The Moorestown High School girls lacrosse team came out on top 18-1 in its home game against Camden Catholic on May 13, recognizing alumnae and breast cancer survivors Deanna Knobloch, Casey Cech, Kate Korson and Regina McCloskey at halftime.
“This particular cancer affects one in eight women, so there are a lot of Moorestown girls, lacrosse alumnae, who have battled this cancer,” said team coach Colleen Hancox. “And it has become something where it’s really not about one person, it’s about our entire lacrosse family and community.
“And (it’s) a game where we will recognize these proud supporters at halftime and raise some awareness about breast cancer, especially to the young girls on both teams.”
The recognition showed that there’s more than just playing lacrosse, according to Hancox.
“These events, where we can come together as a town and as a lacrosse community, it just really re-emphasizes that being a part of the high-school teams is more than just about playing the sport,” she explained. “We’re a family and we’re a community, and we support and honor those that came before us and continue to be role models for the girls that will be coming up through the program.”
The team’s donation page through the Susan G. Komen breast cancer organization raised $2,228 of its $1,000 goal. The nonprofit’s mission is to save lives by meeting the most critical needs in communities and investing in research on breast cancer.
“We felt that Susan G. Komen, because of all the areas of breast cancer that they cover in terms of research and treatment, that it really encompasses all the women who are being recognized in their journey when they battled breast cancer,” Hancox said.
There are more than four million breast cancer survivors – men included – and people living with breast cancer in the U.S., the most of any group of cancer survivors. Most of those diagnosed with breast cancer will live for many years, according to the Komen website. In 2024, it’s estimated there will be 310,720 new cases of invasive breast cancer; 56,500 new cases of ductal carcinoma in situ (DCIS), a non-invasive cancer; and 42,250 breast cancer deaths.
“I think that the bigger takeaway and the biggest life lesson is that these women were diagnosed with cancer, and they faced it head on and battled it, and have fortunately come out the other side,” Hancox observed.
“ … We … have things going on in our lives that are more than the game of lacrosse and the sense of community and support oftentimes is more important than the X’s and O’s and what we do on the field,” she added. “I want them (the team) to learn that while we have our own focus within the team, that there are moments and opportunities where you have to look outside the bubble of the high-school team or the high-school sport.
” … It’s bigger than us, and we need to take these opportunities to shine a light on that and to learn.”
