Smooth, calculated and clutch: 2021 Pocono Record field hockey All-Stars and Player of the Year
Early in September, on the way to Zephyr Stadium for a field hockey game against Whitehall, Stroudsburg expected a tough game, but one the Mountaineers could walk away from victorious.
Months later, Stroudsburg field hockey coach Lois Groff is still unsure how, despite playing well, the Mountaineers instead walked away with a 4-1 defeat. Groff said her players competed intensely for the entire 60 minutes but just couldn't pull even that night.
The player who stood out most to Groff, though, was senior Emma Zauck. In a game where she easily could've become frustrated, Zauck remained calm and collected.
"I don't think I've ever seen, at least a high school player, work harder every second than Emma worked in that game," Groff said. "It was just such a standout performance."
Zauck, who scored four goals and six assists in 2021, is the Pocono Record field hockey Player of the Year. More than any statistics could show, Zauck demonstrated the ability to control the field.
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Groff and her two assistant coaches, Jane Sweeney and Nicole Fantozzi, each used one specific word when describing Zauck: smooth.
The Stroudsburg senior can take over a game at any moment, and when she does it's with smooth ball handling.
"It's like watching a ballerina with a stick," Sweeney said.
Her ability to take over games comes from not only natural instincts, Groff said, but from being a student of the game. Groff said that the way Zauck studies film and can analyze the game in real-time is just like having another coach on the field.
With her instincts and intelligence, Zauck assesses games and contributes to game planning, whether it be at practices or during game breaks. Mature beyond her years, Zauck keeps up her intensity off-ball, always moving around to fill open space.
"She sees the proactive movement, two steps ahead," Groff said. "She runs the field, like non-stop."
Joining Zauck as Pocono Record field hockey All-Stars are five of her teammates — four of which are also first-team selections.
Pocono Mountain East beat out Stroudsburg, however, with seven overall selections. Three Cardinals players were voted to the first team and four to the second team.
East Stroudsburg North was the only other Monroe school to earn multiple selections, as the Timberwolves had three players make the second team.
East Stroudsburg South and Pleasant Valley both had one player named an All-Star. For South, senior defender Kellyn Maher made the first team and PV defender Jordan Kautzsch slotted into the second team as a senior.
Only five of the nine first-team selections were seniors, setting up three juniors and a sophomore — Stroudsburg defender Riley Tepper — to repeat in 2022.
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The all-star rosters are based on coaches' votes.
2021 Pocono Record field hockey All-Stars first team
Goalkeeper
Alyssa Schlossman, junior, Stroudsburg
Defenders
Kylee Rinker, senior, Pocono Mountain East
Riley Tepper, sophomore, Stroudsburg
Kellyn Maher, senior, East Stroudsburg South
Midfielders
Olivia Peechatka, senior, Pocono Mountain East
Emma Zauck, senior, Stroudsburg (Player of the Year)
Chloe Butz, senior, Stroudsburg
Forwards
Olivia Handelong, junior, Pocono Mountain East
Jenna Duke, junior, Stroudsburg
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2021 Pocono Record field hockey All-Stars second team
Goalkeeper
Madison Nadasi, sophomore, East Stroudsburg North
Defenders
Jordan Kautzsch, senior, Pleasant Valley
Dakota Stiff, sophomore, Pocono Mountain East
Ysabella Perez, senior, East Stroudsburg North
Midfielders
Tierney McCarroll, senior, Pocono Mountain East
Mikenna Price, junior, Pocono Mountain East
Gilyse Rivera, senior, East Stroudsburg North
Forwards
Daniella Fazekas, senior, Pocono Mountain East
Jordan Graves, junior, Stroudsburg
Frank Piscani is the Sports Life multimedia reporter at the Pocono Record. You can email him at fpiscani@gannett.com or find him on social media platforms @frankpiscani.
This article originally appeared on Pocono Record: 2021 Pocono Record field hockey All-Stars and Player of the Year
