By Chris Goldberg
Phillylacrosse.com, Posted 6/9/08

Now, class valedictorian Shannon Doyle can focus on writing her graduation speech for Springfield-Delco High’s graduation on Friday.

She’s has a good excuse for putting it off – after all, she’s had the task of playing defense against some of the top high school players in the nation the past few weeks.

On Tuesday at Marple Newtown, Doyle did a brilliant job defending Great Valley All-American Kim Wenger in helping the Cougars defeat the Patriots, 13-11, for the District One Class AA championship.

“I have to finish my speech,” Doyle said after the game. “With (lacrosse) going on, I haven’t had a lot of time.”

Playing the opposing team’s top scorer has been one of Doyle’s major roles this year. In the semifinals, she was credited for holding Strath Haven All-American’s Emily Garrity to one goal until the final minute in a 10-7 victory over the Panthers.

Then again, Doyle is used to doing the dirty work. She has a 4.3 GPA and finished rank No. 1 in her class. She will study pre-med at George Washington where she plans on playing club lacrosse.

She also is the season’s final honoree of the Laxzilla/Phillylacrosse.com Female Student-Athlete of the Week.

But what she is most proud of is the success of the Springfield-Delco program. The Cougars have won three straight district titles and five in six years. This year’s team took extra pride in the title since it returned only several regulars from last year’s 21-0 squad.

“We have four great coaches and we all work really hard,” Doyle said. “We have a tradition of winning and we’re determined to keep that tradition up. I’m just so proud of the whole team.”

Doyle, who played with Wenger on a youth team when they were younger, said faith in her teammates was critical in defending her.

“She’s a good player and I just tried to deny her the ball completely,” Doyle said. “And if she got the ball, I knew we had three other defenders to help me out.

Doyle said she also has people supporting her academic pursuits.

“My parents are really supportive of me, in sports and school,” she said. “They told me to strive for the best.”

Tags: Scholar-Athlete, Springfield-Delco