By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The Kickapoo Lady Chiefs added to their trophy case last season by winning their second-straight Ozark Conference title and their third-straight district championship, advancing to the Class 4 quarterfinals.
The Lady Chiefs finished 19-6-1 overall, 9-0 in the Ozark Conference, and won the Class 4 District 9 championship with a 1-0 win over Ozark. They then got past Springfield Central, 2-1, in the sectional round before falling to Lee’s Summit West, 8-0, in the quarterfinals, finishing tied for 10th in Class 4.
“The two previous seasons, we lost in the sectional round to a very talented Rock Bridge team,” said Kickapoo coach Phil Hodge, who is five wins from a combined 400 victories at Kickapoo (165-122-8 girls, 230-104-1 boys). “Last season, we got over the sectional round and got one more step closer to the ultimate goal. We faced an extremely good Lee’s Summit West team, who played for a state championship the year before.”
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Kickapoo lost a solid senior class from 2019, which included Harlow Klein, Caroline Ulmer, Grace O’Rourke and Katelyn Day.
Klein scored 2 goals, had 3 assists and earned Class 4 All-Region 3, Class 4 District 9 First-Team and All-Ozark Conference honors, as well as being named district Defensive Player of the Year. Ulmer scored 2 goals, had 4 assists and was an all-district second-team and all-conference honorable mention selection. O’Rourke scored 1 goal, which was the sectional game-winner.
One other loss included Teddi Riddle, a junior midfielder and all-conference honorable mention pick, who moved last summer.
Hodge says that Kickapoo’s biggest strength heading into the 2020 season is its varsity experience. And, its core group of seniors is the key to that strength.
• Jalyn McClean, senior, forward – Scored 24 goals and had 13 assists. She earned Class 4 All-State First-Team honors, was named the region Offensive Player of the Year, all-district Most Valuable Player and all-conference first-team. She has signed with Newman University in Wichita. “Very strong, explosive and dynamic player. Jalyn has the natural ability to find the back of the net and if she can’t finish the job, she is more than willing to set up an opportunity for her teammates.”
• Serena Boyce, senior, forward – Scored 20 goals, had 7 assists. Earned all-region, all-district and all-conference first-team honors. “Serena has been a consistent threat as an outside-mid for us the last three seasons. Serena’s strength is her speed and she does an excellent job in utilizing her speed to set up scoring chances for herself and for her teammates.”
• Ellie Miller, senior midfielder/forward – Scored 18 goals, had 12 assists, and was an all-state second-team, all-region, all-district and all-conference first-team selection. “Ellie is our leader. Ellie is what makes us go. She is a box-to-box midfielder and will outwork most midfielders that she is matched up against. She is a big key to our success the past three seasons.”
• McKenzie Salyers, senior, defender – Earned all-district and all-conference second-team honors. “McKenzie is a solid defender for us that has a great understanding of the game. She looks to put her teammates in successful situations in the defensive third of the field. She is very composed with the ball on her foot and make a good decision in the back to create our buildup and attack.”
• Chloe Young, junior, goalkeeper – Finished with 8 shutouts. “Chloe has been a big part of our last two district championships. We look for her to have another great season for us.”
• Maddie Wanner, junior, midfielder – “Maddie is a very poised center-mid. She loves to have the ball on her foot and keep the possession for our team. She has a great first touch and a great field awareness and keeps the ball for us consistently.”
• Emma Sansom, junior, midfielder – “Emma is looking to take on a much bigger role this spring for us. She is an outside-mid that really understands the game and is such a good decision-maker and helps in the attack.”
• Abby Light, sophomore, defender – “Abby is another very solid defender that contributed right away as a freshman last season. We will look for her to do the same again this season. Last season, we needed her to go forward a bit to help with our attack. This season, she may be much more defensive-minded for us.”
• Brooke Turner, sophomore, midfielder – “Brooke was a strong physical presence for us defensively last season. We look for her to do the same this season.”
Looking to make an impact this season is Jenna Biser, a junior midfielder, who looks to move from junior varsity and compete for a varsity spot. Hodge also has a strong freshman class working to make its mark, as well.
There are no nights off as the Lady Chiefs continue to bolster their schedule to prepare them for the postseason.
“(We have) another difficult schedule,” Hodge said. “Each year, it seems to get harder than the previous season.”
And, that starts with a jamboree on March 12 with Glendale and Nixa at Kickapoo, followed by the regular-season opener against Marquette in Jackson.
“(We’ll take it) one game at a time,” Hodge said. “We would like to compete for the conference title as well as the district title.”
