Soccer is a simple enough concept. Just put the ball in the back of the net. While it's of course harder than it sounds, this year the Patriots have done it with relative ease.
After a number of key seniors going down to injuries, sixth year coach Brandon "Boog" Hearron turned to Liberty High School's young talent pool. "Anytime there's an injury that comes up there's somebody waiting in the wings to step up," Hearron said.
This year that girl was Kassadi Reece. "I was super hyped to have the opportunity to step up and become key players," Reece said. "Hyped" because Reece is just a freshman. She says the injuries have given a lot of players like herself a chance to step up and become a key player and it's a chance she hasn't passed up.
She's scored in all four league games since the Christmas break and has helped LHS start off the SWYL 5-0. "She gets herself in position to score goals so we just keep going with her," Hearron said.
Her streak is remarkable for someone so young, but it's stunning when you learn that Reece is playing out of position. Playing defender for her club team, Reece has moved to a forward position because of her "phenomenal workrate."
It's taken just a month to go from creator to finisher but after six goals in five games she's already enjoying the change. "I feel like everyone enjoys scoring more," she said. "But when you give a good cross it's definitely a good feeling."
For someone performing at such a high level, at such a young age, her coach says the sky's the limit. "You can't coach heart," he said. "You can't coach work ethic. That's a good base."
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