Koa Sports Player of the Month

Simone L is our first player of the month for 2012!  A 4th grader at Chevy Chase Elementary, Simone plays for Koa’s Mudcat Storm winter hoops team.  Although it’s Simone’s first year playing for a basketball team, you’d never know it -- she is a natural!  Her great hustle, awesome effort, and eagerness to learn are a winning combination. She has impressed Coach Bianca and Coach Kelly with how quickly she is learning the game and her team spirit. Simone is a great addition to the Koa Sports League lineup!

Hut 1 Hut 2 – Meet December’s Player of the Month Mac A.  A freshman at Georgetown Day School, Mac was a member of the Koa Fall Flag Football League Wolverines – the Big 10 Championship team! Mac’s no slouch on the baseball diamond either. He’s part of the Koa 2015 Travel Team where he’s a versatile player with speed. He pitches, catches, and can play all 3 outfield positions.

As part of the Koa/Next Level program for over 8 seasons, Mac has made a big impression with coaches and players with his energetic personality.  Word is, he can carry on a conversation with people of any age. We expect to see more good things from Mac!

Meet Michael, a 5th grader at Wayside ES.  This November Player of the Month excels in flag football as well as tackle!  Defining determined, injuries do not slow Michael down. After breaking his wrist a few days prior, this dude led the Golden Eagles to a Koa Big East Flag Football Championship!  Throughout the season Michael played multiple positions on the flag field but was always under center when his team needed a big play.  A veteran of Koa, Michael has also been playing for the Spartan Huskies baseball team the past 3 seasons.  No matter what sport he's playing, Michael attacks the sport with class and athleticism.  He has a bright future in anything he puts his mind to!

Congratulations to Koa’s Player of the Month for October, Kalin C.! This softball enthusiast plays on Koa’s 10U Lightning fastpitch team and reps her team name well with her fast as lightning delivery. Opposing players intimidated by this 10-year old’s velocity often step out of the box on pitches right over the plate!

Kalin is a natural athlete, but she puts in the hard work it takes to succeed. She was the only player to attend every practice this season, including one on Halloween! She sometimes arrives at practice even before the coach to work on her pitching. Her mom has the shin bruises to prove it! Kalin is a skilled player who continues to improve rapidly because of her dedication to the sport. We know she will go far!

Meet Koa's September Play of the Month, Rita! Rita is a coach’s dream with her positive attitude and willingness to try new positions. Rita took command of the team right from the start this season when she was called upon to catch the first doubleheader. She looked as though she had been playing catcher for years as she effortlessly blocked balls and really kept her pitcher on point.

Rita kept a smile on her face both in the field and in the dugout where she was heard cheering on her teammates that were up to bat. She is truly a team player and a key asset to the Koa 12U Cyclones Fastpitch team!!

Matt W. is Koa’s August player of the month.  This Bethesda-Chevy Chase HS Freshman was a huge asset for Koa’s MCBA summer baseball team.  Matt was the “battery” for the club and a real leader on the field.  His commitment was evident when he played with pain and battled past injury.  All summer, Matt motivated his teammates though his toughness.  Coach Tim Nori was very greatful and described Matt as “One of the smartest and toughest kids I have ever coached.”  Koa is looking forward to seeing Matt contribute to his High School team moving forward.

Congrats to Koa's July Player of the Month, Peirce M.! A 4 year starting pitcher for Montgomery Blair HS, Peirce took his experience to Koa's Summer ODL Showcase team. By throwing strikes and keeping hitters off balance, Peirce accumulated quality start after start. When the opposition did reach base, Peirce picked them off -- in one game vs. Dematha, he picked 4 players off 1st base! On top of pitching duties, he led the team in hitting, earning a .400+ clip for the summer. Stevens Institute of Technology is lucky to get Peirce as a student-athlete for several upcoming seasons!

Koa Grad Class 2013 Team member Alexander will be a junior for the 2011-12 school year at the Landon School year where he plays baseball and football for the Bears. During baseball season, he's a left handed pitcher and 1st baseman . Word is, his pitching and hitting is lights out! Most recently, Alexander helped Koa advance to the semi finals of the Beast of the East Tournament in West Virginia. Congrats to our June Player of the Month!

