FAWN GROVE — The Donegal field hockey team high-fived and hugged as it ran up four goals against Kennard-Dale early in the third quarter on Monday.
But the fifth score, when Kate Page grooved her hat trick into the bottom right corner of the cage, was an embrace.
The No. 5 filled the Indians’ hearts and covered their kits. It was reflected in the basketball ribbons intertwined in their hair and plastered their wristbands in bold, black lettering. Joey Williams wore the coveted number, and the senior was the emotion and passion Donegal played for and with on the field.
Williams died in a car crash Sunday morning. Honoring their classmate through various imagery, the Indians brought his competitive hardwood spirit to the pitch in a 7-1 nonleague romping of the Rams at Kennard-Dale High School.
“From knowing him when he was younger, he just loved sports,” Page said. “He absolutely loved playing basketball, and I think that he would want us to translate that. And that’s kind of what let us do that, was doing that for him. Scoring that fifth goal was really monumental.”
Donegal’s Kate Page (3) gets a high-five from teammate Kalyn Cornelis (2) after scoring against Kennard-Dale during first-half action of a non-league field hockey game at Kennard-Dale High School in Fawn Grove on Monday Oct. 6, 2025.
CHRIS KNIGHT | Staff Photographer
“That was really meaningful,” fellow senior Jocelyn Yoder said, completing Page’s thought. “I think for me, it just put it into perspective how much I take playing sports for granted. You only have a short time with that as it is, and especially passing away as a high schooler, that only shortens your time with the sport even more. So I think it just made me think about the time that I do have, being able to play it to the fullest and just giving it my everything.”
The Indians didn’t waste any time. They made the most of each moment, as Williams did and would’ve wanted them to.
Page said that Williams cherished nothing more than a heated battle on the court. Donegal found itself in one in Monday’s first half.
Locked in a 1-1 tie at intermission, Page uncorked the Indians’ go-ahead goal 1:35 into the third quarter. Like a basketball player when he or she finds their shooting stroke, the visitors made it pour to the tune of seven unanswered scores.
“It’s a big tragedy in the community,” Donegal coach Jenna Carroll said. “A lot of the girls knew Joey, and Donegal’s really mourning right now, and this was a really great way for them to come together in bonds and play in his memory. It meant something for them. It was really deep.”
The desire to reflect Williams’ essence was evident. And the Indians preserved his memory with a field-hockey twist.
Mya Brouse illustrated an alley-oop sequence in the third quarter, picking a Page pass out of thin air and depositing it into the back twine. Adoree Gardner dribbled 60 yards, leading to a corner and Page’s fourth of five goals. Kalyn Cornelis executed a crossing feed — like a bounce pass through the trees of a defense — and Avery Carney obliged with a dunk into the lower frame.
Donegal mirrored Williams’ basketball acumen while donning “Long Live Joey Williams (LLJW)” on its wrists. One player made the memorial on the team bus, and the rest of the group followed.
“I think because it was our last game, too,” Yoder said, “we really just thought about the fact that this is our last game with this group of people. We just really wanted to cherish that and make it the best game that it could be — on top of doing that in memory of him. I think that helped us to focus and really want to win.”
Donegal had section and District Three title aspirations this season, goals that are unlikely to be fulfilled with a 9-9 record. The Indians recognized that, but with the seismic ripple that jarred the community this weekend, Monday’s victory was of higher calling than any accolade or medal.
“Ending on a good note, it just like feels like we’ve accomplished our goal of just progressing, taking little steps every year,” Yoder said. “And I think that this was a year of bigger steps than we expected. So being able to end with 7-1, that was great.”
Donegal’s Kate Page (3) shows off the wrist band that every player had on to honor classmate Joey Williams for the game against Kennard-Dale in a non-league field hockey game at Kennard-Dale High School in Fawn Grove on Monday Oct. 6, 2025. Joey Williams was killed in an automobile accident a day earlier.
CHRIS KNIGHT | Staff Photographer
The Indians got to honor their friend. Through the joy of athletics and when the No. 5 glistened on the Kennard-Dale scoreboard.
“That’s the great power of community and being together as a team,” Carroll said. “Tonight was a great way for us to work through it, process it, and remember Joey.”
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