Before eventually winning them over with her leadership, guidance and dedication, Century High School girls’ lacrosse coach Becky Groves tends to strike fear into the hearts of her players.
“Definitely coming in as a freshman, I was a little terrified of her,” said Caroline Little, the Carroll County Times Player of the Year last season on the Knights’ unbeaten state-championship team who now plays at Virginia Tech.
That fear is generated by Groves’ trademark intensity, or what she likes to refer to as her passion. She has always relied on it to bring out the best in her players and herself.
“My high school coach [at Liberty] was Courtney Vaughn, and we always had a healthy fear of her,” Groves said. “We really respected her, really wanted to work for her, and that’s what I wanted when I got into coaching. I wanted the kids to want to work for me and have respect for me.”
Across 12 years and 11 seasons as Century’s head coach and three as an assistant prior to that, Groves has certainly earned her players’ admiration and respect while presiding over one of the state’s preeminent girls’ lacrosse programs.
The Knights have won nine state titles dating back to 2004, two years after the school opened. Four championships have come with Groves as the head coach and two others with Groves on staff. Century made a 19-0 run to the MPSSAA Class 2A title last spring, capping the second undefeated season in school history.
“It’s really nice knowing we are going into games completely prepared and are always a little more ready than we could have been,” said Jane Brewer, a senior midfielder for Century this spring.
Groves’ competitive intensity was born out of her hatred of losing. She says she used to cry as a kid when things didn’t go her way in sports. As such, she was always willing to do whatever it took in terms of training and game preparation in order to prevent that from happening.
The daughter of a pair of physical education teachers who either coached or played sports in college, Groves has been around athletics her entire life. She was an All-Carroll County volleyball, basketball and lacrosse player at Liberty High before graduating in 2002. Lacrosse was her best sport, and her 249 goals for the Lions were a Carroll County record at the time.
Groves went on to a stellar career at Towson University. Her 257 career points, 178 goals, 79 assists and 135 ground balls all rank among the leaders in Tigers history.
Groves is in both the Towson Athletics and Carroll County Sports Halls of Fame.
When a physical education teaching position and an assistant-coaching job at Century, Liberty’s chief lacrosse rival, opened during the 2007-08 school year, Groves was quick to jump on the opportunity.
She coached for three seasons under Rose Pentz, who taught her how to manage a team and motivate a group of individuals to achieve a common goal.
“When we go into a game, I am exhausting all options of getting prepared,” Groves said. “Whether it’s watching film, implementing things at practice, working with certain players to develop certain skills, I am trying to do everything possible to give our team the opportunity to win.”
Now the married mother of two young children, Groves said her intensity has waned a bit throughout the years, even though it can be tough to tell.
“Since I had kids, I understand where people are coming from a little bit more,” she said. “Back in my 20s, I was extremely intense. But I kind of see the other side now being a parent and being a lot older.”
Given her responsibilities toward a growing family and her overwhelming success at Century, Groves is often asked when she might stop coaching.
She allows that day might be coming sooner than she thinks. But the fire to compete and the desire to shape the lives of her players in a positive way still burns within.
This upcoming season presents a new challenge, as nine seniors, including six starters, graduated from last season’s championship team. She called those players “the root” of the team’s success.
“The players this [upcoming] season have waited their turn,” Groves said. “They are great players. They were just waiting for their turn to step up. It should be a good year to develop these girls, to see what the season brings and see if we can get them to gel at the end.”
Photo Credits: Courtesy of Century Athletics and Towson Athletics
Issue 279: February/March 2023
Originally published Feb. 15, 2023