Not even the dentist office is safe from Chloe and Morgan Hook’s competitive relationship.
Penn Manor’s senior twins sat in the chair for six-month cleanings two years ago. They were conversing back and forth, bragging about whose room had a bigger window. Who could watch TV, and who would be staring at the ceiling for the next hour.
“Every single day, we’re just trying to beat each other,” Morgan said with a chuckle.
The friendly banter is shared at home, in school and on the playing surface. It’s made Chloe and Morgan’s sisterhood unbreakable. It’s morphed them into bruising field hockey players, arguably the most prolific one-two punch in the Lancaster-Lebanon League.
Being there for one another was never a choice. It was an in-born value, an unspoken understanding. Their friendship fuels their field hockey fire and has helped them absorb life’s greatest gifts and incomparable heartbreaks.
Chloe and Morgan will continue their playing careers at Appalachian State, donning the same No. 13 and No. 33 jerseys they’ve wreaked havoc in the last four years. Remaining intertwined has held new meaning since their mother, Melissa, died of a sudden cardiac event in February 2020 at age 48.
“I feel like it’s just special, because not everyone can experience playing sports with their sister,” Chloe said. “I feel like we can always relate to things together, even if we’re yelling at each other. We don’t take it personally, because we know we just want what’s best for each other.”
READ: Penn Manor, Warwick where they ‘want to be,’ fighting for L-L league field hockey gold
‘We just know how each other plays’
Chloe and Morgan tout that they’re state-champion ball girls. When the duo were middle schoolers, they roamed the Comets’ sideline, chasing down errant lifts and passes en route to a PIAA Class 3A title.
Penn Manor needed more bodies in its seventh-grade program. The pair joined for that reason alone, having little alure to the pitch.
It’s become a place they’ll miss immensely once the 2025 chapter closes.
“I feel like it has a lot of support with it,” Morgan said. “I feel like even if you’re having a bad day, you can always come to field hockey and have an open mind. It’s kind of a reset for your day.”
The connections and memories have been endless. Some of the favorites include a 2022 L-L title and a win over Emmaus last season. Pregame dance sessions — where the speaker has been threatened to be taken away — highlight the non-competitive snapshots.
Chloe and Morgan have perfected the balance of keeping the mood light while invoking determination and fervor out of each other. It helped thrust Penn Manor to the PIAA tournament last year and a shot at the league crown — following Tuesday’s 5-1 semifinal victory over Conestoga Valley — this fall.
“I feel like it’s always you want to be the best one on the field,” Chloe said. “So if she’s running more, that means I need to sprint 10 times faster than her. Or if she scores a goal, then I need to go score a goal.”
“We always have to battle between each other,” Morgan said, finishing Chloe’s sentence. “And I feel like it just creates more energy between us.”
The Comets, too, feed off the Hook’s spark. There are few instances where a Penn Manor possession isn’t engineered by the sister symmetry.
“These are two of the most competitive people I think I’ve ever met,” Comets coach Rachel Suter said. “It gives them a competitive edge over their peers, because they can hold each other to a standard that other people can’t hold teammates to. And because they’re such hard workers, they’re always trying to beat the next person.”
READ: Penn Manor plays with purpose, downs Elco for L-L League field hockey semifinal bid
‘The loudest one in the stands’
Chloe and Morgan can replay Melissa’s voice. They see her represented in imagery like butterflies and ladybugs. There’s a void, a lacking spirit in the stands any time they take the field.
“It just sucks that she doesn’t get to see this,” said Mike Hook, Chloe and Morgan’s father. “That’s the worst part. … She’d be so proud of them.”
Melissa Hook was a softball standout at Manheim Township. Chloe and Morgan’s older sisters, Brittany and Tori, followed in their mom’s footsteps at Penn Manor.
While the twins were pulled to field hockey, they exemplify Melissa’s athletic and salt-of-the-earth characteristics. The competitive piece is embedded in the Comets’ recent four-year success and 2024 All-State nods for the sisters. Melissa’s everyday joy and humor is showcased through Chloe and Morgan’s laughs and self-tabbed “loud voices.”
“(My dad) will tell me, ‘Stop yelling. Why are you talking so loud? I’m right here,’ ” Morgan said with a laugh. “I also feel like sometimes if someone would say something she wouldn’t like, she would say something. And I feel like that’s me. If someone tells me something I don’t like, I will make sure they know I didn’t like it.”
Chloe and Morgan have no doubt Melissa would’ve been the loudest in the bleachers. She was always the first to give either congratulations, a hug or an uplifting message if play didn’t go as planned.
“She would always be proud of us no matter what,” Chloe said. “She always had a big, contagious smile and laugh. I feel like, sometimes, you can still hear her in the back of your head.”
“I remember the one time after my basketball game in sixth grade, we lost by two points or something, and I was really upset because I could have done better,” Morgan said. “Whenever I started crying, she gave me a big hug. She was like, ‘It’s OK. You did what you could do, you played the hardest.’ And I’ll just always remember that. She will always be there for me, even if it’s win or lose.”
There are few moments when Mike doesn’t recall Melissa or see her reflection in his daughters. He attends every game, knowing Melissa would be attached to his hip.
When Penn Manor defeated Warwick 4-2 Sept. 26, handing the Warriors their first in-state loss in 343 days, Mike drove past the field in the family’s car and honked the horn in celebration. It’s an act Melissa would’ve done, one of many memories that will continue to be preserved.
“I see the connection all the time,” Mike said.
Through life’s greatest gifts and incomparable heartbreaks, Chloe and Morgan will always have each other.
Friendly competition may rule a portion of their relationship. But the in-born values, the unspoken understanding of friendship will forever fuel their path.
“I literally have my best friend with me,” Chloe said.
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