South River's Sarah King isn't exactly taking it easy during her
senior year.
While
a lot of seniors are taking just a few classes to wind down their high school
careers, King is taking five Advanced Placement classes as she prepares for the
next phase of her educational career at Yale next year.
Somehow,
King found the time to be a key contributor on the state championship field
hockey team. She was such a vital part of the championship run, she has earned
Capital Gazette Communications Player of the Year honors.
King's
numbers don't jump off the stat sheet, but for a team that went 7-0 in one-goal
games, so much of what she did that didn't show up in the box score was needed
for the Seahawks to win their first state title since 2012.
"I can't imagine the success that we
had this year happening without her," Seahawks' coach Megan Atkinson said.
"Not because she scored a goal every once in a while. She might not have
had the highest stats, but in the field you noticed her. She had incredible
skill. She could carry the ball down the field, she had power and she was a key
part of what we were trying to do."
King
finished the season with 15 goals and four assists. She had four goals in her
first three games, which included matchups with powerful out-of-conference
teams Westminster and Archbishop Spalding. She had three goals in a victory
over defending county champion and eventual 3A state champion Chesapeake, then
had five goals and two assists in the playoffs. She had the perfect cap to her
season and career when she scored three goals in a 6-0 victory over Winston
Churchill in the Class 4A state final at Washington College.
"On
the field, her speed and ball-handling are dangerous, but couple that with her
unrelenting effort and she was a major weapon for the Seahawks," Atkinson
said. "Sarah created an abundance of scoring opportunities and was a major
threat inside the circle. She has the ability to re-defend and tackle, making
her an unexpected two-way player."
While
the goals are great — and she scored a lot of hers when the team needed them
most — King was happy to put her teammates in position to score. Whether it's
commanding the attention of the other teams' top defenders or taking the first
shot off the insert of a penalty corner, so much of what she did led to better
chances for others. Maia Cheeks led the Seahawks with 17 goals, while five
other players had at least four.
"What
I do when I'm on the field is set my teammates up for success," King said.
"I think this year I was more of a threat on the field and teams payed
more attention to me. It helps that I have a well-rounded team that we can
adjust to things. I really have to give a lot of credit to my teammates."
A
part of her game that ended up being a huge asset this year was King's ability
to score on penalty strokes. She converted a key stroke in an early-season
victory over Archbishop Spalding that was decided on strokes after the teams
were tied after overtime. She scored on a stroke early in the game in the
victory over Chesapeake, then scored the go-ahead goal on a stroke early in the
second half of a 2-1 victory over Broadneck two weeks later. With the Seahawks
trailing Broadneck in the second half of the Class 4A East Region Section II
final, Cheeks tied the game and King put the Seahawks ahead on a stroke two
minutes later.
It
got to the point that when the Seahawks were awarded a stroke, Atkinson didn't
have to say anything and King knew it was hers to take.
"I
know my team is counting on me and my coaches are counting on me. I definitely
felt the pressure each time, but I got more confident the farther we got into
the season," King said. "I just have to calm myself down and focus
because I know a lot is riding on that one shot."
King,
who said she always gets straight A's and has never even had a B, is interested
in studying environmental science at Yale. The Davidsonville resident has lived
on a farm all her life and has taken an interest in nature. She'll find time
outside of her studies to play for the field hockey team in hopes of making the
same impact on the Bulldogs she had on the Seahawks.
For
now, though, she'll continue to focus on her studies through the end of the
school year while also playing for her club team, the Atlantic Storm Chasers.
She also helps coach some of the rec programs at the Davidsonville Athletic
Association.
"We worked so hard and
every single person put so much effort into it. It's cool to get the
recognition, but I never really wanted it to be about me," King said.
"So many people on the team are deserving of recognition. I also want to
thank my coaches. We have an incredible coaching staff that is so proud of us.
I would not be where I am today without them."
