on Pennsylvania high school wrestling teams.

Earlier this year, the PIAA partnered with a couple from Pittsburgh on a lawsuit asking that western Pennsylvania judge Kevin Brobson overturn the '75 ruling because of competitive imbalance in field hockey matches.  Judge Brobson declined to get involved, but told the PIAA that if it wanted to stop boys from playing field hockey, it needed to create a policy stating that.

Now the ball is in the PIAA's court.  According to Palmer's story, lawyers are expected to discuss the organization's next steps with its board members sometime soon. 

America's All-Time Goal Scorer in Field Hockey to appear on NHSCA Sports Hour

by Jeff Fisher
Host
NHSCA Sports Hour

The incredible field hockey career of Florence High School's (New Jersey) Lexi Smith came to a close earlier this week, but not before setting a second national record.

Smith, who earlier this year set the national record for goals in a career, set a new National Federation strike rate record of 2.42 goals per game.  That passes the previous record of 2.10 that was held by Delaware Valley High School's (Pennsylvania) Carleen McAllister, who set the record way back in the mid-70s.

Smith's career ended with a 2-1 loss to New Egypt in the quarterfinal round of the NJSIAA Central Jersey Group I tournament.  Smith picked-up an assist, but didn't score a goal, so her career total stands at 191 goals.

In October, Smith, who will play college field hockey at the College of New Jersey, passed Sharon Landau as the nation's all-time leading goal scorer.  Landau, who played at Rye Neck High School (New York), scored 175 goals during her career that ended in 1985.

Tonight, Smith will join me as a guest on the NHSCA Sports Hour to talk about her incredible career.

Click here to listen to the show LIVE at 6 P.M. Eastern Time.

Eastern HS Field Hockey Team Wins Another New Jersey Tournament of Championships Title

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

While New Jersey still doesn't crown overall state champs in football, it does have a cool concept for other sports.

It's called the Tournament of Champions where respective group champs meet to decide an overall state champ in sports such as basketball, soccer, cross country and field hockey.

Sunday, Eastern High School's Danyle Heilig, who was a guest on the November 17th NHSCA Sports Hour, led her school to its four T of C title, which comes on-top of the school's 13th straight Group 4 championship.

Eastern (27-0) beat West Essex (23-2) 5-2 i the T of C championship game.  Eastern was led by freshman Austyn Cuneo, who had a goal and an assist.  The goal was her 69th this season, which tied the state record held by Eastern grad Kelsey Mitchell in 2009 and  Michelle Vuzzuso of West Essex in 1994.

Since taking over Eastern (Voorhees, New Jersey) in 1999, Heilig has never failed to win a group championship.  Earlier this year, Heilig won her 300th game.

The Vikings 13 straight state titles is a national record.  The school also had a 153-game  game unbeaten streak that is also a national record.



Click here to listen to my interview with Coach Heilig on November 17th.

New Jersey Field Hockey Player Sets New Shutout Record

by Jeff Fisher
Host, NHSCA Sports Hour

Congratulations go out to Eastern High School (Voorhees, NJ) goaltender Alana Barry, who is the nation's new leader in all-time shutouts in high school field hockey.

Barry and  her teammates beat Cherokee 10-0 earlier this week, giving her 10 shutouts this season and 68 in her career.  Barry passed Haley Exner of Scripps Ranch (San Diego, CA), who blanked 67 teams before graduating in 2003.

Barry wasn't called-on to make a save during the record-breaking match.