On April 6, Kellyann Krepp scored four goals to help the Ewing High School girls’ lacrosse team defeat Nottingham and also put her career total at 99. The five days that followed were some of the longest of her life.
The senior center had that long to think about reaching a milestone that only two other Blue Devil girls had attained. It didn’t help that she was constantly being reminded of how close she was.
“It was definitely on my mind, I had tons of people reminding me I was one away from 100,” Krepp said.
In a May 11 home game against Lawrence, with the century mark sitting right in front of her, Krepp missed two eight-meter shots in the first half as the Devils fell behind 4-1 at intermission. The first went low off the post, the second went off the goalie’s shin guards.
This was not good.
“My stomach was churning on the sidelines,” head coach Leslie Conant said.
Classmates stood on the bleachers cheering and holding signs. Members of the baseball team sat on the grass forming the number “100.” The pressure was on.
“I was feeling a little frustrated,” Krepp admitted. “But I didn’t try to think about it too much.”
Then came the second half, and Kellyann prepared for her third 8-meter opportunity.
“After missing those first two, I was just thinking of where to place the ball,” she said. “It was very exciting when it went in. I guess I was nervous about scoring the 100th but I ended up getting it in the second half. It was really nice, the whole school came out and there were tons of people there.”
Conant, who has forged a tight bond with Krepp, hugged her right after the ball went in.
“I was so happy for her, I was almost crying,” she said. “Then I’m like ‘Now let’s go play your game.’ And she said, ‘Exactly.’ It was just such a weight off her and such a relief to finally get it.”
Krepp ended up scoring five goals, including one with 10 seconds remaining to give the Blue Devils a 9-8 victory. Krepp “got the nerves out,” she said.
“To come back and win it and get that final goal in the last 10 seconds, it was like a storybook ending,” Conant said.
Krepp came to Conant like so many others—recruited by the coach off the soccer team. Like several other towns in Mercer County, Ewing doesn’t have a premier feeder system and depends on players from other sports.
Conant also coaches field hockey and before her night practices on the Devils’ turf field, she would watch soccer games to see who might look good with a stick in their hand.
“The soccer girls are just wonderful, they translate very well to lacrosse,” the coach said.
Soccer has always been Krepp’s sport, and she is likely going to Mercer County Community College next year to play. But after Conant approached her, she decided to give lacrosse a shot.
For a few days, Krepp wondered what strange world she entered.
“It was so weird, it’s like an awkward feeling, like ‘Should I be doing this?’” Krepp said. “It’s an awkward motion, but once you get the hang of it I think it’s really easy. It didn’t take me that long. I learned how to do everything in the preseason.”
Krepp scored 14 goals as a freshman, upped her total to 27 and 28 as a sophomore and junior, and exploded for 41 this season to give her 109 for her career.
She isn’t the tallest player, but she used her speed and ability to hide behind others to become a lethal scorer.
“I’m short, so I’m able to duck under people and I’m really fast,” she said. “But I think my cradling with the ball is one of the main things I can do well. And with shooting, we always worked on one-time shots, just catch and throw, so I do that a lot.”
Conant feels it’s important to note that Krepp does so much more than score.
“She wants to do whatever she can for the win, whether it’s an assist, or ground ball pick up or check at the other end of the field,” the coach said.
Krepp will also pass up a goal and feed a teammate who may be in a better position to score.
“She’s very unselfish,” Conant said. “You can tell at our games, just the camaraderie with the team. When she scored her 100th goal, I was so thrilled she scored and got this great milestone, but [also] just to see her teammates react. They were so passionate about her getting that goal. It just makes coaching great and makes that moment 100 times better. The girls love her. She’s a great teammate and a great, great captain.”
What makes Krepp so remarkable is she puts no extra time into lacrosse other than the two-and-a-half months she plays during the season. She admittedly wonders how good she could be if she devoted more time to it. Conant feels she could definitely play in college at the Division III level.
There is no lacrosse at Mercer, however, which is where Krepp now attends vocational school for criminal science. She plans on majoring in that at MCCC and is also getting an education while watching a couple of the 8 million CSI shows that have been on TV.
“When I was a freshman I had a couple friends that were older, they were into that kind of stuff, so that kind of made me curious,” she said. “So when they had the vo-tech option I picked it because it looked interesting, and I want to keep doing it.”
Conant is not giving up on her lacrosse career, however.
“Even if she doesn’t play for a year or two, I think she could go to any school and pick it right back up and be as great as she is right now and even better,” the coach said. “At the collegiate level, you’re playing with a better caliber of athlete all around you all the time. It would be exciting to see her in that situation.”
Conant admits she has a plan, although it may result in a restraining order against the eighth-year coach.
“I’ll have to stalk her at Mercer for two more years before she leaves and see what happens; she’s not going to get rid of me that quickly,” the coach said with a laugh. “I’m really going to miss her when she goes. She’s definitely one of the favorite players I’ve had.”
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