From goal scorers to shot stoppers, 108 YAIAA field hockey players to watch this season

Numerous top players from last year’s field hockey season have moved on to college programs. But seniors Kaelyn Eaches and Grace Bramble are back to lead a strong group of players throughout the YAIAA’s three divisions.

Eaches is a Red Lion forward who shared Div. I Player of the Year honors as she led the Lions to the division title and a spot in the District 3 playoffs with 17 goals.

Bramble is an Appalachian State recruit who shared Div. II Player of the Year honors after recording more than 150 saves and allowing just 17 goals against in the cage for York Suburban.

Eaches is one of the few starters coach Carol Gillmen returns from last year’s squad, but the longtime coach doesn’t believe that’s reason to count them out.

“People might be doubting us, but we aren’t doubting ourselves,” Gillmen said. “We want our actions to do the talking for us.”

Gillmen was quick to point out that there won’t be any off days in the division because the teams are so close. And she has already circled the games against Spring Grove.

The Rockets are in every Division I team’s crosshairs after finishing fourth last year, but returning all but one midfielder.

League all-stars Ava Baker (forward) and Kyleigh Hinson (midfield) are among 12 seniors on Julia Baer’s team.

Hinson said this group has been playing together since middle school, so this is one last hurrah for them before they go their separate ways.

New Oxford and Central York can’t be overlooked in the division.

The Colonials have a new coach and plenty of new faces after graduating all but one starter from last year’s tournament championship team. Central York returns all but four starters from last year’s rebuilding team that coach Alexa Taylor says “has a lot to prove.”

There was some movement in the divisions this year, as Northeastern moved from II to I and York County Tech, which had been playing an independent schedule, slides into Div. III.

“It doesn’t really change anything with us joining the division,” Tech coach John Glass said. “We’ll just have different opponents. We almost made districts last year, so we are cautiously optimistic with this team.”

Biglerville and Littlestown were the big dogs in Div. III last year and shared the division title.

Senior Ava Peterson is chasing school records for points and goals scored as she brings the firepower for the Canners. Shenendoah University commit Kierney Weigle put up 43 points last year to take some of the offensive pressure off Peterson.

The Canners will be without Claire Roberts, a two-time first-team all-star at defensive back who is recovering from reconstructive knee surgery.

Littlestown lost nine starters to graduation, so senior forward Emmy Nunemaker is calling this a “developmental year” for the Bolts.

“We have a lot of strong players, but we are just going to try and have fun,” she said. “A lot of schools lost a lot, so there are schools in the same boat.”

One of those teams is Bermudian Springs. The Eagles have the league’s top returning goal scorer in senior Aliza Staub, but lost nine starters from last year’s third-place team.

Div. II could see the biggest shift in the league.

Susquehannock, which won the title four straight years, saw its huge goal-scorer move on to Princeton and has a new coach.

Bramble, who had to face that scoring machine for three seasons, said “Susky is still Susky.” The teams meet in the second game of the season, so there will be an early look at where things stand.

The Trojans lost six starters from last year’s team that made it to the second round of districts.

Kennard-Dale, which finished third last year, has a new coach, but Maria Schneider is very familiar with the program. She played at Kennard-Dale and knows some of the current team through her sister.

“We graduated six seniors, so we kind of have a blank canvas,” Schneider said. “There are some freshmen and upperclassmen who didn’t get to see action last year who are very hungry. And that hunger will push us over the edge.”

Schneider will count on senior defender Haleigh Hinshaw, a first-team all-star, to help provide leadership on the young team.

Here are the returning starters and newcomers to watch as supplied by league coaches:

