National honors awarded to Brooks School midfielder

By Monique Walker  |  December 21, 2008

When Brooks School midfielder Chapin Duke (above) takes the field, field-hockey opponents quickly notice No. 12. Brooks coach Casey Bobo calls the Dedham resident one of the most talented she has coached in her four years at the North Andover private school.

Duke's skills were honored on a national scale recently. She became the first Brooks School athlete to be chosen to the Penn Monto/NFHCA High School All-American second team. She was the only player from Massachusetts selected to the first or second team. The honor complemented her selection to the Penn Monto/NFHCA High School Northeast All-Region team.

"When we go to the league meeting at the end of the year, people recognize her number and her name because she's so recognizable on the field for her stick skills and acceleration speed," Bobo said.

Duke led her team in total points (9 goals, 10 assists) and was part of its run to the NEPSAC semifinals, ending its season at 10-7-0. Duke is only a junior but her extensive field-hockey experience has captured the interest of several Division I programs.

"These things aren't possible without a really great team," said Duke in a news release. "It's fantastic that all my teammates made it happen for me."

Bobo said Duke plays with an aggressiveness that knows no limits. Earlier in the season she took on a player bigger than her and ended up with a concussion.

"Chapin is little but she will go up against any kid that is far more physically dominant without any sense of hesitation," Bobo said.

The field-hockey program has enjoyed much success recently, including three NEPSAC titles in 2004, 2005, and 2006. The Brooks School has had talented players before Duke, including Boston College junior Chelsey Feole, an Eagles captain.

Duke follows in line with that tradition. She began playing field hockey in fourth grade and has been involved with national programs, including the USA Field Hockey Futures program. She also played in the 2007 Junior Olympics and is part of the 2009 Olympic Development Select team, whom she hopes to compete with in Australia this spring.

More than 200 players were nominated for the All-Region team and 96 were chosen. Athletes from the four All-Region teams were then eligible for the All-America honors.

"It really validates the whole picture of her as a Division 1 prospect; you have the USA Field Hockey piece and that's great because she's committed to it, and the All-American piece validates her as an overall national player."

There will be even more golf in the future for Braintree native Don Moorhead, who retired last week after 19 seasons as the golf coach at Bentley University.

Moorhead led the Falcons to three Northeast-10 Conference titles (1992, 2006, 2007) and nine NCAA Division 2 Regional berths. He was named the league's coach of the year three times, the last coming in 2007. Moorhead has been connected to Bentley since he graduated from the college in 1970.

The South Shore Regional Vocational Technical football team recently defended its Division 2 Massachusetts Vocational title with a 38-18 win against North Shore Regional earlier this month.

Rockland native Derek Mariani coached the team to the back-to-back championship. The Vikings ended the season at 8-4. Contributions came from all over the field: senior Frank Mogavero delivered 1,274 yards rushing and a school-record 21 touchdowns while quarterback Eric Austin threw a school-record nine touchdowns in his first year at the position.

Monique Walker can be reached at mwalker@globe.com.