This year’s Newcastle Racer girls soccer seniors have never reached post-season play. Their goal is to make the playoffs.
Head Coach Hannah Venable said, “I am hoping we can make the playoffs. Out of all the years, this is the year they can do it. They just have to want it.”
Venable said senior players are: starters Bentlee Lindsey, Malia Stucks, Kaylin Holmes, and Carsyn Ray. Other seniors are: Madi Platte, Chloe Chmil, Brynna Ford, Brylee Scott, and foreign exchange student Candella Valverde.
Venable, who is in her first year of being head coach by herself and was talking about the entire team, said she couldn’t have asked for a better group of girls.
“They make coaching easy,” she said. “They work hard and they want to win.”
Some of that desire has turned into play on the field. In pre-season, the Racer girls won most of their scrimmages and they won the Newcastle Festival. Playing in Class 4A, the Racer girls had two losses, one against Noble and one against Mount Saint Mary. They’ve had wins against Duncan, and then against Class 6A teams Northwest Classen and Ponca City in the Choctaw Tournament.
Newcastle will now face Bridge Creek and Clinton. Venable said the Bridge Creek game should be a good one. She said the girls are always excited to play them since the communities are so close. She added that they have three sisters on their team.
Venable added that she believes the Racers and Clinton should be evenly matched.
At the Clinton game, some of the ticket proceeds will be donated to STRUT Week as part of the effort to raise money for two high school students’ mothers who are battling cancer.
“Our intensity should be up because they are our first District game,” Venable said.
Newcastle plays in a new District this year. Members of the District are: Newcastle, Clinton, Weatherford, Woodward, Aztec Charter School, Oklahoma Christian School, Elk City, and Harding Charter School.
