HHS hockey has talent to rebuild quickly

By: John Chester Sports Writer
Despite a heavy loss of players to graduation, including the leading scorer in the history of the program, there is optimism that 2007 will be another successful season for the Hightstown High School varsity field hockey team.
   Hightstown lost 13 seniors from the 2006 team that finished with a 12-6-1 record. Highlights included winning the Colonial Valley Conference’s Valley Division and advancing to the semifinals of the Mercer County Tournament.
   The Rams saved the biggest accomplishment for the end of the season — the run to the championship game of the state sectional tournament, Central Jersey Group III. En route, Hightstown upset the top seed, Central Regional High of BayVille, in the semifinals before falling to Moorestown High of Burlington County in the championship game. Moorestown went on to win the state Group III championship.
   That game was the end of the high school playing career for the seniors, some of whom first became teammates as sixth graders.
   In 2006, Hightstown outscored the opposition, 52-30. Center forward Jessica Haughton, who graduated as the top scorer in school history, accounted for just over half of the goals with a total of 27.
   Haughton, who also had 13 assists, was the Mercer County Player of the Year. She also was named Third Team All-State and First Team All-Group III by The Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ). Hightstown also got offense from elsewhere as 11 other players scored at least one point.
   "It (the highly successful 2006 season) was a team effort," said Julie Reisig, who begins her eighth season as coach of the Hightstown varsity.
   Since becoming coach in 1999, Reisig has built a program that traditionally puts a successful varsity team on the field.
   Unlike the senior-dominated team of last year, Hightstown will be younger in 2007. Nevertheless, there is optimism that 2007 will be a successful year as Reisig will lead a team composed of returning varsity players and players moving up from the junior varsity and freshman teams.
   Key players back from last season’s varsity include a trio of juniors — Ellen Trast, Kelly Stout and Emily Ladd — and senior Heidi Nicklaus.
   Reisig said Trast could play either center forward or link, while Stout could play center midfield or on defense.
   Last year, Trast and Stout were solid contributors on offense. Trast had eight points (four goals and four assists). Stout, playing primarily at center midfield, had seven (one goal and six assists). Look for each to increase her point total in 2007.
   "Ellen is going to be a phenomenal player. She really has put in time during the off-season working on her game," Reisig said. "Kelly can play anywhere. She’s good in the circle. She can finish. She has great field sense, knowing exactly who to cover. She reads the (flow of the) game better than anyone."
   Ladd will anchor the defense, helping to make life easy for goalkeeper Nicklaus. Last year, her first as the starting goalkeeper, Nicklaus was strong, posting a 1.58 goals against average and a save percentage of .871 (203 saves on 233 shots). (Reisig said a save percentage of .85 is considered good in field hockey.)
   "Heidi is quiet and smart," Reisig said. "She really understands how to play angles. And we’re completely confident in her skills to stop balls in the air — penalty strokes or chip shots."
   Mary Simone Astarita and Rachel Branstrom will play at forward or in the midfield. Astarita is a sophomore who scored one goal and one assist in a reserve role on the varsity last year. Branstrom is a junior who is moving up from the junior varsity.
   Two other sophomores are expected to contribute at forward. Both Cait Alexander and Katie Anders are moving up from the freshman team. They combined to score all of the goals — seven — for the freshman team, which had a 4-4-1 record in 2006.
   Sarah Lightman, a senior moving up from the junior varsity, will see action at forward.
   Christine Johnson, a junior, is a returning varsity player. She’ll play either midfield or defender. Last year, her playing time was about half of each game.
   Senior Megan Wilbur, senior Naomi Nagy and junior Gemma Peebles will see action in the midfield. Wilbur was on the varsity last year. Nagy and Peebles are moving up from the junior varsity.
   Danielle Vitale, a sophomore, will join Ladd as a defender protecting goalkeeper Nicklaus. Last year as a freshman, Vitale played on the junior varsity and impressed her teammates enough to be named a captain.
   Rounding out the Hightstown varsity roster are sophomore Eva Gerrits (midfield/defender), junior Crystal Morgan (midfield), sophomore Mikaela Saunders (midfield).
   Reisig said team speed, especially from Haughton, was a key ingredient in Hightstown’s success last season. This year, there will be increased emphasis on passing and receiving.
   "We’re working more in practice on passing and receiving," Reisig said. "We’ll try to move the ball a little smarter. We worked hard today (Wednesday, August 22) in practice on receiving. I think that will pay off in the long run as we try to take the team to the next level."
   The Hightstown players already have gone through the exercise of writing down goals for the upcoming season. Reisig was happy with the results of the exercise.
   "Most of the players responded that they want to give 100 percent in games and practices; that they want to improve their time in the mile (run); and that they want to improve their weaknesses," Reisig said. "It wasn’t about wanting more wins. It was to remember to always work hard."
   The thinking, Reisig added, is that if the players achieve their goals, wins will follow.
   NOTES: Hightstown this year remains in Group III, but will change leagues within the Colonial Valley Conference. Last year, Hightstown won the Valley League. This year, the Lady Rams move to the Colonial League, where they’ll compete against Steinert (Hamilton-East), Notre Dame and West Windsor-Plainsboro South.
   Nicklaus and Ladd are the team’s captains.
   Carolyn Donnelly returns as coach of the junior varsity team. Nichole Martin, a former Hightstown player, returns as coach of the freshman team.
   Haughton is now at Rider College, where she is part of a strong freshman class on the Broncs’ field hockey team.