Shortly after 4 p.m. yesterday in Bordentown, N.J., Sophia Stazi of Cherry Hill Camden Catholic (N.J.), one of the finest sophomore field hockey players in America, gave the ball away at midfield. The ball went to Summit Oak Knoll (N.J.) senior Hope Russo, who knocked the ball over the sideline in front of the scorer’s table, then jogged off the pitch at the interchange area, to be replaced by a substitute.
It was an incident which took maybe six seconds. But it was incredibly meaningful considering the occasion: the inception of the NJSIAA Non-Public Final. And it was more meaningful for Russo, who had suffered a lower-body injury and sported a leg wrapping and brace.
In the usual “familiarity breeds contempt” observation that dates back to the dates of Aesop, you could have expected Camden Catholic and Oak Knoll to have developed a certain degree of animosity over the years. These two sides have been the dominant players in the NJSIAA Non-Public ranks over the years, and the sides have met each other in every state final since 2019. Moreover, the Irish and Royals met twice this season in the period of a week, splitting one-goal decisions.
But the close competition has led to deep respect between the players and coaches amongst the two programs. The teams arranged for Russo to have a final touch on the field during the state championship game.
This is something you see on occasion in many athletic competitions. On some teams’ Senior Days, coaches will start as many seniors as they can for a few minutes, then revert to their usual substitution patterns a few minutes into the game. I’ve seen basketball teams start an injured player, win the opening tap, then call an immediate timeout to allow the player to walk off the court one last time.
Kudos to both Ali Good and Mark Vittese for allowing this moment to happen, even as the teams were to engage in a fierce competition for state final supremacy. Sure, there was a final score in this one, but the real winner in this competition was sportsmanship.
