By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
The young players that the Republic Lady Tigers had to rely on late in the 2021 season will be the experience the team will need this Spring.
The Lady Tigers graduated eight players and a great deal of the team’s offense.
“We lost three starting defenders from our team last season,” Republic coach Kevin Hauck said of the squad that finished 14-10 overall, 7-2 in the Central Ozark Conference and district runner-up. “We also graduated around 60 goals. Filling these holes is going to be challenging, but I think this is a task that the players are ready to face and take control of.
“We had a big mix between seniors and youth. We had some important seniors go down for the season about halfway through, and we relied heavily on youth for the second part of our season. It was a great season for our youth to experience and grow.”
Gone from the Class of 2021 are:
• Clara Fronabarger, forward (32 goals, 22 assists) – All-State Academic team; Class 4 Region 3; Class 4 District 11 first team and Offensive Player of the Year; All-Central Ozark Conference first team; now playing at William Jewell College.
• Regan Holmes, forward (17 goals, 8 assists) – All-State Academic team; All-district first team; All-COC second team.
• Tyra Campbell, defender (3 goals, 4 assists) – Class 4 Region 3; All-district first team; All-COC first team; now playing at Evangel University.
• Sarah Hicks, midfielder (6 goals) – All-COC second team; suffered a season-ending injury during the season; now playing at Evangel University.
• Nataley Montenegro (1 assist) – Suffered a season-ending injury during the season.
• Alycia Hauck, goalkeeper – 6 games in goal, allowed 9 goals, 2 shutouts, 28 saves on 36 shots.
• Alyssa Fonseca, midfielder (1 goal, 2 assists); and McKaelyn Klossing, defender.
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“They were a strong group with a bunch of experience,” Hauck said. “These seniors loved to compete and wanted to compete and win, whether we were in practice or games. It was a fun atmosphere and I enjoyed coaching them. They played hard and played well together. They will be missed this year.”
Back for Republic are several sophomores who earned valuable playing time, as well as all-district honors.
• Molly Blades, sophomore, midfielder (7 goals, 5 assists) – All-district first team; All-COC honorable mention.
• Ava Brown, sophomore, midfielder (3 goals, 1 assists) – All-district second team.
• Brooklyn Claxton, sophomore, midfielder (1 goal) – All-district second team.
• Graci Coleman, senior, goalkeeper – 11-7 in 18 games played, 7 shutouts, 32 goals allowed, 128 saves out of 160 shots.
• Erin Brown, senior, forward (2 goals, 1 assists); Aylora Crowe, junior, defender (1 goal); Mckena Argo, junior, defender; Kendra Phiri, sophomore, forward (3 goals, 4 assists.)
• Cameron Gardner, senior, forward, did not play last year and may not play this year; and Addison Tharp, sophomore, defender, was an all-district second-team selection, who Hauck says would be a big loss if she does not return this year.
“We played a lot of freshmen last year on the varsity level,” Hauck said. “We gained a lot of experience with our youth as we lost two key seniors halfway through the season. We hope to ride our momentum from last year into this season and hope our youth last year continues to grow and improve. Our experience combined with our new youth should be a fun combination.”
In addition to senior midfielder Emma Jaquess playing a new role, Hauck has more newcomers looking to contribute this year.
“Last year, (Emma) had time on varsity (1 goal), but this year her role will expand and she will be a key contributor for us on the offensive side of the ball,” Hauck said.
• Kaylee Cornelson, freshman, forward. “Kaylee has the opportunity to really help us make up for a lot of goals that graduated. She seems like she has a real knack for scoring; excited to see what she can bring to the team.”
• Cadence Luger, freshman, midfield/forward – “Can be a good contributor for us on the offensive side of the ball. We will be looking to get more girls involved in our scoring and Cadence has a chance to be a part of that.”
• Josalyn Weymuth, junior, wing – “She brings great speed to the team. She is hard-working and a team player. I look for her to really help us on the outside part of the field.”
• Molly Mason and Cameron Burton, sophomore defenders/midfielders – “Both have a chance to take on big parts of our defense for us. Molly has a chance to contribute in the midfield or on defense, while Cameron will look to take on a role with our defense this year.”
Republic will host a jamboree that includes Catholic, Logan-Rogersville and Ozark on March 11, before opening the regular season at home against Rolla on March 21.
With the experience his young players gained last year, Hauck thinks that will be the Lady Tigers’ strength this season, although it will take some time early on.
“We are trying to fill some big gaps from our team last year,” said Hauck, who is seven wins away from his 300th win. “We have some familiar faces in new places for our team. Once we figure out what works best for our team and gain some confidence, we will be a tough out. I am excited for our potential this spring.”
