TopOfTheCountry 2005: Emmaus (Pa.)

The Green Hornets of Emmaus (Pa.) won the 2005 Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association (PIAA) Class AAA championship with a 28-0 record. It is the school's eighth state championship, more than any other Pennsylvania school, in the most difficult state to win a state title: almost 300 PIAA public, private, and parochial member schools vie for only two state titles.

After their 2-0 victory over William Allen in the AAA title game, the Hornets were presented with the TopOfTheCountry trophy, emblematic of the finest team in all the land.

The TopOfTheCountry trophy is four feet high, topped with an oversized white sphere, representing the pinnacle of the game of field hockey in the United States.

The four different-colored columns symbolize the foundations upon which the game is built:

* The green column is for the vibrant youth field hockey culture, both in scholastic and club play;

* The navy column is for the national team program, to which all field hockey players can aspire;

* The red column symbolizes the blood and sweat of all those players and coaches who have sacrificed their time, selves, and souls for the game of field hockey; and

* The light blue column is for supporters of field hockey, whether parents, friends, or just plain fans.

The Hornets are the most prolific offensive machine in the history of the National Federation, having scored 216 goals in its 28 games, a rate of 7.7 per game. Just as important, though, the team had 10 athletes in three age divisions which won gold medals in the 2005 National Futures Tournament; there is national-level talent in the East Penn School District which never even saw varsity time in 2005.

Emmaus' crowning achievement, however, had to be a 4-1 win over had Voorhees Eastern (N.J.) which represented the passing of the proverbial torch. The task now for the 2006 Hornets is to become the first team in state history to win three straight state titles.

Yep, that's never happened in the 32-year history of the PIAA championship; don't bet against Emmaus.