SportzBuzz - November 2025 | The Buzz Magazines

By Todd Freed, Staff writer | October 27, 2025

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MIGHTY STICKS The Kinkaid Falcons and the St. John's Mavericks are a powerful force on the statewide and even national level in high school field hockey. Pictured for Kinkaid is junior Blair Strachan, who has committed to play at Duke University. (Photo: David Shutts Photography)

As the high school field hockey season hits the homestretch this month, the Kinkaid Falcons and the St. John’s Mavericks were again fielding powerhouse teams. So much so that Kinkaid and St. John’s were ranked fifth and sixth respectively in the Max Field Hockey West/Midwest USA regional rankings.

As for Kinkaid, the Falcons quickly rose to the forefront this season with an overtime victory over Lower Dauphin High School of Pennsylvania at the prestigious Max Field High School National Invitational. “The victory was absolutely electric,” said Falcons head coach Jackie Ciconte. “It showcased our heart and ability to perform under pressure.”

The Falcons have benefited from great performances all season behind an extremely talented lineup, which includes senior Stanford University commits Grace Essalih and Jackie O’Donnell. “Their leadership, determination, and skill have set the standard for our team,” said Ciconte. In addition, senior goalkeeper Catherine Rosser is a Duke University commit who is also on the U-18 Women’s National Team. “Catherine is a phenomenal goalkeeper who is a wall between the pipes defensively,” said Ciconte.

Among the Falcons juniors, Blair Strachan has also committed to play at Duke University, while Annie Swanson will play collegiately for Georgetown University. “Blair is an incredible player who creates magic on the field, while Annie brings speed and grit to our backfield,” said Ciconte.

In addition, youth is served quite well for the Falcons with sophomore Nina Piazza selected to the U-16 Women’s National Team as was Harper Strachan, Blair’s younger sister. “We also have another set of sisters in Annie and sophomore Abby Swanson,” added Ciconte. “The family culture defines who we are as a program.”

As a program, Kinkaid field hockey has risen to an elite level not just locally and statewide but also on the national stage. “Being from Houston means we have something to prove every time we face an East Coast powerhouse,” said Ciconte. “The chip on our shoulder isn’t a burden, but a rocket fuel. I believe we’ve built a culture of excellence. At Kinkaid, we don’t just train technical skills, we emphasize work ethic, discipline, and teamwork that thrives under pressure.”

Pictured for St. John's is senior captain Josephine VanHoutan, who’ll play collegiately for Boston College. (Photo: Jack Chavez)

For the St. John’s Mavericks, the field hockey season also got off to a sensational start with a trio of marquee victories at the Max Field Hockey High School National Invitation including victories over Manheim Township of Pennsylvania, Greenwich Academy of Connecticut, and then Norfolk Academy from Virginia.

“All three of those teams were ranked among the top teams in their region of the United States, so to win all three of those against elite teams was pretty exciting,” said Mavericks head coach Emily White. “It’s also the first time St. John’s has gone an undefeated 3-0 at the Max Tournament.”

Following the Max National Invitational, the Mavericks then traveled to Chicago where they posted victories in two of their matches with the only defeat coming to national number five ranked New Trier High School by a tight 2-1 score.

After losing nine seniors from last season’s SPC champion team, this figured to be a rebuilding year for the Mavericks, but the emergence of a young and talented lineup has proved otherwise.

“Eight of our nine graduating seniors went on to play college field hockey including seven of those eight at the major division one level, so we had some big shoes to fill,” said White. “It’s been an exciting year. We have a lot of young talent, but we’re also led by several veteran players who are four-year varsity players.”

Among those stepping in are a trio of standout senior captains in midfielder Gracey Crawford, midfielder Montgomery Ferguson, and defender Josephine VanHoutan. Crawford will play field hockey at the University of Virginia next season, while Ferguson has committed to Northwestern University, and VanHoutan is set to play at Boston College. “Those three girls are the true leaders of our team,” said White.

In addition, the Mavericks boast a pair of juniors who are also collegiate commits, with forward Sofia Ruegg committed to Wake Forest and midfielder Valentina Baizan committed to play at Stanford University.

Editor’s note: Todd Freed is the host and executive producer of H-Town High School Sports, which airs Saturday at 10:30 p.m. on CW39 and Monday-Thursday on AT&T SportsNet SW. To submit high school sports news for possible inclusion in SportzBuzz, please email [email protected].