MSHSAA announced on Monday, Mar. 16 that they would not be cancelling spring sports due to the Coronavirus. There will be delays to the start of the season and you can read the full MSHSAA release on spring sports by clicking here. Many area schools have called off classes and extracurricular activities through at least Apr. 3 and will reassess at that time. We will continue to post our spring previews. Please note that this preview was written before delays for the spring season were announced.
By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
In his first season as Hillcrest girls’ soccer coach, Roy Hardy’s goal is to not only turn around the program, but also the culture.
Hardy started the work last fall, guiding the boys’ soccer team to its first win in two years. But he knows there still is work to do.
“My expectations for the season are like all other programs and coaches – to be competitive at all levels in every match, bring about some school pride to the student body and to our Northside communities,” Hardy said. “My outlook takes a different approach for the season, which is that we H.O.P.E. (Helping Other People Excel) by putting others’ needs before our own.”
The Lady Hornets finished 4-19-1 overall last season and 1-8 in the Ozark Conference, before falling to Glendale, 7-1, in the Class 3 District 11 semifinals.
Gone from that team are Lydia Conlon, Abigail Wilkinson and Kelly Tran.
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Conlon earned all-district and all-conference first team honors; Wilkinson was an all-district first-team and all-conference second-team selection; and Tran was named to the all-district first team and was all-conference honorable mention.
“The experiences and leadership of Lydia Conlon, Abigail Wilkinson, Kelly Tran cannot be replaced in the midfield and defensive line,” Hardy said. “Their devotion, outgoing and positive spirit to the Hornet program will be missed tremendously.”
The Lady Hornets have four key players with experience returning: Kloie Cook, Cami Davis, Haley Flores and Halle Pyle.
• Kloie Cook, senior, midfielder – Earned all-district second-team honors. “Kloie brings enthusiasm to the program. Her bubbly spirit is contagious and she often lightens the mood which will be counted upon as we go through the daily grind of the season. Kloie will be looked upon to keep the team spirit upbeat and keep the team moving in the right direction.”
• Cami Davis, senior, defender – Second-team all-district. “Cami is a great listener. She has the ability to have a laser focus, and to block out distractions while information is being given to better herself. Cami will be counted upon to keep the team locked in when (distractions) arise during the season.”
• Haley Flores, junior, forward – Second-team all-district. “In the classroom, Haley is a proactive student. Her ability to plan ahead is very encouraging to a coach. Haley will need to bring that same attribute to the pitch this season. The ability to anticipate things happening before they actually happen will be enormous for the program.”
• Halle Pyle, junior, goalkeeper – “Halle has two ingredients that coaches look for in their student-athletes – humble and hardworking – that goes with her many talents. Last year was Halle’s first year playing soccer in goal. She worked hard and stayed hungry to learn the position. She started her minutes in goal at the JV level, and was quickly moved up to varsity, where she continued to stay humble and hungry. Halle will need to continue to add those two ingredients this year for the team to have any type of success.”
Hardy is confident that his players will work hard to win positions and to win games.
“The team’s biggest strength heading into the season is that the team’s DNA is diverse and realizes the amount of work that will be required of them before even starting tryouts,” Hardy said. “The program this season has players that will be able to play multiple positions any given time. Players will realize quickly they will have to work for their positions.”
Hillcrest will host a jamboree on March 13 that will include Branson, Laquey and Fair Grove. The Lady Hornets open the regular season against Neosho, the Class 3 District 12 champion, on March 24 at home.
“The biggest challenge this season would be trusting the process, even if the team does not see immediate results for their efforts,” Hardy said. “Last year, the program won only four games. So, mentally, we start the season off with high hopes of winning. But, if it does not occur, how do we respond – do we trust the process?”