• Sam Adkins, South Western, jr.
• Anaiyah Azad, Dallastown, sr., forward/midfield
• Lindy Bailey, Spring Grove, sr., defense
• Reagan Bailey, Dallastown, jr., midfield
• Ava Baker, Spring Grove, sr., forward
• Lily Barnes, Central York, jr., midfield
• Olivia Bateman, South Western, jr., forward
• Emma Beach, Dallastown, sr., midfield/defense
• Ivy Bechtel, Spring Grove, jr., forward
• Emily Bookhamer, West York, sr., defense
• Grace Bramble, York Suburban, sr., goalie
• Rylie Brewer, Biglerville, sr., midfield/forward
• Madisyn Burchett, Red Lion, jr.
• Victoria Burke, Eastern York, so.
• Gabby Campbell, York Suburban, sr., defense
• Rowan Conover, Spring Grove, sr., midfield/forward
• Natalie D’Arrigo, Kennard-Dale, so., forward
• Kaelyn Eaches, Red Lion, sr., forward
• Avery Eaton, Kennard-Dale, so., midfield
• Andrea Edwards, South Western, sr., midfield
• Aubree Eichenlaub, Fairfield, so., defense/offense
• Ryan Engleman, Central York, sr., midfield
• Amelia Etter, Spring Grove, jr., midfield
• Maddie Farace, Fairfield, sr., forward
• Grace Flynn, York Suburban, jr., midfield
• Poppy Fornoff, Kennard-Dale, sr., forward/midfield
• Shiloh Fornoff, Kennard-Dale, so., forward
• Ava Gambler, Eastern York, sr.
• Dellaney Gass, Fairfield, sr., back/forward
• Reagan Gass, Fairfield, so., defense
• Kaylee Godfrey, Spring Grove, jr., defense
• Arianna Hampton, York County Tech, jr., forward
• Avery Harshall, Eastern York, sr.
• Hope Hartlaub, West York, sr., forward
• Jennah Hershberger, Central York, sr., midfield
• Haleigh Hinshaw, Kennard-Dale, sr., defense
• Kassidy Hinson, Spring Grove, jr., goalie
• Kyleigh Hinson, Spring Grove, sr., midfield
• Gracie Hoffman, Eastern York, sr.
• Paige Howard, West York, sr., midfielder
• Julia Isaac, Eastern York, so.
• Savannah Kahler, Fairfield, sr.
• Bella Kozack, Fairfield, sr., goalie
• Erin Laird, Fairfield, sr., defense
• Rachel Lamison, Central York, jr., defense
• Danielle Lavery, Susquehannock, jr., defense/midfield
• Adalyn Leber, Eastern York, sr.
• Taryn Liester, Red Lion, sr.
• Allison Little, Spring Grove, sr., midfield
• Olivia Macklin, York County Tech, sr., midfield/forward
• Addison Madara, Eastern York, jr.: goalie
• Kaydence Maloney, York County Tech, sr., defense
• Taryn Mariano, Central York, jr., forward/midfield
• Adyson Markey, Central York, so., defense
• Natalie Martin, York Suburban, so., defense
• Brooke Mathena, Kennard-Dale, sr., goalie
• Haley McCulley, Dallastown, sr., forward/midfield/defense
• Delaney Mostoller, Spring Grove, sr., defense
• Finley Mummert, Hanover, sr., forward
• Jacy Mummert, Central York, sr., midfield
• Hannah Myers, Fairfield, sr.
• Jillian Neiderer, South Western, jr.
• Lilly Novotny, Fairfield, so., midfield
• Emmy Nunemaker, Littlestown, sr., forward
• Paige Pantano, Dallastown, sr., midfield/defense
• Ava Peterson, Biglerville, sr., forward
• Emma Porta, Eastern York, sr.
• Avery Reed, South Western, sr.
• Emma Rodgers, Fairfield, sr., defense
• Gabrielle Rogerson, Biglerville, sr., goalkeeper
• Anna Roperti, Dallastown, so., midfield/defense
• Tessa Runkle, York County Tech, sr., midfield/forward
• Lexi Sabold, Dallastown, sr.
• Julia Saylor, West York, sr.
• Brooke Schabdach, Susquehannock, jr., goalie
• Mackenzie Schrack, Red Lion, sr., goalie
• Lilah Shaub, Spring Grove, sr., forward
• Joelle Sprunger, York Tech (from York Catholic), so., goalie
• Rowan Sroka, Susquehannock, sr., defense
• Aliza Staub, Bermudian Springs, sr., forward/midfielder
• Alessandra Stevens, South Western, sr.
• Lorelei Talley, Central York, sr., midfield
• Bella Thompson, Red Lion, sr., midfielder
• Liv Thompson, Red Lion, so.
• Anna Walmer, Biglerville, sr., forward
• Jordan Warfield, Delone Catholic, sr., back
• Kierney Weigle, Biglerville, sr., midfielder
• Reese Wilkinson, Hanover, jr., forward
• Christie Wittig, West York, sr., midfield/defense
• Cara Zapach, Susquehannock, jr., forward

Newcomers

• Mackenzie Boarts, Biglerville, sr., forward
• Quintin Cherish, York County Tech, fr., defense
• Addison Deardorff, Biglerville, so., defense
• Ella Coleman, York County Tech, so., midfield
• MayLeigh Graves, Central York, so., forward
• Stevie Jones, York Suburban, fr.
• Kallipoe Kunkle, York County Tech, jr., midfield/forward
• Audrey Kuntz, Eastern York, sr.: forward
• Kenzie Laure, Central York, sr., forward
• Hayden Morris, Biglerville, so., defense
• Kayden Parris, York County Tech, so., forward
• Sophia Powell, Dallastown, fr., midfield/defense
• Paige Slaybaugh, Biglerville, sr., midfield
• Leila Stevernagle, York County Tech, jr., midfield
• Maggie Stine, Central York, jr., goalie
• Danika Stoll, Eastern York, so.
• Olivia Watson, York County Tech, so., midfield/defense
• Ruby Young, Spring Grove, fr.

Shelly Stallsmith covers York-Adams high school sports for GameTimePA and the USAToday Network. Connect with her by email mstallsmith@ydr.com or on X @ShelStallsmith.

This article originally appeared on York Daily Record: From goal scorers to shot stoppers, 108 YAIAA field hockey players to watch this season