To appreciate fully senior Tierney Clark's contribution to Mount Hebron's field hockey team, one had to watch her in a game from start to finish, tirelessly controlling the middle of the field from her center halfback position.
But if you caught Clark in the closing minutes of some of Hebron's games, you would have seen enough to know how crucial her presence was to the Vikings.
"Tierney was the glue in the center of the field. When she was on, she plugged up the whole middle," said Hebron coach Jeanette Ireland, whose Vikings would not have gone 9-3-1 and made the playoffs for the second straight year without Clark.
"She ran sideline to sideline, end line to end line. She did tremendous things. She's an athlete and she's smart."
Clark, The Baltimore Sun's Howard County Field Hockey Player of the Year, made the All-County first team last year.
In Clark's third season as a starter, she emerged as a team captain who led the Vikings to their best finish under Ireland, Hebron's third-year coach.
Links are not usually depended upon for scoring, but Clark stepped up to fill a void for the Vikings, who managed 19 goals in 13 games.
Clark scored four goals, and she got the most mileage out of each score.
Two goals won games over Wilde Lake and Glenelg. Her goal against Glenelg came in overtime, and it gave the Vikings their first victory over Glenelg in years. It also knocked the Gladiators out of first place. No other county opponent beat Glenelg, which edged Hebron by a half-game for the county championship.
Clark also tied two games, which the Vikings eventually won. She scored in the closing minutes to send a game against Howard into overtime. Her game-tying goal against Perry Hall set the stage for a 2-1 Hebron victory.
Clark was all over the field. She was Ireland's first choice for shooting on penalty corners. When the Vikings were defending against corners, she was Ireland's first choice to rush the ball.
Her dodging skill and stickwork were among the best in the county. Clark often could be seen intercepting a pass and weaving downfield through several defenders to get the Vikings' offense rolling. Defensively, she played with the skill and anticipation of a sweeper.
"She did tremendous things. She's a neat kid," said Ireland, who said Clark is considering playing Division I college hockey. "And she's got a lot of potential that hasn't even developed yet."