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The Huddle
Hello, everyone and welcome to the Huddle where today I will be talking about something that has been on my mind since the start of the season.
It involves the Columbus Lady Cardinals and the doubt that they faced this season and how they overcame every single obstacle in their way.
Let me explain, the Lady Cards lost three huge pieces last year to graduation. Ally Tribe, Sage Thomas and Ember Mandola are gone and the team as well as the fans had to face that reality.
What will life look like with those three pillars gone? I for one was anxious to see the answer to that question because those three left big shoes to fill.
With the conclusion of the 2024 season for the Lady Cards we finally have an answer to that question. The answer is quite simply, the Lady Cards are still a force to be reckoned with.
Let’s start with just the players on the roster, the Lady cards had 3-4 returners, and the rest are fresh faces. For reference six players are on the court at once so 2-3 players are new to the system and trying to figure their role out and play it to the best of their ability.
They were able to overcome that obstacle thanks to the leadership core of Taylor Morrow, Mary Fitzgerald, Gracie Schobel and Caylie Neisner. They were a major reason why the team was so successful this year because they made the environment amonst the team a well of positivity but also some tough love.
They weren’t scared to tell each other, “I love you, we need more from you today.” It’s what being on a team is all about, it’s how trust is built and when trust is built and that trust is sturdy magical things happen.
Magical as in players like Harper Gerik and Logan Glueck come out and make a name for themselves. Magical as in losing only nine game for the entire season, 10 including the Regional Final loss. Magical as in going 14-0 in district when some “experts” out there said this team would not even make the playoffs.
So, they had a strong leadership group, young players making plays and being a big part of the rotation, there is one more thing the Lady Cards had that led to their success this season. That would be their coaching staff.
This coaching staff has such a good finger on the pulse of this team, and it is all spearheaded by Kayley Johns. Coach Johns has a skill that all great coaches have and that is no matter the circumstances, her team will be ready to play.
She knows how to motivate her team and get them excited to play, I have seen this team pull themselves out of many, many deep holes in games. It is largely thanks to Johns’ ability to push the right buttons and get the most out of every player. The best part is though, she will never take the credit and give it all to her team giving them even more confidence and elevates their play even more.
Thank you all so much for reading the Huddle, I will see you all next time.
