Sophomore shows no fear in leading Manheim Township to another L-L League field hockey title
"Get there, Jooch!" That was Julia Weaver's instruction. She was asked to run full speed into one of the most dangerous shots around.
Weaver was hand-picked for this job. The fly. Her task is to disrupt the first play on every corner. Why anyone wants to do it is a mystery.
Manheim Township's sophomore charged toward Warwick's Karys Craver on a critical insert in the fourth quarter. If you've never seen Craver shoot, just know you don't want to be on the other side of it.
Weaver knocked down the attempt with her stick. The scoring opportunity disappeared. The shutout remained.
Township edged Warwick 1-0 in the Lancaster-Lebanon League field hockey championship game at Lancaster Bible College Thursday night. A vintage two-way performance by Weaver was the difference.
How does a player become the fly? There are a few criteria.
"You don't have to be fast; you've just got to be tough." Township coach Jess Shellenberger said. "To get a piece of the shot, that's the goal. You cannot play corner defense unless you're willing to let the ball hit you."
Weaver will take rockets off her foot, shin, thigh, anywhere that happens to get in the way. Although she said "it doesn't really hurt too bad," that seemed hard to believe.
There's more to it than running into danger. Weaver must read the body language of the attacker and cover a potential pass. It requires instincts to go along with fearlessness.
"My job is to put pressure on the ball," Weaver said. "We practice that a lot. I know I have three really strong defenders plus our goalie behind me. I feel really confident when I'm running towards them."
Weaver took over this task as a freshman. It was the ultimate vote of confidence from Shellenberger. Games are often decided by corners. Warwick had 13 against Township and couldn't cash in any of them.
The other corner defenders, Weaver's sister Brooke, Addison Landis and Gracie Clawson, and goalie Emma Drolet held one of the most potent attacks in the state scoreless. Warwick, which has scored 120 goals, was blanked for the first time.
Weaver also delivered her sixth goal of the season. She picked up a loose ball on a deflection and flipped the only shot of the night that entered the cage. Township was ahead 1-0 midway through the second quarter and never surrendered the lead.
"It felt so good celebrating with my teammates afterward," Weaver said. "Getting the first goal was something we said we wanted to do to get momentum. That really helped us focus on our defense."
Landis, one of Township's bedrock defenders and the attacker who inserts the ball on the Blue Streaks' corners, was asked if she ever wanted to be the fly. The answer was an immediate no.
"Whenever there's a corner, it's always stressful," Landis said. "Whenever Julia is running, we just know she's gonna stop it. I have complete confidence in her."
Township, which won its first L-L title last year, went back-to-back and defeated Warwick after losing twice to the Section One champs during the regular season.
Weaver has two L-L gold medals and the chance to earn two more. She stepped onto the varsity and filled an essential role from Day 1.
Every team needs a flyer. Someone with that rare collection of traits.
"It's a tribute to how intelligent she is as a hockey player." Shellenberger said. "It's a pretty specialized position. You've got to be a special kid to do it."
Jooch, as her coach calls her, is reliable. She always gets there.
