Setting The Standard

Field Hockey Players Finish Unprecedented Run At Severna Park

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Freshmen never made varsity. That was the unspoken rule.

But when Shannon Garden took over as head coach of the Severna Park High School field hockey team in 2018, she did not share that philosophy. Given that opportunity, childhood friends and Green Hornets teammates Meredith Schepens, Charley Kramer and Ava Drexler-Amey made the varsity team as freshmen in 2019.

“They came in and they were athletically super-fit,” Garden said. “They were mature enough to handle the competition. I could not be more proud, because they deserved it.

“I told the older players, ‘This is not about age, but about talent,’ and they had it.”

Making the team was an accomplishment for all three girls, but it was only the beginning. With only three years of playoff eligibility due to the COVID-shortened 2020 season, the girls won two state championships and two county titles.

They will soon prepare for new challenges in their upcoming collegiate careers, along with Severna Park teammate Maddie Evans. Before that, they are taking a moment to reflect.

From Green To Gold And Blue

As Green Hornets, the girls were coached by Schepens’ mom. Schepens started playing in second grade, admiring her sister, Ellie, a midfielder who would later play Division I field hockey at Delaware. Kramer and Drexler-Amey were soccer players who decided to try field hockey. They built chemistry, and their bond paid off when the girls won a county championship in seventh grade.

More goals waited at the next level.

“Severna Park never had freshmen on varsity,” Kramer reiterated. “Coming in with new coaches, for us, we were definitely working toward that goal. We set the tone for other kids in the coming years.”

They earned key positions with Kramer in goal, Schepens at attack midfield, and Drexler-Amey at defensive midfield.

“It’s such a big change from playing one age group to playing multiple ages,” Drexler-Amey said. “The speed and the hustle is different.”

Their first game was a loss to McDonogh. The next game, a win over Arundel. Wins kept coming as they finished 17-2.

The Arundel Wildcats had ousted the Falcons the previous year in the region playoffs. In 2019, the Falcons beat them three consecutive times, all on the road, to win their regular season matchup, the county championship, and a region finals contest.

“You can beat them once or twice, but three times was an accomplishment,” Schepens said. “The student section was going crazy, with cards going left and right. It was similarly intense for the second game.”

With that momentum, the girls reached the 4A state championship against Dulaney, and took home the prize with a 1-0 win.

“We all knew we could do it,” Kramer said.

COVID left them without the chance to defend their title in 2020, but they were hungry to compete again in 2021.

Defending Champs

By their junior years, Schepens, Kramer and Drexler-Amey were all established leaders on the varsity team. Evans was new to the Falcons, but throughout her two years, she made her mark.

“She decided, ‘This is going to be my sport,’” Garden recalled. “She came back super impressive and just went to work.”

The other girls went to work as well, having signature moments throughout the season.

Kramer was stout in goal as Severna Park opened their campaign with an upset over Garrison Forest, 2-1, in overtime.

“They were No. 1 in the state and were expected to beat us,” Kramer said. “We really came prepared for that game and we won in overtime.”

Drexler-Amey’s shining moment came during an overtime thriller against Broadneck.

“I remember the first or second quarter, coach Shannon could tell I was bummed, and she said, 'You know you can do it, so just go do it,’” Drexler-Amey said.

With renewed confidence, she scored two goals, including the game-winning shot. The Falcons won 4-3.

Schepens moved to defense during her junior year due to an Achilles injury. She continued to excel.

Severna Park finished 17-2, becoming county and regional champs.

Making it to the state final again, this time against Winston Churchill, Severna Park players maintained their focus.

After scoring twice in the state semifinals, Drexler-Amey scored a goal in the state final. Kramer notched a shutout. Schepens and Evans played stellar in midfield.

Schepens, Kramer and Drexler-Amey served as captains their senior year and continued to be leaders.

Their season ended with a loss to Broadneck.

“Outside of Charley, because she was in goal, Ava and Mer started in different positions as the team and personnel changed,” Garden said. “They played on both sides of the corner unit, both on the offensive and defensive end. We had a really nice group of seniors, and I’m going to miss their leadership.”

Their careers will continue, separately, for the first time since they were children.

“When we lost our last game [against Broadneck], I was sad we lost but more sad that high school field hockey was over,” Schepens said. “I thought, ‘Now it’s all done in an hour.’”

The Next Stage

After the 2022 fall field hockey season, the girls enjoyed a signing day ceremony with their peers at Severna Park.

Schepens will take her stick to College of the Holy Cross. After earning a 4.5 weighted GPA and straight A’s so far throughout her four years in high school, she is almost ready to pursue a major in economics and a minor in computer science.

“With Holy Cross, I was more interested in smaller academic schools,” she said. “I love Massachusetts and where Holy Cross is. The coaches are amazing – they’re so fun and you can tell they care about everyone on that team. It’s a cliché, but they seemed like family. They’re also very competitive.”

Drexler-Amey will head to James Madison University and possibly study business.

“With JMU, I felt the team bond and family atmosphere when I watched them practice,” she said. “The coach is so dedicated to the sport of field hockey.”

Evans will attend Lafayette, and Kramer will take her talents to Boston College while studying psychology with a minor in communications.

“With Boston College, the academics and team chemistry are there,” Kramer said. “We had that at Severna Park, and I wanted it in college also.”

While they look forward to college, the girls don’t mind looking back at their storybook high school careers.

“Never in a million years as a kid would I think that I would walk away with two state titles,” Drexler-Amey said. “It’s something I will cherish forever.”

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