Hers is a successful approach at WHS

“Treat every team different.” That’s what Eileen Donahue said when asked how her team has sustained so much success in recent years.

And there has been a lot of success.

Since Donahue became the head field hockey coach at Watertown High 28 years ago, her teams have won 24 Middlesex League titles, 21 Division 2 North titles, and 14 Division 2 state titles. In the last five years, the program has an undefeated streak of 115 games. Within her sport, Donahue is head and shoulders above the rest.

And while many of those witnessing her career may think that the winning becomes routine, she stresses the tremendous amount of work the team and the coaching staff puts in to each victory.

“It’s not an easy thing to do,’’ Donahue said. “And clearly us, as coaches, prepare ourselves before the season and many of our players do things … work hard at it, just to know that you gave everything you had and then it all balanced out — but you don’t know that at the time.”

She knows that even with the success she has had in the past, each year must be approached differently. But throughout all the change — even becoming coach of the girls’ lacrosse team last spring — the coaching principles of Eileen Donahue haven’t changed: teamwork, hard work, and intensity.

For Donahue, the biggest theme is always teamwork.

“It’s not about one or two people, including myself,’’ she said. “We can’t do it without all 15 or 16 [kids]. Everyone plays a role.”

And for the most part, Donahue says this is what has won her championships.

She mentioned how when scouting other teams, she’s realized that while Watertown’s opponents are often bigger, stronger, or faster, they play an individual game, something Watertown never does.  She says that the teamwork comes from the players, especially the most talented members of the group.

“When your best players are the ones that are working the hardest, that’s a huge thing,’’ she said. “And when your best players are working to hard to get everyone else better, that’s huge. So it’s one big unit.”

Understandably, a team is built around the best players, but having those players make others better can make up for a lack of pure talent.

Along with being one of the smaller schools in its division, the WHS field hockey team has had to deal with having just one senior this year. Allie Doggett and Emily Loprete, two juniors, were the captains, but Donahue stressed that, in her programs, age doesn’t matter. It’s all about contributing.

She said that although Emily and Allie are both strong players, they’re also strong team players, and that this emphasis on teamwork from her leaders helps the rest of the team buy into the principle of teamwork.

Another piece to Donahue’s success is hard work.  She acknowledges that the workload for both the players and the coaches is strenuous, but that the physical work and the preparation have more than paid off.

The field hockey team has an intense preseason and in-season training regimen, giving WHS players a clear leg up on the competition toward the end of a game. She says that in past years her teams have been able to cover up a lack of size or speed with hard work.

“When you’re lacking in something, you can make up for it in something else,’’ she said. “Hustle and never giving up, all that stuff, will make up for what you’re lacking.”

She says that although the concept is simple, it is often left behind as players grow. 

For Donahue, hard work isn’t just physical, it means personally putting in the time and energy to prepare for upcoming opponents.

“I don’t want to let my players down, so I prepare a lot,’’ she said. “I will do the extra thing…I want to do all the preparation.”

But it’s the intensity of Donahue that fuels her team. Her intensity transfers to her players.

“You’ve met Emily [Loprete], Rachel [Campbell], they’re tough people, they’re not going to stop,” she said.

Donahue’s players understand what they’re a part of, understand the amount of work that is needed.

“First couple [of] games, we didn’t even have a goalie … so those players worked so hard so [the ball] didn’t get to the [goal],” she said.

And Donahue understands that this is the effort that it takes to have the amount of success she has had. Adversity has to be overcome, and, for her players and herself, “never make an excuse.”

Last fall, Eileen Donahue was recognized as the National High School Coaches Association field hockey coach of the year, and for good reason. Her achievements in the last 28 years are unprecedented. But when asked about it, she chooses to shift the compliments to her players, immediately saying that the coaches and players she’s worked with were the biggest reasons she was honored.

She’s done it in a lot of ways, but some things remain the same: The emphasis on teamwork, putting in hard work, and being intense about one’s goals.

The achievements are astounding. Everyone can agree on that. But it isn’t until one speaks with Donahue that they realize why her teams win.

It can be said in two sentences: “It is not easy. I love challenges.”

–Feb. 18, 2014—