Theres always a level of calm when watching Casey Cole play field hockey.

No matter how big the stakes, the Crestwood senior approaches every game situation with a measured intensity.

That drive has led to quite a bit of success in the Comets red and white and why Cole has been selected the 2014 Times Leader Field Hockey Player of the Year.

You have to stay poised during the game of field hockey, Cole said. As soon as you start to panic, thats when you start to make mental errors and messing up on the basics. You always have to stay poised and confident.

Its not the kind of thing you can teach explained first-year head coach Patsy Moratori, who has known Cole since she was a little girl. Its not something you inherit even if your mom did win a state field hockey championship.

It comes from a belief, a confidence in ones ability, in the year-round training and most importantly, in the abilities of teammates.

Its part of her make up, said Moratori, who took over for long-time head coach Elvetta Gemski this season. Shes been that way since shes been a freshman. Being there (midfield) for three years, thats not usually the case in high school. Thats a senior position, a junior position, not really a come and play as a sophomore position.

The Comets finished with a 23-1-1 overall record and were a perfect 10-0 in the Wyoming Valley Conference. During that stretch, Cole scored 11 goals, dished out 13 assists and was asked to mark some of the best offensive players in the state.

During the semifinals of the PIAA Field Hockey Championships against Oley Valley, the No. 2 seed from District 3, Moratoris game plan to stop Oley Valleys leading scorer Carly Kauffman (32 goals, 17 assists) was simple.

We just put Casey on her and told her she had to stay on tight said Moratori after the game on Nov. 11. We didnt give a lot of extra attention. We just told Casey OK, shes yours mark her and were pretty sure that it would get done if we tell her thats her job.

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