Sidney Franz was unable to remain for Team Allentown's third and final game in the inaugural Pennsylvania Field Hockey Senior Cup on Saturday at Lower Dauphin Middle School. She had to rush back to Palmerton High School, a 90-minute drive from the Hershey area, for her earlier commitment to the dance.
She arrived at the venue in time for the dance and was crowned princess. Her busy weekend continued on Sunday when she competed in the Via Basketball Classic at Northampton Community College.
Before leaving Lower Dauphin, she scored Team Allentown's first goal in the Senior Cup, an eight-team tournament featuring regional teams from around the state. Team Allentown lost to Philadelphia North 1-0 in the first game. In the second game, Franz scored Allentown's goal and Reading defeated Allentown 2–1.
At the end of a cold, rainy and busy day, Allentown defeated Pittsburgh 4-1 to take seventh place.
Team Allentown included players from Emmaus, Parkland, Easton, Moravian Academy, Palmerton, Northampton and Wallenpaupack. Coached by Parkland's Julie Nelson, assisted by Easton's Casey Eck and Parkland assistant Ashley Kunzman.
In the second half, with Allentown leading Reading by one point, 1-0, Frantz received a pass from Easton's Lexi Causa to tie the game. She said it was nice to finally play with her Palmerton teammates and Misericordia recruits Celeste Hoffman and Skylar Kohler. Franz is passionate about East Stroudsburg, where her sisters attended school.
“[Causa] It just kind of hit me and I was just there,” Franz said. “We were really happy to be a part of this production. We're happy to represent Palmerton in any way.”
The weather continued to get colder as the day progressed, but Allentown finally warmed up for Game 3 against Pittsburgh. Easton's Jocelyn Morgan, who is committed to playing lacrosse and field hockey at East Stroudsburg, scored two points in Allentown's win.
Morgan finally gathered himself and admitted that he had put on his gloves so he could feel his rod.
“It was so much fun,” she said. “It was really cool to play with people I don’t normally play with or against, so it was a good experience. It was fun for myself and my teammates. [Raegan Day and Causa] Also. I was really excited to play again, especially with the Easton girls. ”
Parkland senior Aurora Gerry, who was scheduled to play at the University of Michigan, was finally able to not only play with Parkland teammates Elaina Fragassi and Maya Zaun, but also with her former EPC rivals. He said it was fun.
“It was really great to play with the people from this area,” Jerry said. “I got to play with Elaina and Maya one last time. It was really great.”
The weather was also very cool, too cold in fact, but Allentown adjusted and played better as the day went on, overcoming the challenge of not having practice time before the tournament. The tournament was scheduled to start at 8 a.m., but due to rain, it started at 2 p.m., resulting in a condensed schedule with games starting at the top of the hour with a 25-minute break and a five-minute break.
“It was an adjustment knowing where everyone was,” Gary said. “Our corners were a little rough. … It's good to keep the sticks and the ball rolling.”
In Sunday's championship game, Hershey defeated Lancaster 3-2 in overtime. Philadelphia North, which featured players from Nazareth, Penn Argill and Quakertown, lost in the semifinals.
Tim Shoemaker is a freelance writer.
