Delaney Newhouse was sold on the sisterhood.
She had no idea how important it would grow to be.
Newhouse is a junior on the St. Hubert High School soccer team. The Morrell native was in grade school when she started thinking about where she’d end up.
Her mom went to St. Hubert, and so did her grandmom. Once she saw what the school offered, she was sold.
“Once I shadowed at the school, I just loved it so much,” Newhouse said. “I just loved everything about it. All the girls are so welcoming. Everyone says how important the sisterhood is and it really is. That’s the best part about the school, the people.”
It goes beyond the classrooms.
When Newhouse arrived at St. Hubert, she was alone. Nobody from her grade school joined her in going to Hubert, and Newhouse got to the school before most of the other freshmen because she played soccer.
It didn’t take her long to bleed brown and gold.
“I thought it was going to be a lot harder in a lot of ways,” Newhouse said. “Like the competition is really hard. But it wasn’t hard to become part of the team. The other girls, especially the older girls, were so welcoming and helpful. They made it so much easier.
“I was so nervous when I went to practice the first time because I didn’t know anyone. They took me in immediately and made me part of the team. Everyone was there to help, I just kept looking forward to being around the team.
“I was on varsity right away, and they had a lot of good older players who went out of their way to help me. That made it so much easier for me.”
Now she’s paying it forward.
Whatever the older girls taught Newhouse, she’s putting it to good use. She was selected as a captain this year and is doing whatever she can to make the younger Bambies get acclimated to playing high school soccer.
She knows how they feel.
She credits her parents as well as coach Nettie Graziosi-Hibbs for preparing her for the leadership role.
“I have to help everyone, that’s what captains do,” Newhouse said. “I try to be loud and be aggressive and help everyone out. Use my voice throughout the field, too. I think this year, I got better. Being an underclassman on varsity, you’re a little shy. Once you’re warmed up and get that spot, I use my voice a lot more.
“Especially I love talking to the freshmen, helping them out. I try to be a positive person. My parents taught me that. My coach, too. All our team is about positivity and confidence. She strives for that. To make sure we’re in the right mental space.”
Newhouse starts at outside back, anchoring the Bambies defense.
The Bambies finished 5-4 in Catholic League play, putting them in fifth place. They opened their playoff series against fourth-place Archbishop Carroll in the first round. The winner will play Archbishop Wood, which finished 9-0 this year.
On the other side of the bracket, third-place Archbishop Ryan played Lansdale Catholic in the first round. The winner will play Nazareth Academy, which took second and went 8-1.
It’s a terrific run for the Bambies, who have just one senior on the roster.
“We started off really strong and we’re starting playoffs so we’re looking to win,” Newhouse said. “I think there’s so much excitement. So much energy. I think we’re all so close, just being around each other, we all feed off each other’s energy. Staying positive. There’s been some ups and downs, but we get through it all as a team.
“Everyone is here for each other. August to October, we are together every day and we never get sick of each other. We love being around each other. I think because we love playing together so much it makes us want to win.”
Newhouse calls the players on her team her sisters. And she knows there is nothing more important than family.
Her oldest brother Owen was a hockey player. Liam was a senior on the Father Judge baseball team that won a state championship last year.
“My family is really important,” she said. “My mom played soccer, she played in college (East Stroudsburg), my parents push me to work hard. Even my brother Liam. He’s one of my biggest role models in life, watching him and how hard he works while still having the social life outside of sports.
“He doesn’t know a lot about soccer, but he tries to help me. We went to the gym and he pushed me. I was at all his games when he won a state championship. Older brother Owen. He played hockey. Being the only girl with two older brothers is kind of a lot. But they’re great.”
Beyond high school, Newhouse hopes to continue her soccer career while she attends college. A career in nursing is a possibility. In school, she takes honors courses.
She hopes all the hard work she and her teammates put in pays dividends in the playoffs. But no matter what, it’s been a successful season.
“I’m strong and smart on and off the field and always looking for a positive outcome,” Newhouse said. “I think my parents taught me that. And stay positive. That’s my parents and coach Nette. She had a lot to do with that.
“We are happy that we have everyone back, we only lose one great senior. But we want to do our best and see what happens.”
