A year ago, Abby Rock was a little nervous.
Rock is a senior at Nazareth Academy High School, and a year ago, the Pandas were preparing for their first season competing against the top teams in the Catholic League.
Nazareth was coming from the Catholic Academies League, which is a fantastic league with many talented teams, but the Catholic League has a reputation for being the best in some sports.
Two of the ones they’re known for are soccer and basketball, the two sports Rock plays at Nazareth.
She knew it would be a challenge, but it was a challenge she and her teammates were looking forward to. And boy were they ready.
In the fall, the Pandas struggled at times during the regular season, but by the time the playoffs rolled around, they were among the top soccer teams in the Catholic League.
They upset Archbishop Ryan in the semifinals and advanced to the Catholic League championship game before falling to the defending champion, Archbishop Wood.
It was a great showing, and set the stage for Nazareth to have another great run later in the season when the basketball team advanced to the Catholic League semifinals.
Few expected Nazareth to play in the final game of the PCL soccer season, and even fewer expected the Pandas to make the final four of the Catholic League during basketball season.
They all found out what happens when you underestimate a group of talented, hard-working players.
“Last year was different because there were so many teams we didn’t know and so many didn’t know us,” said Rock, who lives in Torresdale. “Making it to the championship was the best feeling. We knew that in the PCL nobody was going to go easy on us. Our regular season games, we went 5-3-1, but in the playoffs when it mattered we played very well. We came up short in the PCL, so that was disappointing, but we were happy we made it that far. It was a big accomplishment.”
This year, everyone knows who they are.
Winning a district championship and making states meant for a great season for Rock, who is the starting center midfielder and has been since she got to the school as a freshman.
And while the team did lose some good players to graduation, the Pandas have a team back that’s ready to compete.
“We lost of a lot of seniors who were very good and great leaders, and this year we have girls from every grade on our team, freshmen, sophomore, junior and seniors.
“We have new players trying new positions, doing different formations. Our up top (forwards) is very fast, we have a great defense, a great goalie and a good midfield. We have a lot of players who are trying to learn things, but everyone is working hard. We have a lot of hard workers on this team.”
One of them is Rock.
She played soccer for as long as she can remember and has been playing the workhorse position the entire time.
It’s a lot of running, but the perfect spot for Rock.
“I love midfield, it’s where I’ve played my whole life,” Rock said. “I played there for Torresdale PSC and Coppa. Now I play for Hex FC and Nazareth and I’m center midfield on every team.
“I just like to play the ball, distribute it and control the play. I did that my whole life and I got better at it. It’s a hard position to play but I’m comfortable because I’ve been doing it for so long, so I love it.”
Rock knows she might have to be a vocal leader on this team and that’s something she’s ready for. From being a three-year starter before this year she already had the respect of her teammates.
“We have seven or eight returning starters and the other few are people who were on the bench last year,” Rock said. “Leadership is a big part. Starting off a lot of seniors, so we have to be there for the underclassmen. The seniors last year were great, they showed great leadership. It showed us how to be leaders. They were good seniors, they taught, they did everything for us.”
As excited for her senior year as Rock is, she’s also starting to get excited about the future.
She’ll continue her career at Bloomsburg where she’s planning on majoring in business.
“I loved the campus and everything about the school,” Rock said. “The soccer community is great. I’m doing business because my sister (Alexis), she went to Penn State, but she majored in business and she’s doing great. She just got married this year and moved out, but we’re very close. That helped me decide.”
On top of playing sports, Rock stays involved in other ways at the school. She’s an executive of Naz-A-Thon and a member of Panda Stand Up, the Travis Manion Foundation and Athletes Helping Athletes.
She loves them, and just about every other thing about Nazareth, but as a soccer star, her biggest goal is to have a great season.
Basketball, too.
“I wasn’t surprised last year because I knew we both had good teams,” Rock said. “But nobody else but us believed. We stuck together, worked hard and when we had games, we came out to play and we shocked people a lot. It was a lot of fun, after we upset teams, they said we played hard and made it far in both seasons. It was really good.
“We can do it again. We have a lot of work to do but we have the talent.”
