By BRIAN TORTELLA
Correspondent
@tortreports on Instagram
WEST DEPTFORD — Jason Morrell was raised by the West Deptford community.
Bleeding green is all he’s ever known.
That’s why the 2001 graduate always knew that he wanted to raise his family the same way he was raised — with an unfathomable sense of tradition.
Morrell still remembers his playing days at West Deptford. The football team would practice next to the field hockey field, and afterward they would cheer on the highly successful program whenever there was a big game.
“I remember practicing right there, and coach (Clyde) Folsom used to bring us over here when there was a big game,” he recalled. “We would all take our helmets off and kneel in the corner and cheer the team on. It was awesome.”
A quarter of a century later, not much about that experience has changed. The location remains exactly the same and both the football and field hockey programs are still just as successful as they were back then.
However, the roles are now completely reversed.
After previously serving as the athletic director for a decade, Morrell is now the principal at West Deptford High School. And after a long day heading the administration at the Gloucester County school, Morrell got the opportunity to walk out to the same field he once stood on 25 years ago.
But on this humid September evening, he was watching his daughter, Mia, showcase her talents as one of the best overall players in the region for the Eagles. His other daughter, Jayley, is a freshman who rotates between junior varsity and varsity. His beloved Eagles lost, 1-0, to Haddonfield, as Emerson Hall’s first-quarter goal stood up behind Bulldawgs goalie Connolly Cassin’s 11 saves.
Only a sophomore, Mia burst onto the scene before her high school career even started last fall. She made the Team USA U16 team and has been overseas to compete three times, including a 12-day trip to Amsterdam this summer for the World Youth Festival. Only 16 years old, she has gone solo on each trip, which included one to London last spring. No parents, no family. Just field hockey.
“Mia is the most dedicated player I’ve ever seen, coached, and witnessed,” West Deptford coach Courtney Stetson said. “She is so dedicated to her craft and really works at it. People wonder how she got that good, and it’s because she takes field hockey so seriously.”
Those are wise words coming from Stetson, who has guided the Eagles to two Group I state titles and numerous deep playoff runs across seven full seasons at the helm. Realistically, Stetson knows Morrell could be playing wherever she wants to right now, but she chooses to represent the colors her father once wore.
That’s pride. That’s commitment. And that’s what true tradition looks like.
“We bleed green here,” said Stetson, a 2005 West Deptford graduate. “She probably could’ve gone to any prep school that she wanted and been a star there, too, but she loves where we are from. She wants to wear the green-and-white. That’s very important. She loves West Deptford field hockey and wants our team to be successful. She’s not interested in herself. She wants the team to be as good as they can be.
“It’s incredibly special, and I’ve been lucky to be her coach since she was 10,” added Stetson, who coaches for South Jersey Edge Club in the offseason. “I’ve seen her grow into this mature player, and it’s really nice.”
For Mia personally, coming to West Deptford was a no-brainer and always inevitable. And while she admits her trips overseas playing for the U16 national team are nice, they pale in comparison to game days right off of Exit 22 on I-295, on a small grass field behind the school that has meant so much to her upbringing.
“These are the people who built me up,” Mia said. “Playing for them and playing for my community makes me really proud to be a part of West Deptford. I wanted to stay in the program and help build other girls up. I wanted to make West Deptford great.”
“It means a lot,” she continued, referring to being able to follow in her father’s footsteps. “I have always looked up to him. He has always been my trainer and has helped me get to where I am today. Being able to make my family proud means a lot.”
So far this fall, the Eagles are off to a 2-1 start through three games. Morrell has two goals and one assist, but she shines in the defensive midfield. Both of her scores came in a 4-2 upset victory over defending Group 4 state champion Kingsway on Tuesday.
Morrell will now look to help the Eagles reclaim their place atop Group 1 statewide. After winning state titles in 2023 and 2024, West Deptford has been unable to get past eventual state champion Shore Regional each of the past two years in the sectional final.
No matter how this season ends, though, one thing will never change:
“There’s nothing more important to our family than West Deptford,” Jason Morrell said. “That’s how we raised our children. It’s funny because people ask me how Mia feels about playing for team USA and going overseas. I tell everyone that there’s nothing more important to her than wearing the green-and-white and playing on this field. It’s just unbelievable.
“Those two work really, really hard. Both Mia and Jayley work really hard to put themselves in a position to support this team and this school. That’s their priority — to do what’s best for West Deptford and their family.”
