Moorestown's Darmo twins chase elusive state title in field hockey

Tuesday night was the last night of summer for the students of Moorestown High School.

And Julia Darmo said she had those usual first-day-of-school jitters.

But next to her was her twin sister, Morgan. And as in most things in life, Julia said, having her sister by her side made things just a little bit easier.

It's not uncommon to hear high school sports teams describe themselves as "families" and their teammates as "sisters" or "brothers."

For the Moorestown field hockey team, that approach is a bit more literal.

The Darmos — juniors who are set to continue their playing careers at Cornell — aren't even the only set of twins on their team.

Moorestown is fielding three pairs of siblings who should all be major varsity contributors, including two sets of twins: The Darmos, who are fraternal twins, and Madison and Olivia Sever, who are identical.

"In everything we do — in our runs together, in our drills at practice — we're always pushing each other to do better. And part of that comes down to how close we all are to each other," Morgan said.

"Most of us, not just the sisters, have been playing together since first grade or kindergarten," Julia said. "We just have these connections. We have bonds as friends, on and off the field."

Family ties have made the players that much more united in a singular mission.

The Quakers enter this season having won five South Jersey titles in six years. They are always among the top teams in South Jersey.  But a state championship has eluded them.

This year, the team brings back nearly every key piece from a team that went 16-4-1.

The Quakers are talented, experienced and hungry to win the program's first state title since 2006.

"The expectations around our team are certainly due partly to our reputation around South Jersey and the state," said head coach Ali Collins. "But we also set these expectations of ourselves. We want to uphold the tradition of our program. And what these girls expect of themselves is very high."

The Darmo twins embody the attitude of their team this season. Last year, Morgan, a junior defender, faced personal struggles all season as she worked to gain strength back in a surgically repaired knee.

She said all of her teammates, especially Julia, a midfielder, helped motivate her and keep her spirits up during rough moments.

"I got stronger as the year went on," Morgan said. "And a big reason why was because there was so much support around me."

Collins described Morgan as the more vocal of the two sisters, something of a team mom.

As for Julia "she's not quite as vocal as Morgan, but she's like an explosion on the field. Her energy is amazing. And they're both just so competitive."

The sisters say they have complementary personalities. And that's part of the reason they both chose to go to the same college.

The idea of separating after high school came up briefly.

"But we always knew we wanted to stay together," said Julia, who wants to study business. "Plus, I know we both love the school. And after our official visit, I was 100 percent sure."

"I can't imagine being separated from her," said Morgan, who is leaning toward studying communications. "We've always shared the same room. We have the same friends. We do everything together. So sticking together seems to be the only way to do it."

That kind of closeness is everywhere at Moorestown this season.

And while the first day of school is over, the first game is Thursday afternoon at Pennsauken. There will probably be jitters on that day, too.

But it will be easier, the sisters say, together. And that's part of the theme of this season for Moorestown.

The talent and experience is there. Now it's time to let the chemistry take over.

"We want it so bad," Julia said. "We just have to keep working hard. We know we can't let up. But that's why we have each other. We'll support each other. And we'll have fun as we do it."