WINDSOR — After resurrecting the Windsor High field hockey program and leading the Yellowjackets to three consecutive VPA Division III state championships, Jody Wood is stepping down from her role as head coach.
Wood graduated from Windsor in 1993 and played for longtime coach Sandy Clary, reaching the Division II state final as a senior. Clary later employed her as a varsity assistant and head coach of the junior varsity team.
But the program took a two-year hiatus due to low roster numbers in 2015 and 2016, so Wood, who already knew many of the incoming players due to her involvement with Windsor’s youth teams, was hired to get the ball rolling again.
She did so immediately — the Yellowjackets earned the No. 1 seed in each of her five seasons in charge, losing in the semifinals in 2017 and 2018 before their three-peat.
“When you have a group of kids that are so dedicated and don’t mind putting in the work, we’re going to be ahead of the game,” Wood said. “There was a group that truly loved and had a passion for the sport. I was very fortunate to be able to coach that group of girls, because when they came to practice, they were there to work. They pushed the underclassmen, and it just continued.”
Playoff dominance quickly became the norm for Wood’s teams. Of Windsor’s nine postseason victories during its three title runs, eight were decided by three goals or more, with the only exception being a 2-1 win over Stowe in the 2020 championship game.
The Yellowjackets lost 11 seniors from that 2020 team, including Wood’s younger daughter, Hannah, who now plays collegiately at Division III Keene State. Wood’s older daughter, Haley, who played Division I field hockey for Bryant University before graduating in 2018, came on board as an assistant coach.
“Being able to coach alongside one of my children while coaching the other, that was a huge highlight,” Wood said. “Winning a championship with them together, creating a bond with all the kids and watching them grow as athletes and individuals, those are the things that I’m going to miss.”
Windsor started slow in 2021, winning just one of its first five games before reeling off a six-game winning streak and again securing the top seed. Senior Peyton Richardson led the way offensively with 11 goals and nine assists, both team highs.
The Jacks then blew through the postseason like a hot knife through butter, defeating Milton, Fair Haven and Lyndon by a combined total of 12-0.
“(Wood) talked to the seniors, basically telling us that if we wanted to be successful this year, we would have to take a lot of control,” said Reese Perry, a senior midfielder and a four-year varsity player who first played for Wood in third grade. “A lot of the freshmen and sophomores this year played huge minutes, and part of that meant they had to learn really quickly all the expectations we had for them and the game plans we had in place.”
But despite her success, Wood’s schedule was a lot to handle — she works as a benefits coordinator at a hospital, usually clocking out around 4:30 p.m., and wants to make time to catch more of Hannah’s games in Keene State.
Wood announced her departure via Instagram on Monday after informing the team and athletic director Jim Taft.
“The players loved playing for Jody,” Taft said. “She’s firm, fair, passionate, fits right into the Windsor model. She cares about the kids outside of field hockey, about what they’re doing as they’re moving forward as young ladies. She’s a good role model.”
Offseason work was a staple for the Yellowjackets under Wood. Windsor plays accelerated seven-on-seven exhibitions against a number of top teams at Riley Rink in Manchester, Vt., which is covered with turf outside the winter months. Wood also emphasizes conditioning workouts rather than technical skills in the preseason, so that her team can build up stamina.
Wood, for her part, expects to be involved with the search for her successor.
“It’s hard when you walk away from a program and do the things that you’re used to doing,” Wood said. “With my mentality, I’m going to want whoever comes in to ease them into the program. It’ll be tough for me to not say anything.”
Benjamin Rosenberg can be reached at brosenberg@vnews.com or 603-727-3302.