Fresh off the greatest stretch of success in the program’s history, the Indian River High School field hockey program has a new field general who is taking the reins with hopes of continuing that success into the immediate future.
First-year varsity head coach Katie Boyer takes over for the retired Jodi Stone, and she brings with her a wealth of knowledge and success as both a player and coach from Cape Henlopen High School, as well as the travel circuit.
Boyer and the Indians will have to replace plenty of talent from a team that went 8-4 overall last year and made it into the DIAA Division II state playoffs, where they fell to Archmere Academy in the second round.
The team will have to replace the likes of four-year starting goalie Allyson Clark, as well as Morgan McGee, Savannah O’Shields, Jess Rybicki and Drew Szlasa.
To do that, they will be leaning heavily on the trio of Brynn McCabe, Emma Ruley and Kinsley Hall. McCabe and Ruley are seniors, with Hall being a junior. The team will also look to newcomers Mya Whittington, Kylie Harris and Jazmine Mayfield.
“This season is definitely going to be a rebuilding year, with a new head coach coming in,” said Boyer. “I have been extremely impressed with the work ethic that the girls have been putting in, and it is definitely going to pay off this season.”
The Indians have a 15-game slate that gets under way on Thursday, Sept. 16, with a trip over to Seaford to take on the Blue Jays. Three straight home games follow, against Lake Forest, Sussex Tech and Cape Henlopen.
Five straight road contests follow that home stand, as the Indians will travel to Delmar, Caravel Academy, Sussex Central, Dover and Smyrna.
The final two weeks of the season will see the Indians host Laurel, travel to Ursuline, head back home for Woodbridge and Polytech, then over to Sussex Academy, and then home again for the regular-season finale against Milford.
