By Denise Tucker (For OzarksSportsZone.com)
Since taking over head coaching duties for the Willard Lady Tigers in 2021, Jamie Waddell’s teams have improved upon their records each year and look to continue that trend in 2024.
In Waddell’s first season, the Lady Tigers finished 10-15, but captured the Class 3 District 11 championship. In Year 2, Willard went 15-7 and topped that last season by going 17-6 overall and 6-3 in the Central Ozark Conference to finish third.
“Last season was very enjoyable,” said Waddell, who is 42-28 at Willard. “Even though we didn’t win our district, we still had a ton of success. The ladies were not pleased with how the season ended and have been working harder this offseason to make sure that we can achieve our goal of a district title. We finished last season 17-6, which is the second-best record in school history, and we would like to extend that record even further this season.”
The Lady Tigers return six key players from 2023, including a familiar face from 2022.
“Our biggest strength this season is the experience,” Waddell said. “We return almost everyone, and hopefully, that experience will carry over into the season.”
Kenadie Limb, junior defender/midfielder – Scored 9 goals with 10 assists; earned Class 3 All-District 6 and All-Central Ozark Conference first-team honors. “Kenadie is very strong and skilled in the back,” Waddell said. “She has the ability to read the game and make the best decision. She is a very physical/aggressive player and does a great job of being a vocal leader. She has a very good touch on the ball and good ability to finish.”
Katelyn Magee, junior forward – Class 3 All-State honorable mention; Class 3 Region 3 first team; Class 3 District 6 first team; COC first team; Comment 48 goals as a sophomore. Katelyn has great speed on and off the ball. She sees the field well and makes good decisions with the ball. She finds a way to put herself in a position to finish. She works extremely hard and wants to do whatever it takes to help us win.
Karli Wheeler, senior goalkeeper – Class 3 District 6 first team; Comment Karli allowed the fewest goals in a season and most shut-outs in Willard history. Karli is an athlete, she has good reaction time and understands the game and positioning quite well. She is a great teammate, who is liked by everyone.
Presley Cloud, Sophomore defender/midfield– Presley made a huge impact last season. She has the talent to play almost all positions. She reads and understands the game very well.
Maddie Polites, Sophomore defender- Maddie was a big part of our success on defense. She stepped in and controlled the back for us. Allowing us to set a school record for most shut-outs in a season. She is aggressive and vocal, 2 big keys for a center back.
Madison Magee– Senior defender/midfield- Madison is back this season from taking a year off. She has been a starting center back since her freshman year. She works extremely hard, has great touches on the ball. She is going to be asked to play center mid also this year. She is a type of player that can play almost anywhere.
The Lady Tigers do lose two key pieces to their offense from 2023 they will need to find a way to replace.
Charlae Cowan, midfielder – Earned all-district first-team and all-conference second-team honors; now playing at Evangel University. “Charlae will be a tough player to replace,” Waddell said. “She was a very big contributor to our program. She helped us win our last district championship. Her leadership off the field will be missed.”
Madison Foley, forward – Named all-conference second team. “Foley was a huge impact player for us last year. She helped provide the extra support we needed for Katelyn. Foley always found a way to come up big for us in the moments we needed.”
Willard will not be participating in a jamboree this season but open the regular season in the Lady Dragon Invitational on March 22-23, hosted by Mid-Buchanan High School, before traveling to Anderson, Mo., to take on McDonald County on March 28.
“The biggest thing that I like about this season is that they are a good group of young ladies, who are a joy to be around,” Waddell said. “They like to win and that shows in their work ethic in practice. They have been working extremely hard this offseason. They understand that last year, losing in districts, is not what they want to repeat this season.”
