Delaney Newhouse couldn’t have been more excited about winning the championship.
Newhouse is a senior left wing midfielder on the St. Hubert High School girls soccer team, and when she and her teammates defeated Archbishop Wood to win the Catholic League championship, it meant it was all worth it.
All the hard work the team put in during the past four years.
All the hard work the team put in during the summer, when the girls worked out both as a team and as individuals.
All the hard work the team put in during the season, where the Bambies were considered a good team, but were underdogs to bring home the championship.
Winning the championship felt so good because it allowed the girls to accomplish all of their goals. The championship is why they play.
But it also meant a lot for another reason. It meant the run continued.
“We were excited because you think when you play for a championship, that’s the end, but we got to keep playing together,” said Newhouse, who lives in Morrell Park. “It was fun, we had a lot of fun the whole season. We really wanted to win the PCL, but we kept going after PCL, we were determined to play together as long as we could. It was hard, but we did well.”
The Bambies not only won the Catholic League championship, they went on to win the District 12 championship and won a game in the state tournament, knocking off Strath Haven in penalty kicks, the same way they defeated Archbishop Wood in the championship game.
The run came to an end in the next round when the Bambies fell 2-1 to Lower Dauphin in the quarterfinals of the PIAA Class 3A tournament. It ended the season for the Bambies, but not before they created all kinds of memories.
The season made all of the hard work worth it. As well as all the adversity.
Things went sideways for Hubert in the spring when former coach Nettie Graziosi-Hibbs had to step down because of work responsibilities.
Luckily, they had the perfect replacement already on the sidelines.
“Our coach (Shawn Wimsey) meant a lot to the team,” Newhouse said. “We worked hard, he made sure we did. He helped us and really helped with our mindset and our confidence.
“When we found out (Graziosi-Hibbs) was leaving, it was late in the school year, spring, it was hard. We didn’t know who would get the job. Then my dad told me when (Wimsey) got it, it was so exciting to hear. He was there last season, he knew all of us. And she came to some of our games and always stays after. She was a part of this. Every coach we have has been important to this.”
While the coaches were important, so were the players. And what Newhouse loved best about this squad is that everyone worked hard, and more importantly worked together,
“In the summer, we did summer league, but we would also all go on our own and work out,” Newhouse said. “We would stay in contact, text each other. I would text people to make sure they were working out. You don’t want to be the one texting people to make sure you keep up with soccer. But it wasn’t bad, I didn’t have to push anyone, everyone kept up with it, mostly. Everyone tried to do it because they wanted to win.”
Winning championships is nothing new to the Newhouses, but it was the first time for the Hubert senior. The last time her family enjoyed a championship, she was unable to make it. But it made her winning even more special.
“My brother (Liam) was on the Judge baseball team that won states,” Newhouse said. “I was at the mountains when he won the championship, but I remember how exciting it was. That was fun for everyone.”
Just as Liam received all the support from the family, so did this year’s soccer team.
“My family is very supportive, they are always there for me,” she said. “They would come to every game they could and were at every states game. My mom is always there for me, and my brothers (Owen and Liam) always encourage me. So does my dad. My brothers will always push me. Owen, he was a soccer player. He knows more than Liam knows about soccer. He tried to teach me a lot. But they’re both always there for me when I need anything. We’re all close.”
Just because soccer is over, that doesn’t mean Newhouse has more downtime.
She works as a hostess and runner at the FOP and also plays for the Bambies lacrosse team.
Next year, she hopes to continue her soccer career.
“I’m looking into staying local, but I’m looking to play D3 soccer,” Newhouse said. “I want to major in nursing. I guess I have been doing well in science and my older cousin, she’s a nurse, she works so hard. She loves what she does, she’s like an older sister to me. She went to DeSales and I emailed the coach. I love Penn State Abington. There are a lot of good schools. I definitely want to play soccer.”
And she’ll go there a champion. She’ll also go there happy she picked Hubert.
“When I was looking, I was unsure, but I liked that because my mom went there, too, so that got me to look at it,” Newhouse said. “Once I shadowed there and went to open houses, I knew.
“I wasn’t worried the soccer team wasn’t the best. I wasn’t too worried about winning. But after playing with these girls, we knew we could do it. We worked so hard, and we did it. We did it together.”
