Toy undoubtedly has unbelievable athletic ability, but what has set her above the competition is an inner drive fueled by a true distaste for losing.
"She was a workhorse on the field and so tough, and that is what made her so special," said Moorestown girls' soccer coach Bill Mulvihill, whose team won the South Jersey Group 3 championship last season with Toy patrolling the midfield. "You can't take away from her heart."
Sometimes an athlete might let up in her so-called other sports, but Toy had enough respect for her teammates and her sport to treat each season as if it were the most important.
"Each sport is its own individual season, and when it was soccer season, I was focused on doing that the best that I could, and the same with basketball," she said. "I know I'm playing lacrosse in college, but I wanted to be the best I can at the other sports because they were so important to me."
Toy's actions were even more forceful than her words.
"She hustled more than anybody I think I ever had," Moorestown girls' basketball coach Chris Hill said.
In lacrosse, Toy started all four years for a program that will finish ranked in the Top 10 nationally in at least one poll for the 13th consecutive season.
Deanna Knobloch just completed her 21st year as coach, she has a career record of 425-29-4, and she has sent scores of players to college. So when Knobloch made this recent statement that Toy was the best player she has coached, that carried quite a bit of weight.
"I know it's a huge statement, and it's not to take away from any of the other great players I have had, but there is something about Steph that a lot of kids don't have," Knobloch said. "She only knows one way to play and practice and giving everything she has, never stopping, and never giving up.
"She doesn't accept losing," Knobloch added. "Everything about her is about being the best, and it comes from her inner drive."
Toy, who finished with 253 career goals for Moorestown, has one more bit of business in representing her high school before concentrating on Notre Dame.
On June 30, she will compete in the Under Armour All-America Lacrosse Classic at Towson University's Johnny Unitas Stadium.
"I am really looking forward to that," Toy said.
While Toy's intensity was second to none, she had the ability to flip the switch off once the competition concluded.
"What I love most about her is not just the athlete, but the person I have grown to love," Knobloch said. "As intense as she is on the field, she is just a fun-loving and goofy girl off of it, and she is about having fun the moment she steps off the field."
As much as Toy is excited about attending Notre Dame, she will always appreciate the time she spent competing in three sports at Moorestown.
"I will always miss it," she said.
No more than the teams and coaches will miss the presence and athletic ability of somebody who knew when to stop only at the final buzzer.
The Girls' Runners-Up
Some of the other finalists for The Inquirer's South Jersey Senior Athlete of the Year award in girls' sports.
Katie Johnston, Haddonfield. An Inquirer first-team all-South Jersey soccer player, Johnston also won three state Group 2 titles in outdoor track, capturing the javelin, shot put, and discus. She also finished second in the discus and third in the shot put in the Meet of Champions. During the winter, she won a state title in the shot put. Johnston will attend William and Mary and plans to compete in soccer and track.
Annie Johnson, Shawnee. At the NJSIAA Meet of Champions, she earned the distinction as fastest female in the state by winning the 100- and 200-meter dashes. Johnson won the 100 in 11.82 seconds and the 200 in 24.55. It was only her second season competing in track after playing softball her first two years. During the winter, Johnson placed third in the Meet of Champions' 55 meters. Johnson has earned a softball scholarship to Albany.
Megan Lacy, Cherokee. She won her second straight Group 4 state title in cross-country, placed second in the state indoor meet in the 1,600, and captured Group 4 state outdoor titles in the 1,600 and 3,200. She won the 3,200 in a meet-record 10 minutes, 24.61 seconds. In the Meet of Champions, Lacy placed third in the 3,200. During the winter, Lacy placed second in the state Group 4 meet in the 1,600. She has earned a track scholarship to Stanford.
Kelsi Worrell, Rancocas Valley. Worrell was a two-time gold medalist at the NJSIAA swimming Meet of Champions. She captured the 100-yard butterfly for the third straight year and also won the 200 freestyle, setting meet records in both events. In addition, Worrell led off the 400 freestyle relay by setting a meet record of 49.79. Later this month, she will compete in the Olympic trials in Omaha, Neb. Worrell has accepted a swimming scholarship to Louisville.
- Marc Narducci
Contact Marc Narducci at 856-779-3225 or mnarducci@phillynews.com, or follow on Twitter @sjnard.
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