By Wendi Reardon Price
Staff Writer
wprice@mihomepaper.com
INDEPENDENCE TWP. — The Clarkston Girls Field Hockey team made their latest entry in the program’s history with winning its first playoff game with a 1-0 victory over Grand Blanc, Oct. 16.
“It was pretty exciting,” said Cary Exline, head coach, about the first round of playoffs in the regional game. He added it was the first time Clarkston was seeded. “Then, go into that game and win it at home was more exciting.”
Junior Jenna Brown scored the lone goal while senior co-captain Myah Sadowski had her sixth shutout of the season in the net.
“It’s really fun watching her play,” Exline said about Sadowski, who started as goalie four years ago. “We had just graduated a goalie, and we were looking at the next season for a goalie. We had no one coming in as a goalie. We didn’t have anyone who wanted to play goalie and Myah said ‘sure, I will try it’ – that’s all you can ask. Her first game was out against Rockford and it was amazing. She stood on her head. The other coach said, ‘I thought you didn’t have a goalie.’ I didn’t think I had one until this moment. From there on, she has been amazing. She is going to be a hard one to replace. You can count on her. She is going to be there and she is going to do an exceptional job. The stops she makes are acrobatic, athletic. What you see from an ice hockey goalie, you have seen from Myah on grass – just amazing.”
Exline shared co-captain Savanah Kleinow helped lead defense.

“We hate using the cliché she’s the anchor of the defense but she is,” he said, adding for the past two years she has been able to direct what is going on out on the field. “We really rely on her to help in direction. You have a different view of the field as a defender. They are coming at you, you can see who is coming and where the ball is moving and how to best point the people in front of you. She does a very good job to help direct traffic.”
He added senior Meagan Rhue and sophomore Elly Ryan also made an impact.
“Meagan has really stepped up this year,” Exline said. “It’s tough for our program because so many people start in their sophomore or freshman year. It’s not like you start in middle school, which I would love to do sometime, then junior high, freshman, JV, then varsity. No, you start in your sophomore year, you have never seen the sport before and now you have to play varsity. Most all the players, have high grade point averages. They are all smart. They adapt very quickly. They learn very quickly. Meaghan is one of those players who over the last two years developed into a very solid defender. For Elly, having a shorter bench you get forced into playing. There is no choice. It’s a sink or swim and she swam nicely.”
Exline shared it’s incredible how far the program has come.
They played a game against Brighton and finished with a tie, 0-0.
“I am not focused so much on just winning and losing, that’s not what counts, the involvement and having fun,” said Exline. “We were walking off the field and I’m disappointed we lost. But three years ago, I would have floated off of the field because we tied. Now the expectation is let’s win, we are competitive. The whole thing evolved. We have evolved to be competitive. We are in every game. We are fighting to win – that’s a huge thing in that span of time.”
The Wolves lost to Saline in the semifinal game on Oct. 21, 8-0. Pioneer High defeated Saline in the championship on Oct. 26, 3-1.
Next fall field hockey will be an official sport under the Michigan High School Athletic Association (MHSAA). Exline shared as the sport grows around the state, he would like to see it grow in Clarkston and student-athletes learn the sport earlier than high school.

  Clarkston Athletics, Clarkston Field Hockey