Central Ohio field hockey teams expect competitive regional tournament
Thomas Worthington field hockey coach Terri Simonetti Frost paused for several seconds before breaking down the regional tournament.
The Cardinals finished their regular season Oct. 12 with a 5-0 win over Upper Arlington, handing the top-seeded and top-ranked Golden Bears their first loss and exceeding by one the total amount of goals UA had allowed in its previous 15 games.
With six of the state’s top seven teams hailing from the Columbus area, rankings and seeds might not matter over the next few weeks.
“There are so many good teams. (Columbus) Academy is coming on. Watterson is hot. (Olentangy) Liberty is hot. UA, New Albany … it’s fantastic,” Simonetti Frost said. “This is great for the sport. I would play those games all the time, because those are the games you play the sport for.”
Thomas was second behind the Bears in the MaxPreps state poll of Oct. 10, followed by two-time defending state champion Watterson, New Albany, Shaker Heights, Liberty and Academy.
Second-seeded Watterson followed UA into a bracket that also includes sixth-seeded Academy and seventh-seeded Olentangy. The other bracket includes third-seeded Thomas, fourth-seeded New Albany and fifth-seeded Liberty.
Play begins Oct. 17 with two first-round games — 10th-seeded Dublin Jerome at ninth-seeded Bexley and 12th-seeded Hartley at 11th-seeded Dublin Coffman — and a second-round meeting with 18th-seeded Dublin Scioto at Thomas. All other teams begin the regional Oct. 18, 19 or 20.
Regional finals are Oct. 29 at Liberty. The state tournament is Nov. 3 and 5 at Thomas, and the area’s two regional champions would not meet until the final.
“We definitely have our work cut out for us, but the girls really trust their teammates,” Bears coach Sara Greaves said. “I think this team can accomplish anything they set their minds to when they work as a unit.”
The area is seeking its eighth consecutive state championship, 11th in 12 seasons and 25th in the 45-year history of the tournament.
“Central Ohio is so strong this year. In years prior, it tended to be Academy, Thomas and Watterson and then a huge drop-off to this next level of teams,” New Albany coach Marissa Weldon said. “It’s a testament to how the sport has grown in our area and girls playing year-round. The interest in the sport is growing, and you have great coaches who are not only trying to make things more competitive in their own schools, but they’re trying to get the sport more competitive overall in the state.”
Favorites: (1) Upper Arlington, (2) Watterson, (3) Thomas Worthington, (4) New Albany
Contenders: (5) Olentangy Liberty, (6) Columbus Academy, (7) Olentangy, (8) Granville
dpurpura@thisweeknews.com
@ThisWeekDave
This article originally appeared on ThisWeek: Central Ohio high school field hockey postseason preview
