Soccer seniors leave legacy on and off the field

The first round of the Class AAAA soccer tournament was set to start next week before COVID-19 showed up and brought with it the ending of spring sports around the country.

Before the pandemic shutdown the high school sports world in early March, the White County High School girls and boys' soccer teams were off to solid starts, and both teams were entertaining thoughts of making the state playoff field. The Lady Warriors were led by six seniors, while the Warriors had a trio of seniors guiding a young roster.

 

Lady Warrior Soccer

The Lady Warriors were off to a 7-2 start and were ranked No. 8 among Class AAAA programs. The seven wins tied for the second-most in AAAA this spring, and another trip to the state tournament was almost a certainty.

“We returned everybody form last year's team, and we knew we had a team to compete with anyone,” Runkle said. “It's been hard to have a sudden stop to the season. I think we would have gone really deep in the playoffs. This is a special group, and it's very disappointing that they don't have the chance to see how far they could have gone.”

The team's final game was a 10-0 shutout over Banks County in a non-region matchup Tuesday, March 10. Three days later, the Lady Warriors were  scheduled to take on Blessed Trinity, the No. 4 team in the state, in the first big showdown in Region 7-AAAA play.

The game was canceled as part of the original lockdown, and then last week, the GHSA announced the end of the spring season.

“We were actually having  a team pasta party getting ready to play Blessed Trinity when we got the news,” Runkle said. “We hoping to get a chance to play BT, but unfortunately that didn't happen. It's been extremely tough. Then later when the word got out that the season was officially over, the seniors were the first group that I reached out to and the girls were pretty distraught.”

Runkle has been in contact with her players a lot over the past month and she's seen a wide range of emotions from her players. Runkle said the players have had to come to grips with what is going on in the world right now.

“I've seen a very positive shift; they are grateful for the season we had,” Runkle said. “We played nine games and the season did end on a high note. In the last game, we got to play a lot of the underclassmen, so the game ended with our seniors on the bench cheering on the younger players. The girls are also looking forward to getting together again as soon as this is over. Hopefully, we're going to get to play a pickup game this summer. We're all looking forward to that.”

The lost season ended the prep careers of the six senior players on the rosters – Bella Ramey, Hope Thomas, Alexis Pashkovets, Hannah Gerrells, Skylar  Williams, and Cassidy Campbell.

“This is one of the most successful classes ever in the program,” Runkle said. “All six of the seniors were four-year starters, and they played in the playoffs every year. They were part of the first team to make it to the Elite 8 in the state tournament. They were part of the team that set the school records for most goals and fewest goals allowed. This group will be very hard to replace,” Runkle said. “They all have playing ability and leadership abilities. They have done a fantastic job of teaching our younger players and preparing them for next year.”

Ramey was a potent offensive threat throughout her career, but has had to battle knee injuries since her freshman season.

“Bella is the definition of a Warrior,” Runkle said. “She's had three ACL tears, never played a whole season, and didn't get to play at all this year. She still showed up and supported her team, and that's something this team will never forget.”

Thomas has been a stalwart in the Lady Warriors' lineup, manning a spot in the middle of the field.

“Hope is the person on this team that demands the most out of her teammates,” Runkle said. “She made the people around her better. She expected everyone to be at their best, play at their best, and bring their best attitude, and that was in games and practice.”

Campbell and Gerrells have been stellar on the Lady Warriors' back line of defense, while Pashkovets and Williams have excelled in several roles all over the field.

“Cassidy is a natural leader,” Runkle said. “She led us on the field at center back. She directed traffic and really controlled the pace of the game. She's also great at teaching other players how to improve. Alexis is one of our more vocal leaders. Her attitude stands out, she's always laughing and always positive. She's a phenomenal player anywhere on the field, but I really loved to watch her mark the other team's leading scorer and shut her down. Hannah is one of the kindest people I've ever met; she's extremely encouraging. She's always lifting up her teammates. She dealt with some injuries last year, and she took that time to totally invest in her teammates. We're going to miss her leadership next year. Skylar has an extreme passion about the game of soccer, and it shows on the field. She elevates the play of everyone around her. She's very dedicated to learning about the strategy of the game and watching film.”

 

Warrior Soccer

There was some big changes coming into the season for the boy's squad. The roster was very young compared to team's in the past, and Clancy Loudermilk and Wayne Hurst took over the coaching responsibilities for the first time.

“I feel so bad for all the kids, but especially the seniors,” Hurst said. “It's a tough way for your season to end. We were getting better and the kids had really started to buy into what we were trying to do. I also feel bad for the girls; they had a chance to have a great season and make a run in the playoffs. It's just a hard thing for all these kids.”

The team didn't really know what to expect going into the season, but thanks to the leadership and play of the team's three seniors – Iyan Windham, Eli Palmer, and Will Sampson, and a handful of underclassmen, the Warriors got off to a 6-3-1 start before the season was halted. The six wins were fifth most in Class AAAA when the season ended.

“To be honest, at the beginning of the season, we weren't sure we were going to do very well,” Hurst said. “We had to play a very unorthodox style of soccer, and we were starting to come on when the season ended. The guys were buying into what we were asking them to do, and we had some big wins over Buford and Cherokee Bluff. We felt like we were playing well enough to have a chance to make the state playoffs.”

Loudermilk, a former standout player for the Warrior program, said the team was just starting to hit it's stride when the season abruptly ended.

“It was tough for sure,” Loudermilk said. “We we were just getting all of the pieces together, some guy were starting to figure out what we were asking them to do, and we were actually playing pretty well. Things were really starting to look up.”

Loudermilk and Hurst both said the seniors were key in the team's turnaround, especially as the players had to accept a new style of play. Windham, a four-year starter, was at the center of it.

“First of all, Iyan is the leader of the team,” Loudermilk said. “He controlled the middle of the field for us, and we played around him. He had several assists and scored a goal, but the big thing was that he controlled things and set the tempo for us. He did whatever we asked him to do.”

Hurst said Windham put aside personal stats and took the role in the mid-field that gave the team the best chance to win.

“Iyan has been a big, big part of this program for four years,” Hurst said. “Iyan is one of the best mid-fielders in the region, but he won't get recognized for how good of a player he is because the style that we had to play to compete, didn't allow him to showcase his skills and abilities. He's our leader and he was willing to do what we asked him to do.”

Palmer took on a much bigger role this season, and became a scoring threat on the front line.

“Eli made a big impact this year,” Loudermilk said. “He really developed his left foot this year, and I think he scored five goals, and a couple of them were in big moments. He had a big goal in the win over Buford”

Palmer's development fit perfectly with the team's offensive scheme.

“Eli didn't play much his first two years, and he played a little bit last year, but he really came on this year,” Hurst said. “He bought into what we were trying to do and he started to understand what we told him to do. His speed and aggressiveness really helped us.”

Sampson hadn't played soccer since middle school, but he earned a spot in the lineup thanks to his size and  athleticism.

“We just put Will on the other team's best player and asked him to man up and go wherever that guy goes,” Loudermilk said. “He's just out there being an athlete; I wish we had five more guys like Will. We can teach them skill and technique, but we need more athletes like will.”

Hurst said Sampson developed into a key part of the Warriors' defensive attack.

“Will's athletic ability was his biggest advantage,” Hurst said. “He's fast, he's aggressive, and he doesn't shy away from contact, and that was big for us because we don't have a lot of guys with those skills.”