After all, only one team can win the PIAA championship, and Shellaway’s Boyertown team went out in the first round, falling to Easton of District 11.
But Shellaway got to go out on her terms, returning to the lineup after a hamstring injury in the district semifinals and playing the full game when many said it would be impossible.
Adding her toughness and team-first attitude to a do-it-all skill set makes Shellaway the Mercury’s Field Hockey Player of the Year for 2024 – the second year in a row she’s earned top honors.
Shellaway’s 15 goals and 21 assists this season pushed her above the 100-point mark for her high school career and earned her National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-Region honors for a second consecutive season. On the field, one of the main differences was the fact that Boyertown captured the 2024 PAC championship after falling short against Methacton a season ago.
But the main attribute that stood out this season was Shellaway’s willingness to take on any challenge – leading her team against national powerhouse opponents, switching positions midseason and playing through injury in the postseason.
Last year, Shellaway discussed how close she came to spending her high school years at the Hill School before ultimately deciding to remain at Boyertown. In the end, both sides won – Shellaway enjoyed a prolific scholastic career that will continue next year at the University of Iowa, and Hill became the nation’s No. 1 team in 2024 with a 22-0 record.
But never in her wildest dreams did Shellaway expect the two to cross paths between the lines – until Boyertown coach Alicia Terrizzi scheduled a matchup with Hill this past September.
“When I saw that game on our schedule, I was immediately nervous because they’re so strong,” Shellaway admitted.
Terrizzi said at the time that she struggled with the decision to schedule the contest, ultimately choosing to see how her Bears measured up with a team she described as “a different breed.”
In the end, the Bears measured up as well if not better than most Hill opponents. Hill outscored its 2024 opponents by a combined figure of 115-6, but the final score of their game with Boyertown was a more-than-respectable 2-0. To both player and coach, the outcome vindicates the election to schedule the contest.
“We did well,” said Shellaway. “We came into the game knowing we could hang with them, and we showed that in the end result and throughout the whole game. We all stayed together.”
“Every game is there for a reason,” said Terrizzi. “We’re trying to build a schedule that ultimately puts us in a position to make a deep run into the playoffs, and it’s a fine line between challenging ourselves or getting beat up.”
Ultimately, the decision paid off. Another challenging non-league contest two weeks later with state power Emmaus ended in a somewhat more bitter one-goal defeat (“we should’ve won that game,” insisted Terrizzi after the season), but the Bears got healthier as a team and went into the postseason on a four-game unbeaten streak.
Boyertown’s Peyton Shellaway, 8, passes the ball against Methacton during the Pioneer Athletic Conference championship game on Wednesday, Oct. 16, 2024 at Upper Perkiomen. The Bears won the league title after falling in the title game in 2023. (Mike Cabrey/MediaNews Group)As the season progressed, Shellaway’s role moved from leading scorer into a more defensive position as the Bears’ needs changed, and other players became reliable offensive contributors. “Anyone can say they want to put the team first,” said Terrizzi, “but do their actions show that?”
For example, when word got around that Shellaway was the key to Boyertown’s offense, teams naturally game-planned to stop her. Against Downingtown East, Peyton had her plan for countering this strategy.
“What does she do?” asked Terrizzi. “She doesn’t get frustrated – she realizes that their best player is marking her. So she goes and stands over near the sideline. Literally just stood there.”
To Shellaway, the strategy was two-pronged – not only did it confuse and frustrate her opposite number, but it also gave her teammates more room to operate on offense. “It boosts everyone’s confidence,” said Terrizzi, “because as a leader, she’s effectively saying ‘I trust you to get the job done. I’m creating room for you to score goals.’ That speaks volumes.”
As a result, Shellaway’s individual numbers slowed as the season progressed – not that she noticed – as Boyertown got hot, reeling off consecutive victories in the Final Four to become PAC champions, then progressing directly to districts with a decisive win over Neshaminy before going on the road to upend No. 2 seed Central Bucks West.
It led the Bears back to Conestoga’s Teamer Field, the spot where their district campaign ended in 2023. Conestoga would ultimately win the PIAA title at the state’s highest 3A level, so while Boyertown’s 4-1 defeat was disappointing, it wasn’t as damaging as what happened at the start of the fourth quarter of that contest – Shellaway pulling up on a play, clearly favoring her hamstring.
Shellaway missed the Bears’ playback game with Downingtown West, a chance for both player and coach to see that as far as the team had come, losing their on-field leader still had quite the effect. “We’d practiced this,” laughed Terrizzi. “When I called for a specific corner, I could see we were confused. So after the quarter, I asked the players what was going on.”
“We’re not sure what to do,” was the response. “Usually, Peyton just tells us where to go.”
Weeks later, both player and coach realized the volumes that sequence spoke.
“I didn’t realize I had that impact,” Shellaway admitted.
“A big part of it is getting people accustomed to taking that role themselves,” added Terrizzi. “I do wonder what we’re going to do next year, but I know I’ve said that in previous years. I know players will rise to the occasion, and it’s because of the example (Shellaway) has set.”
Shellaway says her mindset of playing the game the right way comes from her mother, Kyle, who had her own standout career at Boyertown and later at UMass-Amherst. She was a member of the United States U21 team and U.S. Senior national team in the 1990s.
“She taught me from the beginning that there’s a right way to play,” said Peyton, “and I’ve learned to rely on my game sense above all else. I’m not the fastest player out there, I don’t need to have the ball on my stick at all times. Goals, assists, those aren’t why I play. It’s about winning and playing the game the right way.”