VIRGINIA BEACH, VA (WTKR)- Winning one state championship is hard enough, but coaches and athletes will tell you that staying on top once a team gets there is even more difficult. Over the course of the last several years, however, Frank Cox field hockey has been the class of the commonwealth.
When Addie Froehlich began her high school career with the Falcons, she was already familiar with the culture before taking the field her freshman season. At the time, Cox was coming off of its first state championship.
"You're kind of taught the values," the now-senior said. "(Coach Taylor) Rountree does a good job of teaching you the values of Cox field hockey as a middle schooler and if you do choose to go to Cox High School instead of going to an academy, it's really an easy transition process."
Fast forward, and the senior Froehlich is carrying on that culture of Falcon success. She and her teammates have continued to set the bar high. Tuesday night saw Cox hold off Gloucester in a shootout, punching the team's ticket to the Class 5 state semifinals.
"We're a dramatic team," smiled Froehlich. "We like going into overtime, this is the third game we've had to go into overtime so I think it just shows how much heart our team has."
Making deep postseason runs is not unfamiliar territory to the program. The Falcons have won four consecutive state crowns and after some early bumps in the road to start off 2022, this year's edition of the squad looks primed to keep that streak alive.
"We took a loss to Norfolk Academy and we had some other losses and I think the pressure just kind of eased," head coach Taylor Rountree noted. "They're just comfortable being this Cox team and doing what this Cox team does best."
"Of course there's a big pressure that comes with you don't want to be the first team to break that streak," added Froehlich. "I take pride in the pressure. I love pressure."
Now the Falcons continue that drive for five. Addie and her fellow seniors enter Friday just two wins away from sweeping every major high school championship during their tenures.
"I've checked off the box of winning every region championship, so I want to be able to check that box of state championship," she said.
"I think it would be everything for the seniors," Rountree said of a hopeful fifth straight title. "All of these seniors I coached from sixth grade and middle school, so this is like the complete journey."
The Falcons take on Independence on Saturday in the Class 5 state semifinals. The contest is set to face off at 6:00 PM.
If you have a nominee for Esprit Decor Student-Athlete of the week, send an email with the information to marc.davis@wtkr.com.
