The more things change, the more they stay the same.
Faith Christian lost some heavy fire power to graduation; Mikayla Hissner (first team) and Kendall Garber (second team) were All-Bicentennial Athletic League (BAL) selections. Izabella Forker, an all-state pick, now suits up for Division I Merrimack.
“We graduated five senior starters. I think the biggest challenge that we’ve had with this group is that they are mostly secondary basketball players – some are softball players and some are soccer players,” commented head coach Dave Forker. “But all are great kids. When it is basketball season, they are all in for me. They are picking up the intangibles. They are selfless. As far as the quality of the young ladies and the families that they come from, I can’t say enough about that. As far as my returning, I’m so glad I did.”
“I think (winning districts) is a possibility since we’ve put in so much hard work during the season and we’re still working hard,” added co-captain Autumn Landis. “Leadership is a big change. Last year, I saw what the other captains did so I’m trying to fill their shoes on this team.”
The Lions (9-5) entered press time a perfect 5-0 in Bicentennial play, and every win was by double digits. Despite a new look lineup, Faith has high hopes for a Bicentennial three-peat.
“Our communication has definitely improved. We’re on the younger side but as the season has gone on we’ve gotten a lot closer, not just in the game but outside the game,” said Kamryn Pepkowski, the 2022 BAL softball Pitcher of the Year. “I feel like our bond has grown. We’re very comfortable with each other. We work hard in practices but we have a good balance of when to have fun and when to lock in, be serious and focus.”
“I think the willingness of our team to work hard and get better every day is one of our strongest points,” added Brooke Picciotti, who is in her second year at Faith after transferring in from Pennridge.
“Like Kamryn said, our team likes to work hard and grind.” Pepkowski and Picciotti join Aubrey Sauers in co-captaining the team with Landis.
Faith still faces the meat of its conference schedule. The Lions battle MaST Charter (5-1 BAL) and Renaissance Academy (6-0 BAL) in back-to-back games on Jan. 23 and 25. Faith hosts nemesis Jenkintown (6-1 BAL) on Groundhog Day.
“Someone stepping up to be the alpha is our next opportunity area,” Forker noted. “There is no ‘I’ in T-E-A-M but there is ‘M’ and ‘E’ so sometimes you need to make a play or shot for us and they are starting to do that.
“The practice times are probably the best times for us with newer and secondary players. We’re able to break the game down and it pays off in so many ways. It puts the pieces together,” Forker added.
In each of the last two seasons, Faith claimed the District One title and advanced to the PIAA elite eight; in 2022 as Class A and in 2023 as Class 2A where it currently plays.
Faith’s path to the lone Class 2A states’ berth likely goes through No. 2 Sacred Heart, which topped Faith 43-27 on Jan. 5. “Winning the league is our goal but we have some tough games coming up. As far as the district goes, our number one goal was to make it to the championship game,” Forker shared. “Sacred Heart is tough and really good. There is no magic formula that will get us 16 points better overnight but we know we can close that gap by working hard in practice and getting better at some things.
“Our goal, if we get to that game, is to give them everything we have,” Forker continued. “God will be glorified with the results if we embrace that process and if we left everything out there.”
The top four teams make districts. Faith, currently ranked first, beat No. 3 Calvary Christian 42-31 in Philadelphia on Dec. 14. The Lions close the regular season with No. 4 Delco Christian.
After a six-day layoff, the Lions return to the hardwood this Thursday when they host Collegium Charter and attempt to go 6-0 in league play.
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