Utter-ly capable
By Josh Lashley STANHOPE There's no set formula for how many captains a high school sports team needs in order to be effective. At Lenape Valley, the Patriots softball team is putting their money on just one: senior Deanna Utter. Its easy to understand why Utter was chosen as the leader of the team this spring, according to head softball coach Bill Moore. Indeed, when describing what Utter means to the program, Moore boiled it down to one word - leadership. She leads by example," Moore said. The girls respect her game and her intensity. She never misses a practice and is always at off-season workouts. She is always helping the younger players, by teaching them the right way to play the game-the mental aspect of the game as well as physical." Utter was named Lenape Valleys Rookie of the Year as a freshman softball player. She has also earned awards including, but not limited to, first team All North Jersey Athletic Conference Freedom Division 2010-11 and first team All West Jersey 2011. Utters work in the classroom is also admirable. She is a member of the National Honor Society, earned the Scholar Athlete Award, and was recently named Student of the Month for both mathematics and history. She also made the Distinguished Honor Roll and is a member of the Gifted and Talented Program. Deannas work ethic is incredible," Moore said. She is never satisfied with her performance and is always improving." In games played through May 9, Utter led the team with a .575 batting average, had 32 stolen bases and recorded 27 runs batted in. Through games played on May 10, Lenape Valley had an overall record of 16-5.