Gianna Piperata wishes she could have that game back. Actually, she wishes she could have them all back.
The Camden Catholic High School senior field hockey player wanted a better result in her final game as the Irish lost to Oak Knoll, 5-0, in the Non-Public state championship on Nov. 15. But she certainly got a lot out of her four years in the program.
“I was so happy with my senior year,” Piperata said. “I’m happy with all four of my years. If I could do it all again, I would.”
Over Piperata’s time on the high school field, Camden Catholic has been one of the best teams in the state, winning state championships in 2022 and 2023, while finishing runner-up in 2024 and 2025.
“It’s been amazing,” said Piperata, who plays defense. “We play so much as a team. And being able to be part of a community like this is really so special to me and I think it’s special for everyone else on the team too.”
The Irish won 17 games this year including the inaugural South Jersey Tournament of Champions. Camden Catholic won the South Jersey Non-Public A championship on Oct. 12 in a 6-2 victory over St. Joseph Academy (Hammonton) and had their usual opponent Oak Knoll once again waiting for them at the finish line. The two teams have clashed in every state championship since 2019 and Oak Knoll has represented North Jersey in the title game every year since the Non-Public classification was created in 2013.
Camden Catholic and Oak Knoll met twice in the regular season with the Royals taking both matches.
“They’re very hard to play with,” said Camden Catholic junior Sophia Stazi. “They’re an amazing team and we know that. Going into this game, we knew we lost twice, but we kept our heads high and we didn’t expect this ending. It’s an ending nobody wants.”
Stazi, a Rutgers University commit, scored four goals in the South Jersey championship game including the 100th of her career.
Stazi and the Irish were simply stymied in the first half by a team ranked No. 1 in the entire state.
“I think you learn most from the losses you have, especially in a state championship,” Stazi said. “All you can do is come back stronger and you need to teach the freshmen that come in that this isn’t a feeling that you want to feel again. I’m grateful to feel it twice. I got to feel a win and now two losses. It helps.”
The Irish will have three seniors continue their field hockey path next year at the collegiate level. Savannah Freeland will play at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Lauren Iaccio will play at Rutgers University, and Piperata will play at the University of New Haven while studying forensics psychology. Piperata said her new school has a lot of similarities with her current one.
“I really liked the coach and when I visited the team, it was like Camden Catholic,” she said. “It was a special community and I really liked it.”
Stazi still has a year to aim for another state championship before joining her sister Olivia Stazi and best friend Iaccio at Rutgers.
“I’m grateful and lucky to say I’m playing with one of those seniors in college,” Stazi said of Iaccio. “She’s my best friend and she dedicated all her time to Camden Catholic and she works her butt off every single day.”
The hard work was contagious. And it has been the foundation of a program that has made six straight trips to the state championship.
“It’s been so fun and so exciting being able to do this every year as a team,” Piperata said.
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