Fornia, a star who made teammates better, is S.J. girls' lacrosse Player of the Year
At the end of her freshman year, Gabby Fornia met with coach Jill McCarthy to review her first season of high school lacrosse.
At the end of her freshman year, Gabby Fornia met with coach Jill McCarthy to review her first season of high school lacrosse.
They talked about what went right for Fornia that season, what went wrong.
Fornia talked about what she wanted to improve on.
"The first thing she told me was, 'I want to make my teammates better. I want to improve my passing, look to thread the needle more and just assist more.' "
The words were prophetic. Fornia wanted more assists this year. And she got them.
Fornia recorded 18 assists last season. It took her just three games to match that total this year.
Fornia, The Inquirer's South Jersey Player of the Year in girls' lacrosse, finished with 91 assists, more than any other player in the state. And she still managed to net 79 goals and scoop 98 groundballs.
The output is almost hard to believe: she averaged close to eight points and five groundballs per game.
Fornia was everywhere this season, did everything.
And there's more.
The Indians finished 20-2 and won consecutive sectional titles for the first time in program history. Fornia netted a team-high three goals in the South Jersey Group 4 championship win over archrival Shawnee. After that, the team nearly knocked off state juggernaut Ridgewood in the Group 4 title game.
Fornia was an elite player putting up elite numbers for an elite team against a schedule that ranks among the toughest in the state.
"I think this year was really special for me mostly because we were really senior heavy. And we were all really good friends with the seniors. And it meant a lot for us to play for them," Fornia said. "I knew that we had such great girls on the team. I think that having them there and always helping me out was the key to my improvement. They really made me look better than I was."
The Indians entered this year having to replace the bulk of their offense after winning the state Group 4 championship.
McCarthy knew her team still had plenty of talent - but a core of offensive players, including Fornia, would have to step into new roles and help develop a new identity for the unit.
The players made that tough task look easy - a testament to what the coach described as an incredible amount of hard work, particularly in the offseason.
"I remember Gabby sending me pictures of herself outside practicing her shot in the snow this winter, she's just a tireless worker," McCarthy said. "She's mature beyond her years. Her whole outlook on the game and the type of team player that she is just makes her one of those one-in-a-million athletes that don't come around very often."
Fornia, who started playing lacrosse in fourth grade, doesn't quite see it that way. For her, this season was more about what the team accomplished-and what they can continue to achieve over her final two seasons.
"I knew that somebody had to step up. And I just wanted to be a part of that group," Fornia said. "So many girls stepped up this year. It was just great watching everybody improve and really become leaders."