Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood senior defender Abbey Hardy clears the ball out of her own end in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. The Cranes were able to hold off Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard, 2-1, in Catholic League action on Sept. 2 at Bloomfield Hills. (Photos by Wright Wilson | Special to Detroit Catholic)
BLOOMFIELD
HILLS — The rules of the game remain the same. There have been no innovations
in uniforms or equipment. Teams still travel to away games using the same
buses.
But
there is something fresh and new about field hockey — now that the game is
officially sanctioned by the Michigan High School Athletic Association. That’s
the most notable change this fall for the organization that oversees high
school sports across the state.
“I
think there’s a level of excitement around the sport this year because we are
finally an MHSAA sport,” said Paige Comito, coach and athletic director at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in Bloomfield Hills. “This league has really been
pushing for that for many, many years. There’s definitely that exciting piece
built around this season, in particular, but for the most part, it doesn’t feel
like too much has changed.”
“It’s
absolutely exciting being recognized, and having other sports and other coaches
recognize us; that’s always a great thing to get more visibility for the sport
as well,” Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard coach Abigail Morton said.
Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard coach Abigail Morton (in visor) reviews the flow of the game in a post-game talk with her players. The Fighting Irish, who have won the past three Catholic League Cardinal Division championships, were defeated 2-1 at Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood on Sept. 2.
While
field hockey is having a moment, the object of the game — played by two teams
with 11 girls a side in four 15-minute quarters — is still to put the ball in
the opponent’s net.
So
what’s different? There are now 36 schools statewide — including nine from the
Catholic League — all vying to be the first team to become “official” state
champions.
“Yes,
we want to hold that Michigan-shaped trophy, 100 percent,” Bloomfield Hills
Cranbrook Kingswood coach Jordan Yagiela said. “I’m a firm believer that youth
sports is about the development of young people, but that being said, there is
definitely a goal of winning a state championship. If we were to win it in the
first year of MHSAA, that would be icing on the cake.”
Despite
its newfound status, field hockey is not a new sport. Most Catholic
League schools have an extensive history playing the game. The CHSL has
sponsored a league tournament for at least 20 years.
“We
have been playing field hockey at Sacred Heart for a long time. We were
definitely one of the first schools in Michigan to play field hockey,” said
Comito, who played on a Gazelles team that won a non-sanctioned state title in
2005.
“I
did learn that almost all of the Detroit schools back in the ‘50s all played
field hockey. As the schools began to move more out to the suburbs, it was
really just a private-school sport, along with the schools in Ann Arbor. So
there really is a rich history here; we have several state championships that
were won in the ‘80s,” she said. “Now, it’s still an Ann Arbor sport, but we do
what we can, and for the size of our school, we’ve really been able to form
some great field hockey athletes here over the years.”
Bloomfield Hills Cranbrook Kingswood players celebrate following their 2-1 victory over visiting Ann Arbor Fr. Gabriel Richard on Sept. 2. The two schools have developed a good field hockey rivalry, having previously faced each other in the quarterfinals of the coaches’ association’s state tournament in 2024.
Yagiela
said her mother and aunt played the sport when they were growing up in
Pennsylvania, and she followed in their footsteps when she attended Detroit
Country Day school.
“I
played in high school and graduated in 2011 and we were fighting, even before I
played, to get into the MHSAA,” she said. “I think they are taking it more
seriously now.”
“Cranbrook
has been playing for a long time — actually longer than I’ve been on this earth,” Yagiela said. “We have a really strong culture here, and we are just
trying to go out there and play our best version of field hockey.”
“I’ve
played since middle school, I played in college, I’ve been a referee, now I’m a
coach for travel as well,” Morton said. “We are getting into the nitty-gritty
of it, finding our roots, getting back to it. The MHSAA sanctioning the sport
now is incredible, but it doesn’t change how hard we have to fight, the skills
we have to develop and the fundamentals we have to have.”
Besides
Sacred Heart, Cranbrook and Fr. Gabriel Richard, other Catholic League schools
sponsoring the sport are Ann Arbor Greenhills, Bloomfield Hills Marian, Farmington
Hills Mercy, Grosse Pointe Woods University-Liggett, Warren Regina and Wixom
St. Catherine.
Despite
being the smallest program statewide, University-Liggett won the Catholic
League’s Bishop Division championship in 2024. Fr. Gabriel Richard has won the
Cardinal Division title for the past three years, and moved up into the Bishop
Division this fall.
With
the Catholic League’s ongoing history of sponsoring the sport and its many
heritage programs, one would think that league teams are among the favorites to
win that first state title. But really, it’s anyone’s guess — at least until
the sport gets a couple state tournaments behind it.
“We’ve
held our championships; the field hockey coaches’ association has had their
championships. We still have the same number of teams that sponsored it that we
had before,” Catholic League director Vic Michaels said. “Instead of the
coaches’ association, the MHSAA sponsors it now. Not a whole lot will change
with the exception of the name on the trophy.”
And
it’s not the first time the Catholic League has played a large role in getting
another sport added to the MHSAA stable.
It’s jersey day at Bloomfield Hills Academy of the Sacred Heart, as players choose their uniform numbers following their afternoon workout on Sept. 2. Despite its small school size, Sacred Heart has a big history in field hockey throughout the years.
“It’s
traveling the same route as lacrosse or bowling. In both of those sports we
were sponsoring tournaments before the MHSAA, and our schools were
participating in these sports already,” Michaels said. “I also remember years
back when cheerleading became an MHSAA sport (in 1994). It kind of gave them
legitimacy.”
While
each of those sports have since found their footing on a statewide level,
Michaels is optimistic the same will hold true for field hockey.
“From
my standpoint, it’s about regulation,” said Michaels, who is also a member of
the MHSAA’s Representative Council, which approved the measure. “I look at
girls hockey; I don’t think it’s regulated properly. Field hockey’s been under
good leadership. (Retired Ann Arbor Greenhills athletic director) Meg Seng was
guiding that for a number of years. The fact that they can be now officially
recognized as a district, regional or state champ by the MHSAA is beneficial to
the athletes.”
Already,
schools that have sponsored the sport in the past are reporting growth in the
number of girls who have come out for their teams this fall.
“We
always encourage more people (to join),” Yagiela said. “The big takeaway is the
relationships that you build with people, being able to learn how to work with
others toward a common goal, even if you aren’t necessarily the best of friends
with people. We have 11 people on the field at once, and we have other people
who are on the bench as well, but being able to come together and work toward
something and hopefully achieve that goal is huge. That’s my favorite part
about it.”
The
Catholic League will again sponsor championships in two divisions, with finals
being held Oct. 4 at The Hawk athletic complex in Farmington Hills. There will
be one division of play in the MHSAA’s inaugural state tournament, which begins
Oct. 8. The state championship takes place Oct. 25 at a site yet to be
announced.
Copy Permalink
Print
Suggested reading