The places they could have gone

Editor’s Note: The WIAA recently canceled spring sports due to the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Star News, we’d like to give recognition to the athletes and coaches who had their seasons stopped prematurely with a look at what might have been.   The numbers were strong. The returnees were ready. And hopes were high. Unfortunately for Wisconsin Heights’ girls soccer team, they never got a chance to compete this spring.  The WIAA voted to cancel spring sports on April 21 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. And groups like the Vanguards’ soccer team — who had state title aspirations — took the news hard. “The student athletes slated for the 2020 girls soccer season made up not only the largest number of participants ever in Wisconsin Heights history, but they were also an extraordinary group,” Heights coach Bartlett Holmes said. “I had high expectations and high hopes for the potential of this team for many reasons.” It’s easy to see why. Heights brought back 17 letterwinners from last year’s team that went 8-5-4 overall and reached the sectional semifinals. The Vanguards also still had seven starters on the roster from their 2018 team that reached the state semifinals. “The depth of our pool of talent is significant,” Holmes said. “There is no doubt we had the capability and drive to earn our first ever conference title.” Junior defender Cate Mitchell was a first-team all-Southern Capitol Conference performer last year. Senior forward Ashlee Adler, senior midfielder Natalie Hering and junior midfielder Hana King were named second-team all-conference last season. And senior forward Kelsi Handel and senior defender Sydney Bonilla were both honorable-mention all-league performers last year. Seniors Cassidy Frame and Jenna Meili were two other key cogs coming back. “This is the season and this is the team I thought would test the best at state,” Holmes said. “These seniors have been an absolute pleasure to work with and would have undoubtedly given an inspirational level of success to the Heights Soccer program. “The talent and athleticism all around was evident already and this would have been a great season. It is difficult to accept our players will not have the chance to get out on the pitch, return to the spirit of the game and feel proud of the success I am sure we would have attained.” While Holmes — and the Vanguards — all fully understood the reasons the season was canceled, that didn’t make it any easier to swallow when the news came down in late-April. “The most significant disappointment is not being able to access the uncapped potential for winning as much as it is the time we will miss as a team,” Holmes said. “These young ladies truly embodied what it means to show up as teammates. The character of this particular group contained the energy, positivity, and cohesiveness that made playing this sport fun for everyone. We had a blast! “I truly believe these athletes had worked hard enough, played together well enough and poured their hearts out on the field in such a way that they were history in the making. It is challenging to let it go, but I know these young ladies will take it in stride and learn from this setback to move forward with momentum and let nothing stand in their way.”