Drivers know when they see red, they better stop.

But for Palmerton’s Sydney Frantz, the color means the exact opposite when she’s on the field hockey pitch.

Red designates the shooting circle on the Blue Bombers’ field - like it does at many schools.

And when it gets into Frantz’s vision, it often means trouble for opposing teams.

“I shoot, whenever I see that red line, I always shoot,” said Frantz. “And if I see a lane that I can dribble through, I always take it ... and I just drive it right in and hope for the best.

“I want to score and I want to win. I’m very competitive. Anytime I have a chance to shoot and score, I do it. Whatever my team needs me to do, I’m there giving it 110%.”

It makes sense for Frantz to shoot more often than not. The Palmerton senior possesses a hard shot, one that helped her set a school record for goals in a career.

“Hard is an understatement,” said Palmerton head coach Megan Leadbetter. “I played goalie in my day, and for a goalie to stop a bullet like that it’s real tough, or it’s going to hurt. She’s also got accuracy ... Syd always hits the corner pockets, and you hear it. She hits hard, and we had a lot of offensive corners based around that. Most of our corners were direct shot goals. And I think that says a lot about her accuracy and power.

“We yell at her a lot to look up, but at the same time, she’s almost like a bulldozer. Going through some games - and I can picture them right now - she would grab it midfield and start dribbling up and passing three, four, five defensive players along the way. As soon as she hits the circle, that marker, you know that wind-up is coming and it’s going in. And it’s such an awesome feeling.”

Leadbetter got to experience that feeling a lot this past season, as Frantz finished with 29 goals. That pushed her career total to 68 - a school record. The ESU-bound player also posted 11 assists this year and leaves Palmerton with 42 helpers, giving her the school record for points as well.

Her individual effort also translated into team success, as the Bombers reached both the league and district championship games, as well as the state playoffs.

That performance earned her the Times News/Lehigh Valley Health Network Field Hockey Player of the Year.

“(Breaking the school record) was definitely a goal since I started in my seventh grade year,” said Frantz. “To me, it shows how hard I worked toward it, and how much work I put into it.

“It was special (to get to the championship games), but it was also a good feeling too ... Our team deserved it, and even though we didn’t come out of there with (any championships), it was still amazing making it there.”

Also amazing is the fact that Frantz could have actually scored more goals this season, but her coach made a change prior to the season that decreased her time in the offensive end.

The move proved beneficial as the team enjoyed a 12-4 regular season, including a seven-game winning streak at one point.

“I changed the whole formation around on the field that really kind of stripped Sydney from a lot of scoring opportunities,” said Leadbetter. “And I know that sounds weird since she was so successful this season, but I put her in a one-spot on the field. I literally looked at her and I said this is for you to do what you need to do - whether you need to go out there and take the ball down yourself, whether you need to pass it off to a teammate out wide, or you need to get back on defense.

“It was a 3-1-3-3 formation, and she was that one-spot. It came with a lot of responsibility, but I had a good conversation with her about it ... As you can see with the season and how successful she was, she was exactly where she was supposed to be. She stepped it up in a lot of different attributes - not just being a scoring athlete on the field, but being able to set her teammates up.”

Frantz’s athleticism was the main reason Leadbetter was able to move her star player into the new position. It’s also the reason she excels in three different sports - as she also starts on Palmerton’s basketball and softball teams.

But when it comes to her favorite sport, she didn’t hesitate.

“I love the game,” said Frantz. “Field hockey is just so special to me. I love playing it, and everything about it. I love the skill it has, the running, I just love playing field hockey.”

Her coach also loved the intangibles Frantz brought to the field, especially her leadership.

“She’s a leader not only by how she motivates the girls, pumping them up before a game or getting them riled up, but she does it through her actions as well,” said Leadbetter. “She’s kind of that player that talks the talk and walks the walk. Her mentality going in to every game never changed, and that’s something a lot of the younger girls looked up to.”

While the role of a leader was new to Frantz, it was one that she embraced.

“It was definitely different, because now I was the person that helped out the other girls and was kind of in charge. I wasn’t just the person being told what to do. It was definitely a big change, but I loved it. I like helping people out.”