A couple of weekends ago, we watched askance as the anticipated matchup in the Virginia Independent Schools Athletic Association’s Division I title game was pushed into the background.
Part of it was because of a technical fault in the livestreaming of the game. But the big reason why is the fact that the game wound up much more of a one-way game than we expected.
In the game, Richmond Collegiate (Va.) beat a good Norfolk (Va.) Academy side 4-0. Three of those goals were scored by junior Callie Rogers, who has given her verbal to the University of Maryland.
From everything we’ve heard, Rogers may be the finest field hockey player to come from central Virginia since Shannon Taylor willed Midlothian James River (Va.) to a VHSL title, one of the few not won by a Virginia Beach-area side before the state went to four divisions in state field hockey.
Last weekend, at the Shooting Star field hockey tournament, Rogers was a prime leader of the Panthers United club team as it won the “A” pool in the Under-19 division. She used skill in the attacking third in order to generate attacks and keep the opposition off-balance.
It was an excellent team performance for a side which was undefeated on the weekend, winning three matches and drawing two. I think that Rogers, the inspirational figure for Panthers United, could make Collegiate a team to watch in 2023.