Luca D’Andrea can finally rest.
For a little while, anyway.
D’Andrea is a senior at St. Hubert High School, and to say she’s been busy since the school year started would be an understatement.
Your free time evaporates quickly when you’re the vice president of student council, and when it comes to taking care of things at St. Hubert, D’Andrea is all business.
“I love doing it because it’s doing things for St. Hubert, but it can be busy,” said D’Andrea, who lives in Parkwood. “We just do a bunch of activities, like Dance-a-rama, that’s where people will donate money to special-needs children at (Our Lady of Confidence School). It’s a fundraiser we do every year. People donate to it and we have a huge dance party. That and school, that’s what I do, majority of the time. Fundraising is a big thing, that’s really the main thing we do until February.
“But we do other things, too. Then we set up things for Sisterhood Day, we walk in the Thanksgiving Day Parade holding banners. Just do school activities. I love the school, so these are fun things to do.”
Almost as fun as being one of the best athletes this year in the Catholic League. And she has the hardware to prove it.
D’Andrea just wrapped up a pretty impressive basketball season that saw her lead the Bambies to the playoffs and in the process, she picked up a Second-Team All-Catholic nomination.
If you don’t know how hard it is to get All-Catholic in the Catholic League, you probably haven’t watched a game. The PCL has some of the best teams – and players – in the country. So to get recognized in a league like that while leading the team to the playoffs, it’s a heck of an accomplishment.
And the playoff appearance? Well, just getting invited to that party is a pretty big deal, and something D’Andrea really wanted to do before walking away from the game.
“We honestly are fine with the way the season went, we are very proud,” D’Andrea said. “Freshman year of basketball, we won four games and this year we won 12. That’s a huge step. Making it to playoffs this year, my four years, we didn’t make it to playoffs at all. We had a great year for us, and the program is growing from here on out. It was a fun season. Mr. (Dave) Schafer made it fun, he’s always positive, but he makes us work hard and he really is a great coach.
“It’s fun playing in the PCL. I like playing girls that are committed to D1 and overall good players. I love to see how I do against them. In the future, I’ll be able to say I played against these great players. It’s cool honestly knowing I can compete against them.”
Basketball, she was happy to compete.
But this year, in her other sport, she was happy to be the best in the Catholic League.
Before playing against the greats in basketball, D’Andrea was busy being one of the top soccer players in the area as the centerback led the Bambies to the Catholic League championship.
They shocked the world.
“I knew we had a good incoming freshmen group and that really helped us and we were a very good all-around team, so I knew we were going to be good,” D’Andrea said. “We have a young team, too. They should be good next year. I thought we would be good, but if you would have told me we were going to win the PCL, I would have laughed in your face. When we won, it was hands down the best day of my life.
“Archbishop Wood was so good. They were going for I think a fivepeat. But we knew at that point we made it to the championship, we could win. In the regular season, we went to OT with Wood, that was a good game, they ended up beating us. They scored on us, and usually when Wood scores, they keep scoring, but our defense held up, we tied it up and we didn’t back down. I was so proud of everyone.”
D’Andrea walks out of the school with a Catholic League championship and six All-Catholics, having earned two in hoops, four in soccer.
She’ll take all those achievements to Chestnut Hill next year, where she’ll continue her soccer career. She is going to study communications and minor in sports management, with the hopes of some day working in sports. It’s always been her love. It’s one of many things she gets from her family.
“I get my love of soccer from my dad, he was a great player, but he was a midfielder,” D’Andrea said. “I’m real talkative because I look up to my dad. He would play in what I called old men leagues, and I’d see how much he talks. I do that, too, I’ve always been outgoing.
“My sisters are great role models, too. My sister Lorenza, she’s 19, I”m going to play soccer with her, she’s a great athlete. I look up to her because of the way she talks to people. Such a good person. And Francesca, she’s the oldest of us three, she’s 21, she showed me what it’s like to lead by example. She’s a cheerleader at St. Joe’s. They’re great role models.”
And one more pretty special one.
“My mom, she’s the biggest supporter ever, she loves everything I do. She taught me a lot about being a good person all around. I always look to her and ask her for advice. As much as I don’t like hearing it sometimes, she knows what’s right and wrong.”
She gets great support at home, just like she does at her school.
“Coming to St. Hubert was the best choice I ever made,” she said. “I love it, it’s the best. Honestly, I love everything. All the girls there, I love the sisterhood, it’s so strong there. You walk in, you get a smile from everyone. Very welcoming at all times. Never out of place. Everyone is very inclusive. Once I shadowed there, I was going because my sisters went there, I’ve loved it since that day.”