Meet one of our newest 12U Fastpitch Softball Travel Team stars -- Gabby S! Gabby was part of the Tornadoes for their awesome inaugural spring season. Simply put, this athlete has an amazing attitude! Gabby's no bucket sitter -- word on the field is she pushes herself even harder than the coaches push her. To top it off, this rising 5th grader has a really strong arm and can make the furthest throws out of all her teammates.

Off the field, Gabby loves to cook and she sings in the choir. And in case you were asking, of course she loves the Clemson Tigers!

April means baseball so it’s only natural that Jack is our player of the month.  And speaking of natural, this dude’s a natural pitcher.  He has great velocity and can put the ball where he wants it!  A 3rd grader at Cold Spring ES, Jack is part of the Spartan Pirates in Koa’s Rookie League.  With his ability to throw left handed and bat right, he keeps you guessing!  Jack is always very eager to learn and get better at baseball – he’s one to watch!

Here's Madison -Koa's stand out Field Hockey Goalkeeper! The enthusiasm and positive attitude that Madison brought every weekend to the Koa Field Hockey Winter Clinic did not go unnoticed by the coaches!! Like most of the girls, Madison was a first-timer at the clinic, but she jumped at the opportunity to get into the cage. Whether she was practicing splits or clears, Madison would work to fully understand the mechanics behind every movement involved in each skill, which she was able to transition into real time when she was shot on in scrimmages. As a 5th grader, Madison was able to step into the cage and skillfully stop shots taken by the 7th and 8th grade girls. Madison would arrive early to clinic so she could get her equipment on and be ready as soon as the coaches arrived. Now that’s what you call dedication!!

Meet Charles, a stand out ball player and all-around athlete at Koa!  A 7^th grader at Hoover MS and a member of Koa’s 13U Travel ball team, this dude has an impeccable work ethic.  Can’t find him? Check out the basement where he spends hours hitting balls off a tee. Charles is always focused on improving his game and he shows up ready to play.  To maximize his ability, Charles competes day in and day out.  This athlete is a coach’s ideal ball player – he does everything the coach asks of him AND with a smile!

Now here’s a real Koa dynamo – 5 year old Kasey R!  Kasey rocks the Bindeman Winter Afterschool Program with all her energy and enthusiasm.  T-Ball’s one of her favorite sports at the moment and she’s awesome, especially fielding her pitcher position.  This all-star is super athletic and ridiculously fast.  Best of all, Kasey has a great attitude, always listening to the coaches and eager to keep learning new stuff.  She’s usually first out of the gate to get started.  Remember her name – you’ll be hearing a lot more from Kasey!

Koa Cardinal Matthew is a 6th grader at Pyle Middle School. For the Fall Flag Football season, Matthew led his 6th GradeCardinals Team to an undefeated season and the championship! As a starting QB and Safety, this dude had a ridiculous number of sick runs and interceptions throughout the season. Always looking to learn from Coach Steve, Matthew was the most coachable kid on his team. That's some Koa attitude!

Here's a middle schooler with a mission! Frost student Jacob led the Koa Badgers flag football team to an undefeated regular season (8-0 record!). Rushing TD's, sacks, interceptions -- this dude was a monster. Did you know he ran over 130 yards in the second game of a double header? You might have a hard time actually seeing Jacob on the football field -- he's lightning fast!

Meet Gavin - a 6 year old Koa Superstar!!!  Gavin is part of the K-2
Buckeyes flag football team.  This dude is pretty awesome on the field.  In
week 2 of the flag season he made a sick 40 yard TD catch!  Gavin is fast as
lightning and he has great hands.  Watch out for this Buckeye -- we hear the
Terps AND the Redskins are already sending out the scouts!

