P-CEP’s newest club team is catching up to long-established programs
A P-CEP Panther player (left) and a Grosse Pointe South player battle for possession of the ball Monday night.
Fast-paced and super-entertaining (even if, like the author, you don’t know all the rules), field hockey is quickly gaining traction at the Plymouth-Canton Educational Park five years after it was launched as a club sport.
On an unusually warm Monday night at the P-CEP east turf stadium, the P-CEP Panthers — made up of girls from all three Plymouth-Canton high schools — shocked juggernaut Grosse Pointe South by seizing a first-quarter lead on a goal by Natalie McCall and battling GPS to a 1-1 draw deep into the third stanza before eventually dropping a 3-1 decision.
Now owners of an 8-4 record, the purple-and-white Panthers proved they can compete with just about anyone in metro-Detroit, despite the fact the program is in its relative infancy — and many of their players didn’t pick up a field hockey stick until high school.
Uniqueness makes it interesting
“One thing I like about field hockey is that it is so different than just about every other high school sport,” said P-CEP first-year head coach Zahraa (Coach Z) Zahr, who played high school field hockey for Dearborn Edsel Ford. “The fact that it’s so different makes it interesting
“For outsiders looking in, they have no idea what’s going on sometimes, but it’s the rules that make it interesting.”
Zahr compared the sport to a blending of hockey and soccer.
One compelling rule allows up to four players to enter the goal (it’s a net a little more spacious than an ice hockey net) during corner kicks.
Gradual improvement
Zahr has been impressed by how quickly her inexperienced players have adjusted to the sport, which requires hitting a hard baseball-sized ball with short, wooden sticks that are curled at the end.
“The first year for players is a little rough,” she said. “But usually by the second year, you see a lot of improvement. Players’ skills increase every year.”
Zahr said this season’s Panthers squad is like one big family.
“Everybody picks one another up; there are never any issues,” she said. “If we have a slower girl when we’re running sprints, everybody else will stay back and finish with her. It’s something they do on their own, which is great.”
Pre-high school experience lacking
Other than captain Teresa Smith, the Panthers’ roster is made up of players who pick up a stick for the first time as freshmen.
Smith is a team co-captain with Maggie Kime.
Given field hockey is a club sport, all costs affiliated with the Panthers are paid for by the players’ parents and parent-led booster club.
The cost is worth the experience for the girls, said Melisa Burnham, the mother of Panther Elizabeth Burnham.
Great camaraderie
“The girls love playing the sport and they have fun,” said Burnham. “It’s especially nice for the girls just coming into high school because it’s a way to meet new friends and play a sport with girls they knew from middle school.
“I love that there are girls from all three high schools, too. It’s neat seeing them all come together to make one team.”
Burnham said the amount of equipment required is minimal: sticks (which can cost up to $160), goggles (which are optional), cleats and shin guards round out the necessities.
A Plymouth-Canton Schools administrator is present at all home games.
While the booster club can recommend new coaching candidates, background checks and vetting of coaching candidates is conducted by the school district.
“The girls absolutely love Coach Z,” Burnham said. “She’s very patient and positive.”
Ed Wright can be reached at 734-664-4657 or edwright@socialhousenews.com.
