Tennis
by Amelia Bohr
Springfield Township girls tennis team had another great season. Captain Ella Rathburn says that she feels that the “team worked hard for every win throughout this season.” With a record of 6-7, Coach Abby’s team fought hard and worked together, ending their season with a win against Calvary Christian Academy and many other teams. Ayla DiBattista, a senior and one of the tennis team’s captains,’ emphasized that their “teamwork was amazing this year” and that she felt it was “the most we have ever felt like a team.” The team enjoyed implementing a team Instagram, which DiBattista and Rathburn both agreed really helped bring the team together throughout the season. It’s now been the second year in a row, and for seniors, the only time that the coaching staff has stayed in leadership. All the players enjoyed that stability and hope they can continue building on their success as they move on to next year’s season.
Water Polo
by Sophia Gatti
The Fall 2023 season was highly successful for girls’ and boys’ water polo! The girls’ team consistently dominated and won Small School States for the third year in a row. Led by Coach Jason Boles, they had an impressive series of wins, including one against their longtime rival, Souderton High School. Many of the players commented on the impact of effective teamwork and communication. This close-knit team blew their fans away with their many successes.
Boys’ water polo also got to Small School States, under the coaching of Mr. Igou. They proved their mastery of the sport with a record of 10-7, a decisive win against Wissahickon High School, and an outstanding performance in the Beast of the East tournament. According to junior Gavin Lake, the large-team environment promoted teamwork, tradition and allowed the team to go as far as they did.
Both teams did exponentially well and kept fans on the edge of their seats the entire season.
Field Hockey
by Roxana Cardoso
The Springfield Township High School field hockey team, led by captains Iona Stum, Kate Matthews, and Emma Yoder, had a strong season. Their record was 14-3-1, and they had, in total, 214 shots on goal, 16 goals scored, and only 16 goals let in. According to coach Anita Stum, one of the best games played this season was against New Hope-Solebury High School. While the girls didn’t win this game, they took the game into overtime and fought hard, only losing to one goal. Another season highlight was when Natalie Rittler scored the winning goal in the last two seconds of the Upper Dublin game. This year was also the first time that the girls beat Wissahickon High School in a long time. The girls had a great season, and while they lost in their semi-final game, they finished at the top of their league and district.
Cross Country
by Paula Daubon
Cross Country has had yet another successful season! While the team lost a large number of seniors, the freshman really showed up this year, and they had a team of twenty athletes along with Coach Woods, their head coach, and their two assistant coaches, Coach Mazurek and Coach Shiffert. This year, they also had a record-breaking number of girls on the team, which was a huge plus. The team has previously struggled with getting girls to join Cross Country and reach the minimum number of girls needed to score. However, this year’s girls team had nine girls. This year, they also started incorporating the weight room, pool practices, and even ice baths into practices. Junior, Ella Walsh earned an opportunity to compete at the State Championships for the third time in her high school career. She ran an amazing time at States and represented the STHS Cross Country team! Overall, the team showed great improvement from the beginning of the season to the end with the majority of the team running incredible personal records.
Boys Soccer
by Tim Schugsta
How would a team respond after winning not only their first league championship but their first district championship? How would that same team respond to a heartbreaking loss in the double overtime of the state championship last year? All these questions were posed to the 2023 Springfield Boys Soccer Team, and they answered with resounding success.
The 2023 Spartans, led by Coach Meder and captained by Riley Martin, Nick Marino, and Jack McKittrick, saw historic regular season success, finishing with an 18-1-1 record with highlights win against Holy Ghost Prep, Lower Moreland (on senior night), and Upper Dublin. The Spartans had an unrelenting attack led by Springfield’s all-time leader in both goals and assists, Riley Martin.
The Spartans flew into the district playoffs with one of the best midfields in Pennsylvania, comprised of Nick Hanushchak, Nick Marino, and Ben Hubley, and a solid defense anchored by Chase Rubincam.
Wins against Phoenixville and Holy Ghost Prep saw the Spartans enter the district championship, ultimately falling to Radnor, but the team still advanced to the state tournament. Led by amazing play from all, including keeper Owen Hastings, the Spartans made three straight wins over Archbishop Ryan, Conrad Weiser, and Radnor (in penalty kicks). The Spartans then advanced to their second consecutive district championship, a monumental accomplishment. Although the final did not go their way, 2023 was a year to remember for the boys soccer program and the fans.
Girls Soccer
by Ayla DiBattista
The girls soccer team had a great year with a winning record of 9 – 7 and even made it to districts. The team grew in size and skill, and all players worked to make it an enjoyable season for all. Kaleigh Evans, a captain, said that “this year was definitely one of our strongest yet” and that she “really enjoyed playing with all of the girls.” This year’s captains worked to ensure the team environment was supportive so all players felt comfortable and played their best. Alana Decker, a senior, said that the team always “kept their heads up and worked to turn bad situations into good situations” and that “win or lose, we were always there for each other.” All the girls hope that their success will continue and can’t wait to start playing again in 2024.
Football
By Timothy Schugsta
Football had another solid year in 2023, providing Spartans with plenty of entertainment and great football. The Spartans, led by Coach Shelly, finished with a 3-6 record. Jack McGuckin led the team behind center with stars such as Carlo Johnson, Miles Goodwin, Ryan Gibbons, EJ Henderzak, and many more. The Spartans started the year flying with wins over Archbishop Ryan and Harriton High School. Likewise, in a game where Wissahickon was heavily predicted to win, the Spartans silenced their critics with a big 29-28 win. Again at Homecoming, the Spartans played very well all game and fell just short at the end, but still provided the school with plenty of entertainment and fun. We all look forward to another great year of football in 2024.
