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Lenape's Gabby Fornia can't play, but she can cheer

The 400-point scorer is out with mononucleosis, but she couldn’t be kept from the sidelines

Just a few days after she scored the 400th point of her career, Gabby Fornia found out that she had mononucleosis, that she should be bedridden, and that she'd be out indefinitely.

A few days after that, she was back on the sideline in street clothes, screaming and supporting the Lenape girls' lacrosse team during a 12-10 win Tuesday over rival Shawnee.

"I refuse to just sit around," the senior said. "I have to do something."

Such is the essence of the star player, according to her coach, Jill McCarthy.

Fornia has accomplished as much as any girls' lacrosse player in recent South Jersey history, not just personally but from a team standpoint.

But when McCarthy describes what she thinks might be Fornia's greatest asset, she talks about the traits that could shine whether she's in uniform or not.

"She's the type who will call her teammates around her after she scores a goal and go over what they could do better as a team," McCarthy said. "She's always been able to produce on the field, but she's developed this other leadership dynamic over the last two seasons, and that's been so important to our team."

Fornia has been a versatile threat for the Indians since her freshman year - the year she was a starting attack for a team that won a Group 4 state title.

As a sophomore, she paired 79 goals with a whopping 91 assists and was named Inquirer player of the year honors while leading Lenape to a South Jersey championship. She generated 69 goals and 64 assists as a junior, and Lenape made a third appearance in the sectional finals, where it dropped a heartbreaker to Shawnee.

This year, she's one-third of a senior class - also including midfielders Erin Donoghue and Carlee Braverman - that has visions of a second state title.

"The three of us are best friends - we've been playing with each other since long before high school," said Fornia, a Vanderbilt recruit. "So it's been really nice to have the opportunity to play with them in high school, and obviously, it's even nicer winning titles with them.

"We're always on the same page, we always support each other, and that's really helped a lot."

Of course, the support that Fornia now offers, at least for the immediate future, has been limited.

"It's been awful not being able to play," she said. "But it's been easier knowing that other girls on the team have already stepped up."

Fornia said she expects to be back by the postseason at the latest. But don't expect her to stop contributing to her team.

"Our main goal is to win the state championship," she said. "And we definitely have the potential to do it.

"Right now I'm just focused helping my team any way I can and resting as much as possible - that way, hopefully, I'll be able to get back on the field soon."

cmelchiorre@phillynews.com