Villa Maria Academy, Merion Mercy, and Upper Perkiomen are the lone AA teams from District 1 to make the finals since Gwynedd-Mercy did it in 1996. Villa Maria, which won state titles in 1993 and 1994, bowed to Wyoming Seminary, 3-2, in this year's AA final on Saturday.
There was only one class in field hockey from 1974 until 1980, with District 1 teams winning three titles. When Class AA (smaller schools) was added in 1981, District 1 went on a run by winning 21 of the championships over the next 14 seasons. District 1 teams also finished as runners-up 15 times in that span.
District 3 is now the hotbed of field hockey in the state with schools such as Lower Dauphin (AAA), Hempfield (this season's AAA champ), and Penn Manor (AAA) stepping to the front.
"In my personal opinion, there are some reasons for this," said longtime Villa Maria Academy coach Maurene Polley. "There's more commitment, and soccer programs have also impacted field hockey."
Some schools that used to play girls' soccer in the spring have now moved the sport to the fall.
By commitment, Polley explained that she meant time devoted to practicing and playing field hockey - some school programs are virtually year-round - not the players' dedication to the sport.
"In our area the players have a lot more distractions than they do in some other areas," Polley said.
Speaking of Polley. The Villa coach, who has more than 500 wins to her credit, will be inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame on Jan. 14, 2012.
And she'll be able to do it in front of a hometown audience. The induction ceremony will take place at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in Center City. She will be joined by Steve Jennings, coach at American University; Bertie Landis of Shippensburg University; and Patricia Provost of Notre Dame Academy in Worcester, Mass.
League improving. Archbishop Carroll coach Suzie Gennaro was among several area coaches who took in the PIAA championship doubleheader Saturday at Whitehall.
Gennaro, whose team advanced to the second round of the state playoffs this season for the first time since the Catholic League joined the PIAA, said the level of play in the league is definitely moving up.
The Patriots knocked off Mount St. Joseph in the first round before losing to eventual state champion Hempfield, 3-1.
"Teams in our league are practicing harder now that they know what it takes to compete outside the league," Gennaro said. "It's a mind-set that you have to prepare for. For so long the big thing has been the Catholic League championship, but now there's a state championship. The intensity level gets much higher. We are learning from each other. The bar has been raised."
Contact staff writer Don Beideman at 267-815-0733
or dbeideman@phillynews.com.
