It should be no surprise that Greenwood dominated this year's Tri-Valley League all-star selections in field hockey - the Wildcats were unbeaten in the conference and won the league title for the fifth straight year.
In TVL play, Greenwood scored 57 goals - the next closest was Line Mountain, with 30 - and gave up only two tallies in 10 league games.
Leading the way for the Wildcats was Taylor Tompkins, who was named MVP of the league for her play in the midfield. Tompkins, an all-state selection as a junior, was one of two players who managed four goals in a single game this season. She scored nine goals and had two assists for a total of 20 points in TVL games this year. In her career, she scored 13 goals and had 15 assists for a total of 41 points in TVL play.
"Your center mids on most teams, people would say that's their best player," Greenwood coach Kent Houser said. "She's our strongest player. Our mids are the strength of our team. I think she was clearly the one to be MVP."
Houser said Tompkins was solid on the field, calling her one of the most skilled players the Wildcats have ever had.
"Her game speaks for itself - I think everybody in our league knows how good she is," he said.
Greenwood forwards Brittany Fleisher and Hattie Kuhns were named all-star forwards, along with East Juniata's Lydia Koser.
"Brittany's been our main scorer and she's been a solid scorer for four years. It's finally nice to see her get a reward," Houser said of Fleisher, who, like Tompkins, had a four-goal game and was the TVL's leading scorer this fall with 13 goals and an assist.
"Hattie triggers the offense," Houser said. "We try to get the ball on her stick and let her put everybody into scoring position."
Koser was second in overall scoring for the Tigers despite trailing two of her teammates in that department in league play. She had 10 goals and 11 assists on the year, and was the only freshman honored as an all-star.
"She grew into such a confident player. She is so focused on getting the ball to the right place, whether that is a pass because she doesn't have an angle on the right side, or getting a touch from a pass and placing it I the cage," East Juniata coach Billie Haines said. "She is an unselfish player and constantly wants to know what she can work on. Her attitude is terrific and I couldn't be more proud of her. I'm so excited to have three more seasons with her."
Honored along with Tompkins in the midfield was East Juniata's Stephanie Dressler, who led the Tigers in scoring with 13 goals and 13 assists, like Koser, mostly against non-league opponents.
"She really knows how to control the ball down the field, see the open player and either shoot or pass, depending on what the situation allows," Haines said. "She is a skilled player this way and it shows. She wants what's best for the team - one of the many reasons we chose her as co-captain."
Each of the two schools also had one all-star on defense - East Juniata's Hunter Hepner and Greenwood's Lauren Fried.
Haines spoke highly of her back, who dabbles on offense on the Tigers' corner unit.
"She does a great job talking and making sure other players are in the correct position - one of the reasons why we chose to have her as our captain," Haines said. "She is a leader. Hunter hustles throughout the game - she pushes up on offense but also has to be the whole way back for defense."
Fried, Houser said, is "a really nice solid player who's really worked hard at her game. On that left side she is so steady defensively it really makes it hard for other teams to get any kind of right-side attack."
Greenwood goalie Katie Osborne got the nod in her position.
"She's phenomenal - that's the only way to put it. She's just a great, great goalie," Houser said. "When anybody talks about our team they're always worried about how they're going to beat our goalie."
Houser, who quietly admitted he nominated Haines for the coaching honor, was the winner of that ballot.
"I thought we had the best team going in, and I think she did a great job," he explained, admitting the credit belongs not to the coach but to the players. "It's the kids - they work, they put the time in and they do what we ask them to do. I just wish they all could be named all stars."
