By Christopher Tremblay, Staff Sports Writer

Last fall, the Franklin field hockey team was able to compile an amazing 17-1 regular season record, with its one and only loss coming at the hands of Bishop Feehan. In doing so, the Panthers captured their sixth straight Hockomock League – Kelly Rex Championship and qualified for the Division 1 State Tournament earning a seven seed. Franklin would get into the Elite 8, where they would fall 3-0 to Walpole, the eventual State Champion. After putting together such a promising campaign last fall, Coach Michelle Hess has said goodbye to some key components of that season, but on the bright side will be returning 12 players, including eight starters. 

Sophomore Ella Marzullo and Junior Jossie Camp will both be key players this year.

“I know right now people are feeling very nervous because of all we lost,” she said. “But we’re Franklin; we’ll reload and be just fine.”

Hess will be looking for her four captains to step up this upcoming season. The senior captains this fall will be four-year goalie Devon Barry, defensive fullback Liz Dumas, fullback / sweeper Ava Lucenta and forward Addi Weiss. The foursome has been around strong leaders for so long over their careers that the Coach believes that they are all capable of taking on the job while bringing unity to the team.

In addition to the seniors stepping up their games this year, Hess will be looking to rely on just about everyone that dons a Franklin uniform. Sophomore Ella Marzullo, a Hockomock League All-Star last year at center-forward, had herself a great campaign as an incoming freshman and has put in a lot of work during the off-season to get even better. 

Marzullo was invited to participate in the Under Armour Select Game, at Harvard University in Cambridge, Mass. this summer. Here, the girls were under the microscope of 45 collegiate coaches. As a freshman, Marzullo notched 19 goals and 13 assists, and Hess is looking for the now sophomore to surpass those numbers.

Another player that Hess will be looking to be an impact for the Panthers this year is another sophomore, Penelope Brady. As a freshman, she was able to get on the score card with 4 goals and 2 assists, but the coach is figuring she will be able to increase those numbers and help the team. 

“She’s a scrappy, aggressive playmaker who is fast and skilled,” Hess said. “This should be a big season for her, especially after playing USA Field Hockey Nexus in a tournament in Virginia Beach.”

As a four-year goalie, Barry is another Panther who will be looking to take her game to the next level and play for a college program. Last year, she spilt time between the pipes; playing in a total of 15.5 games where she only allowed 13 goals for an .84 goals against average while recording three shutouts.

Over the years, Hess has been trying to get the Franklin keeper to expand her communication skills, and it looks like she has finally done that. According to the Panther Coach, Barry has been displaying those communication skills with confidence.

“Over the past three years, I have been trying to get her to work on her vocal skills, and I think she has finally got it,” the Coach said. “It will be super important for her to take charge this year now that she has lost two major defenders in front of her.”

Barry was named to the Hockomock league All-Star team last fall, and the Coach is expecting her to take her game up a notch, especially now that colleges are looking more closely at her. 

Junior Jossie Camp will be the starting center-midfielder for Franklin this fall. Last year, as a sophomore, she was behind Emily Carney, until she went down with an ACL injury and Camp was thrust into duty.

“I had to grab someone, and although she had moments of insecurity, by the end of the season she was playing like a seasoned veteran,” the Coach said. “She is a very coachable individual with a high field hockey IQ and a great teammate. She was one of the top defenders in the league as a sophomore.”

Hess went onto note that playing center midfield is one of the hardest positions on the field and Camp was able to mark her opponent while limiting their production. Offensively, she was also someone who could provide the Panthers with a scoring threat. 

“She is a positive attribute on offense and defense as well as everywhere in between,” Hess said. “Jossie is a strong individual, and the team loves playing with her.”

This season, Franklin will be involved in a pilot season where they will now have five non-league games, compared to only two a year ago, while also adding two strength of schedule contests. Despite the new schedule, Hess will be looking for her team to once again be consistent to whomever they play. 

The Franklin goals will continue to be relatively the same as they’ve been in the past: Hess is looking to continue to dominate the Hockomock League and hold onto the League Championship, while trying to improve upon their best appearance in the tournament. The Panthers have been to the Final 4 in the past and would like to get back there and take it even further.