Young Dragons Answer the Bell in Unbeaten Surf & Sands Run

The youngest team at the national showcase stepped into the U19 division and delivered one of the most significant performances in JVF history.

TINTON FALLS, N.J. — They arrived as the youngest team in the tournament, a collection of mostly 14- and 15-year-olds asked to compete in the U19 division against bigger, older and more experienced opponents.

The JVF Dragons did more than belong.

They went undefeated.

Playing four games at the Surf & Sand Summer College Showcase on Saturday, the Dragons finished 2-0-2, scored six goals and allowed only one. That lone goal came with one second remaining in their final game of the tournament.

The performance gave JVF the best defensive record in the U19 division and completed one of the most significant tournament runs in the organization’s history—not simply because of what the Dragons accomplished, but because of how they accomplished it.

They trusted one another. They remained disciplined. And every time the level of competition rose, they rose with it.

In goal, Gianna Blaylock (Sewell, N.J.) recorded three shutouts in four games and finished with a 0.25 goals-against average. Playing the youngest roster at the event, Blaylock remained composed throughout the tournament, providing the steady presence that allowed the Dragons to play decisively in front of her.

The defense was commanded by Charlotte Trama (Hamden, Conn.), whose communication and leadership kept the unit organized through four demanding matches. Beside her, Mallory Lisy (Mansfield Center, Conn.) repeatedly drew the assignment of containing the opposition’s most dangerous players.

Trama and Lisy set the physical standard for the Dragons, but their performance was defined just as much by intelligence and restraint. They challenged without losing their structure, absorbed pressure without panicking and played with the tactical discipline required against older attackers.

Emma Boyd (Guilford, Conn.), Kenzie Rooney (Branford, Conn.) and Sami Scheibel (Woodbridge, Conn.) delivered critical minutes across a defensive unit that conceded only once all day. Ashlyn Meehan (Guilford, Conn.) strengthened that effort, disrupting attacks before they could reach the back line and helping the Dragons demonstrate depth.

Together, they turned defending into a collective responsibility.

At the center of it all was Sheridan Whitacre (Darien, Conn.), the JVF Dragons most valuable player.

Whitacre scored three of the Dragons’ six goals, commanded the midfield and delivered a complete performance on both sides of the ball. Her stick skills created space where little existed. She defended, initiated attacks and supplied the connecting play that kept the Dragons composed under pressure.

Yet her greatest contribution could not be found in the scoring column.

A senior preparing to begin her collegiate career at Franklin & Marshall in next month, Whitacre understood what the weekend demanded of her. Surrounded by younger teammates, she led through her conduct, work rate and willingness to do whatever the team needed. Her example established the standard, and the Dragons followed it.

“My favorite part of the weekend was watching our team answer the bell and play up to the competition,” Whitacre said.

Parker Jeskey (Guilford, Conn.) scored twice and consistently threatened defenses with her speed and attacking instincts. She nearly completed a hat trick in the Dragons’ second game, narrowly missing what would have been her third goal of the match. Parker's performance at just 14 years old establishes her as one of the best forwards in the country.

Then came one of the defining moments of the tournament.

Emma Boyd and Lilah England pose for photos at the Surf and Sands Showcase (JVF)

Lilah England (Guilford, Conn.), just 13 years old, scored against U19 competition on one of the largest stages of her young career. On a roster already distinguished by its youth, England’s goal offered perhaps the clearest expression of what JVF asks its players to believe: that readiness is not determined by age and opportunity should never be feared.

Up front, Zoe Bonanno (Guilford, Conn.) and Maribel Rinker (Westbrook, Conn.) relentlessly pressed opposing defenses throughout the day. Their pressure forced hurried decisions, disrupted attempts to build from the back and repeatedly created scoring opportunities for the Dragons.

Even when they did not appear in the scoring column, the pace, positioning and persistence of the offensive reserves also helped shape the attack and kept opponents under sustained pressure.

Kaya England (Guilford, Conn.) gave the Dragons energy and versatility off the bench. She pressed, defended and kept opponents off balance, embracing every assignment without concern for recognition. Grace Creanza (Stamford, Conn.) provided stability and depth in the midfield, helping the Dragons sustain their structure across four games with little recovery time between them.

There were no insignificant roles.

That distinction mattered. The Dragons did not navigate the U19 division through one exceptional player or one fortunate result. They succeeded because 14 athletes accepted a shared responsibility to the group.

The JVF Dragons after finishing undefeated at the Surf and Sands showcase (JVF)

A day earlier, the players and their families had gathered on the Asbury Park Boardwalk. They shared an evening by the ocean, took photographs together and wore purple shirts suppled by the Seymour based nonprofit Project Purple , in recognition of families affected by pancreatic cancer. The Dragons then dedicated the entire tournament run to all families impacted by the disease.

The gathering represented more than a night before the tournament. It reflected the culture taking shape around the Dragons, one built not only by athletes and coaches, but by families willing to invest in one another.

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The JVF Car Wash on June 28th in Guilford Connecticut (JVF)

Weeks earlier, many of those same players and parents had spent a Sunday washing cars to help make the trip possible. For JVF, a nonprofit organization committed to removing financial barriers from youth sports, national competition is not simply placed on a calendar. It requires sacrifice, fundraising and a community willing to turn opportunity into reality.

The families created that opportunity together.

On Friday night, they stood together on the boardwalk. On Saturday morning, the Dragons played the same way.

That connection was visible throughout the tournament. Players defended for one another, celebrated one another and accepted every role the team required. The trust displayed against U19 competition had been formed over months, through training sessions, tournament setbacks, long drives, fundraising events and shared moments that would never appear in a final score.

At Surf & Sand, the results reflected the culture behind them.

One year after JVF’s Panthers completed a record-setting championship run at the same event, a new group returned to Tinton Falls and wrote a different kind of history.

These Dragons did not overpower teams their own age. They stepped into the tournament’s oldest youth division, confronted every physical and competitive disadvantage placed before them and refused to retreat.

Four games. Three shutouts. No losses.

The youngest team in the tournament had answered the bell.