Hayley Rausch has a lot of time to make up for which could mean a long season for Severna Park?s field hockey opponents.
The senior forward missed all of last season with a knee injury, which she suffered the previous spring during Severna Park?s lacrosse season. The hardest part for Rausch during last year?s field hockey season was watching her teammates finish with an 18-0-1 record after winning the 3A title for the third time in four years.
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“I was pretty much a team manager last year,” said Rausch, who had 34 goals and nine assists as a sophomore. “I didn?t like just cheering and not being able to help my teammates. It?s definitely exciting to be back as a senior and I?m pumped to go after another state title.”
Severna Park, the favorite to win the Anne Arundel County title, opened the season with a 10-0 victory over North County Tuesday. But the Falcons will have a much different road to a state-record 17th state title under longtime coach Lil Shelton.
Severna Park moves from the 3A East to the 4A East Region this season for the next years because the school?s enrollment is among the top 25 percent of the state?s public schools.
Now, Severna Park must now go through a number of familiar county foes, including perennial state powers Broadneck and South River to win the 4A East region tournament to advance to the state tournament.
Shelton said the move makes each league game even more important, as the top four teams in each region are guaranteed a top four seed in the playoffs. The remaining teams in the region are placed in a blind draw, and the team with the higher seed hosts region playoff games.
“We?ve been in 4A before and know what to expect,” Shelton said. “We always live with the pressure at Severna Park. Every team is always out to beat us, but these are smart girls here who understand what they have to do. Hayley is one of those players for us.”
Rausch, 17, said she is looking forward to competing in 4A because of all the rivalry games involved in the playoffs. She said eight months spent in rehabilitation gave her added appreciation for her final high school field hockey season.
“We have such a great tradition here and to be a part of that is such an honor,” said Rausch, who will play field hockey and lacrosse for New Hampshire next year. “Every game is going to be so intense for us, especially when we play teams like Broadneck and South River. Anything less than a state title for us this year would be a major disappointment.”
