On Nov. 19, 2021, Eastern Regional High, which draws its students from Voorhees, Berlin and Gibbsboro, in South Jersey, and was guided by first-year head coach Kerry Heck, defeated Oak Knoll, 4-3, to win its ninth (and final) Tournament of Champions field hockey crown. New Jersey decided to cancel the event, in all sports, at the end of the 2021-22 school year. The story is below . . .
 

By Tom Rimback
Cherry Hill Courier-Post

  UNION — The last play. After the last second on the clock. The very last touch of the entire New Jersey high school field hockey season.
  Ryleigh Heck.
  Anyone who didn’t think the Eastern senior would have the final say on all things field hockey this magical season, hasn’t been paying attention.
  On a penalty corner that extended beyond the final horn, Heck scored the Tournament of Champions-winning goal as Eastern beat Non-Public state champion Oak Knoll 4-3. It was the ninth TOC title for the Vikings and the first since 2018, Heck’s freshman year.
  This season couldn’t have ended any other way.
Eastern forced a turnover in the final minute of play and sent it blindly ahead to Heck.
  “I honestly was just thinking, there are 30 seconds left, just go Ryleigh," Heck said. “There's nothing to lose. Why not just go. It worked out on my favor.”
  Heck drew a penalty corner that, by rule, would be played out to its conclusion regardless of the time on the clock. Riley Hudson inserted the ball to Tess Herman with five seconds on the clock. Herman returned the pass to Hudson who then fed it into Heck at the stroke line.
  Heck retreated briefly, dribbled around two defenders as the horn sounded resettled the ball five yards from the goal line and picked her spot. Instead of overtime, the Vikings’ celebrations started.
  “No, we weren't going to overtime,” Heck said. “I don't think we like overtime very much. Past experiences, we haven't done well. I don't know. It was just this is just the best time ever. Unreal.”
  There are probably 100 reasons Eastern shouldn’t have won the game.
  Oak Knoll led 3-0 with 13 minutes left in the first half.
  “It was so hard,” senior midfielder Izzy Bianco said. "It was just hard like come back around. But you know, we did it. We still had 45 minutes left and we just had to play our game. We were down against West Essex the other day and we just kept our composure. We kept composure in this game.”
  Heck scored twice before halftime to raise her season goal total to 124 goals, tying the national single-season record.
  It was still 3-2 with 4:28 left in the fourth quarter when Heck was assessed a green card. For the next two minutes, most prolific goals scorer in United States field hockey could only watch. It was excruciating.
  “I'm sitting on the bench and my head is my head spinning,” Heck said. “We were man down on the field, like what's going to happen next? I never doubted my teammates and Olivia (White) took it right down and just threw it in. I don't know if anyone saw me but I think I was in the air. I was so high in the air so happy when she did that.”
  White tied the game with 3:56 to play. Heck still had almost 90 seconds left in the penalty chair. “Olivia has been great all season,” Bianco said. “She had a great game. She was right there and she was due for one. It came at the right time. I was just so happy when that happened.”
  Heck concluded her unparalleled career with 323 career goals, five goals shy of the Eastern and New Jersey career record established by Eastern’s Austyn Cuneo in 2014. Because of 2020’s pandemic-shortened season, Heck accomplished her total in 93 games, 13 fewer than Cuneo’s 106.
  Heck entered the game trailing Mackenzie Allessie of Donegal (Pa.) High School’s 2018 standard of 124 career goals. Heck tied that mark with :30 seconds left in the half. Vikings’ athletic director Steve Picot collected that ball in case it was to be Heck’s last. Picot could be seen scrambling to get to Heck’s game-winner before it was lost in the celebrations.
  As those revelries began to die down a realization began to come that one more bus ride together would be the last activity the team would ever have together. For some, it would be the last of their high school careers.
  “Ryleigh and I grew up playing rec. hockey together since sixth grade," Bianco said. “Just having that connection all through middle school and high school has been great. It's an honor to feed her the ball and have her shoot it in the back of the net. It's a team sport. We're getting to the ball and we're working for her. She's working for us.”
  Bianco finished with 52 assists this season, also a United States record. Her 106 career assists ranks in the top three nationally. Those are numbers. The emotions mean more.
  “Izzy is my best friend on and off the field,” Heck said. “We have probably the best connection by far.     It’s great to finish this season with her and with the win. I'm just going to miss playing with her and miss the whole team.I don't even know what to say. It's just unreal.”
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Starters vs. Oak Knoll
Seniors Unless Noted
Ryleigh Heck, F/M
Laci Coppola, B, jr.
Devin Baraldi, B, jr.
Kylie Dawson, B
Maura Somers, M, jr.
Riley Hudson, M/F
Izzy Bianco, M
Olivia White, F, soph.
Tess Herman, M/B
Brooke Ruiz, F/M, jr.
Susie Miller, G, jr.
Early Subs, Usually
Brynn Somers, B/M
Bella Spina, F
Other Varsity Players
Natalia Ulbin, fr.
Rachel Tishgart
Maisy Mosier, fr.
Samantha Ryan, jr.
Talia Zuccarelli, fr.
Valentina Barone, fr.
Grace Carnival, fr.
Melany Mosier, fr.
Gabby Hoffmaster, fr,

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  ER's Ryleigh Heck powers through Oak Knoll players.

SEASON BY SEASON
(Ending with TOC Crowns)

Conference Champions
(Ending with TOC Crowns)
2006, 2008, 2009,
 2011, 2013, 2014,
 2015, 2018, 2021.

SJ Group 4 Champions
(Ending with TOC Crowns)
2006, 2008, 2009,
2011, 2013, 2014,
2015, 2018, 2021.

NJ Group 4 Champions
(Ending with TOC Crowns)
2006, 2008, 2009,
2011, 2013, 2014,
 2015, 2018, 2021.

Tournament of Champions
(Winners of All Groups;
2006 Was First Year)
2006, 2008, 2009, 2011,
2013, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2021.