Allison has been a critical player to the Red, Hot & Blue defense! No matter the situation, she's willing to step up to the plate and work with her teammates to get the job done! Allison has a very positive attitude all through the game -- this Mudcat plays hard from the beginning until the end. She wears many hats on the RH&B; she's a solid pitcher, she makes defensive stops and she shows great leadership on the field!! Be careful if you come up to bat against Allison -- she has a mean streak for striking out A LOT of batters! Allison is always up for the challenge so just make sure you are too!!!

"Boo Boo" -- AKA Kevin Sebastian goes to Our lady of Lourdes in Bethesda.  He’s playing on the Koa 13U travel baseball team this fall where he’s an awesome middle infielder and a utility pitcher when needed.  Boo Boo is very, very fast!!!  This dude steals home all the time and if he gets on first, he’ll score because he steals his way around.  And keep an eye out for Boo Boo when fall flag football starts – he’s the stud QB!

Meet Chase -- a rising Sophomore at Sidwell Friends. Chase is an All Star with the Koa Warriors 2013 travel team. Gametime you can find him on the pitcher's mound or in the infield. Chase has been on fire this summer, throwing strikes with both his fastball AND his breaking ball!!

And if you haven't already heard ... at the last tournament he smacked a home run over the "Black Monster" in Palmyra, PA! Keep it up, Chase!!

Koa Mudcat Susan just finished 5th grade at Bethesda ES.  She made her softball debut attending a free Koa promo day last winter and liked it so much she joined the team! Susan’s a power hitter – with 3 homeruns this season including a GRAND SLAM!!  This Mudcat enjoyed the spring season so much, she can hardly wait for fall ball to begin. Her favorite position is first base, or "where ever you get the ball the most."  Susan adores her three cats as well as all furred, feathered, and finned creatures. In addition to softball, her hobbies include soccer and art.

Drew is an 8th grader at Pyle Middle School, and currently hitting .429.  He is playing a solid 2B and OF for the 14U Travel Team this spring.  The 14U group begins their summer tournament schedule Memorial Day Weekend, hopefully he can stay hot through the summer.

Zach W. is in 6th Grade at Landon where he made 1st honors academically. He plays football and basketball but his first love is baseball. He plays travel baseball with BCC. His BCC U11 team was undefeated in tournament play in 2009 winning 5 tournaments including the AAU mid-Atlantic and will be playing in the AAU U11 national championship tournament in June in Orlando. Zach worked hard in January and February participating in Koa’s advanced pitching and hitting program, as well as Koa’s Speed and Agility Class.

Max is an 8th grader at Pyle Middle, and plays on a bunch of Koa Teams.  Max is the starting shortstop on the 14U baseball team, the QB and safety of the Fiesta Bowl Winning Tar Heels for Flag Football, and a starting guard on the Koa Rising Star Hoops Team.  Most importantly, Max maintains an impressive GPA, and is already in high school math.  Now that’s a student-athlete!

Meet Teddy Bhatia, Koa’s K-2 Flag Footballer to the max! This dude is faster than lightning on the gridiron and his arm is a gun. Listen in on the sideline chatter, the coaches and refs can be heard commenting on Teddy’s wheels! As a fierce K-2 Buckeye, 2 nd grader Teddy has made loads of TD’s for the team and his attitude is an A+. With the Flag season about over, the Koa Staff can’t wait to see what Teddy can do on the baseball field. And oh yeah – he’s ALWAYS got a smile on his face!

Sam is 6th grader at Pyle Middle School, he plays shortstop, outfield, and even he pitches some. This past month Sam slugged 3 home runs and two of them were grand slams!

Sam is driving in runs like it's going out of style, he had over half of the teams RBIs this past month. Keep up the good work!

Tray is a 9th grader at Blair, and he’s having an incredible fall season on the diamond.  Tray has a .417 batting average, .531 on base percentage, 13 runs, is 11 for 11 in stolen bases, and has 8 RBIs.  Wow! 

Tray is the best defensive catcher in the 15U Northern Virginia Travel Ball League, throwing out 60% of (would be) base stealers.  Tray has been playing so well this season that he was even brought up for an 18U game.  Now that’s stepping it up!