Running down
a dream

By Joe Mason
For the Times

Lisa Walz knew she was a part of something special.
Two years ago, during her sophomore year, Walz helped guide the Franklin Towne Charter High School soccer team to the semifinals.
That was a nice run, considering it was the first year the Coyotes fielded a varsity soccer team.
But this year, the team took yet another step.
Franklin Towne Charter defeated Northeast, 3-2, on May 16 to advance to the Public League championship. This was the first time in any sport that the school made it to a title match.
In that game, the Coyotes received a pair of goals from Christina Hyatt and another from Stefanie Dietrich. The win avenged a pair of losses to the Vikings during the season.
Franklin Towne’s glory came to an end, however, on May 23, when the Coyotes fell to Central, 1-0, in the championship game.
Still, for the small charter school to be one of the final two teams standing at the end of the year, this was a great season.
"I’m so proud because I think we knew we could make it that far, but most people didn’t think we could," said Walz, the team’s starting stopper and captain. "When we made it to the semifinals two years ago, it was such an amazing feeling.
"Last year was a little disappointing," Walz continued. "We lost in the round before the semifinals, so we felt like we kind of took a step back. But this year, to go out and beat Northeast and make it to the championship, it was great."
By virtue of its trip to the championship game, the Coyotes earned the right to represent District 12 (the Public League) in the Pennsylvania Interscholastic Athletic Association’s Class AAA state playoffs. That result wasn’t too favorable for the Coyotes. Franklin Towne Charter fell to Central Dauphin, 7-0, on May 29 in a game played in Hershey.
Despite the loss, the trip was a great experience for the Coyotes, who finished the season 9-5-2 under head coach Jim Meehl.
And the loss in the state playoffs — to a very good team — will only help the underclassmen next year.
"I think they have a very good team, and I think they’ll be very good next year," Walz said. "I remember it helped us that we played deep into the playoffs when we were younger, so hopefully this will help the other girls."
Walz, who lives in Bensalem, started her high school career at St. Hubert, a school that is known for producing great soccer programs.
The year-round soccer player would have likely contributed on some strong playoff teams for the Bambies, but she doesn’t regret the transfer.
In fact, she’s still happy she made the decision to switch schools.
"It’s kind of like we built something here," said Walz, who lived in Mayfair and transferred after her freshman year. "I was lucky because I played for a great coach and we had a great team every year. This year we had so many great games, I think getting to the championship was really great.
"And during the regular season, we tied Central," Walz said. "That was probably the best game we played all year, and that really gave us a lot of confidence the rest of the year."
Next year, the Coyotes will try to again take another step. In three years, they’ve already reached the championship match.
And while Walz won’t be in a Coyote uniform next spring, she’ll be cheering her former teammates on. She also might be on a local soccer field.
Though she’s unsure where she’s headed, Walz is hoping to play college ball and possibly study education.
"I’m talking with Holy Family about going there," Walz said. "That would be great, it’s close to my house and they have a good team.
"I’m not sure where I’ll go, but I definitely want to go to college and I really want to play soccer," she added.
She’ll also stay in touch with the rest of her players, and who knows, she might be back at her alma mater some day.
"Some day I think I’d like to coach," she said. "Not yet, I still want to be a player, but I think in the future, it would be fun to be a coach." ••