By Andy Loigu

With nine starters returning from a team which reached the Group Three semifinals in the state tournament last year in field hockey, the Warren Hills Blue Streaks have high hopes for a return to the state final this year under the guidance of head coach Josie Potter.

The coach is a Warren Hills grad who played on a state finalist in 1999, when she was a first team All-State performer in field hockey. For over 20 years, Warren Hills has been a perennial power, highly ranked, and a state finalist as frequently as the Yankees’ baseball teams under Casey Stengel earned berths in the World Series. Warren Hills has justifiable pride in its field hockey program which is respected throughout the state.

With a year of experience, this team opens the 2022 schedule at home against Montgomery on Friday, September 9, with an after-school 4 p.m. start.

Senior forwards Dimitra Georgoutsos and Maddie Summit, junior forward  Lisa Barry, senior midfielder Ryleigh Reagan, junior midfielder Gabby Fama, senior back liners Holly Ort and Emily Dvorsky and junior defenders Olivia Hopek and Maddie Moreno will be a battle tested group of Blue Streaks.

Phillipsburg, which visits the Blue Streaks at 1 p.m. on Saturday, September 17, reached the state final in Group Four last year and also returns an experienced squad.

The Stateliners’ top three scorers return. Sammy Helman, Gracie Merrick and Avery Ritt provide lots of firepower and returning goalie Beth Kelly aims to preserve every lead.

This game could be a preview of the 2022 Hunterdon/Warren/Sussex championship game, although North Hunterdon, Hunterdon Central, Voorhees and Newton (under new coach Ashley Tashjian will have something to say about that.

This year there will not be a Tournament of Champions at season’s end.

In theory, having the different group champions go for one ultimate title seemed compelling, but on the field for 14 years, only 16 different teams have played in the tournament. There isn’t much parity in New Jersey field hockey, with only a select few teams dominating.

Without having to save dates for the TOC, the schools can now spread out their conference and sectional tournament game dates, so teams can have more time to prepare for each round.

Ladies and gentlemen, Elvis has left the building.