Daily Journal file photo
Perhaps there is something to that whole “absence makes the heart grow fonder” bit.
In the case of Joelle Young and soccer, it certainly held true.
After earning All-County honors last fall as a junior, Young was pulling double duty in the spring with Greenwood’s girls tennis team as well as her travel soccer club. Starting to feel burned out, she decided to take a step back from soccer for a bit.
Though she admits to being nervous about possibly missing out on some recruitment opportunities by not being out there, the reset definitely left her feeling invigorated going into her senior year.
“There has not been more of an excitement to go to soccer than that first day of summer training,” Young said. “When it was like, ‘Oh yes — I’ve missed and craved the game.’”
Newly energized, Young should be an even bigger asset for the Woodmen than she had been in her previous three seasons as a starter. Coach Dan Appelbaum believes she’s primed for a breakout year as one of the best players — if not the best — in the county.
“She’s physical, strong on ball,” Appelbaum said. “She’s our workhorse in the middle, but as the attacking center she gets to push a little bit higher into attack — and she’s not afraid to let it rip from the top of the box. I know with a lot of defenses, they kind of sink into the box, but Joelle can kind of take advantage of that space right there at the top and have a good looking shot from there.”
Young converted more of those shots in 2023, tying for the team lead with 14 goals after tallying five as a sophomore, and she’ll likely be called upon to shoulder an even bigger workload this fall — not just offensively, but in general.
The girls who served as leaders when Young was an underclassman have moved on, as have some of her former classmates. Through a four-year run of roster and coaching changes, she’s been the one constant. Now, it’s her team, and the self-described “natural born extrovert” is up to the challenge.
“It’s an interesting dynamic going from the person who was led to the person who’s now leading, but I think it’s going great,” Young said. “It’s exciting being the person that people look up to, but it’s a lot of responsibility too. It’s like, I need to not let people down — and it’s been really great for me, I think.”
“She’s excited to push not only herself, but to push her teammates in order to make them the best that they can be as well,” Appelbaum added.
Young notes that she didn’t completely walk away from the sport in the spring; she traveled out to Arizona for an ID cam in an effort to keep opening some doors for herself. She wants to play college soccer, though she’s not sure where that will happen just yet.
If she reaches the individual goals that she’s setting for herself, such as making the All-District and All-State first teams, Young should have plenty of options available to her. But those can wait.
Right now, her primary concern is setting the Woodmen up for team success — and not just in 2024, either.
“I want to be able to build this program that, it just flies after us too,” Young said. “I want us to have a good season, I want us to accelerate our games and our record — but I also want to build a community this year that carries on and continues to build after us.”
SCOUTING THE COUNTY
Center Grove Trojans
Coach: Myron Vaughn
Last season: 6-5-5, lost to Bloomington South in Class 3A sectional semifinal
Who’s back?: Brooklyn Brown, Addie Crowe and Addy Wiesmann, seniors; Taylor Baier, junior; Maddie Guilfoy and Mia Marlin, sophomores
New faces to watch: Maggie Marlin, senior; Anderson Broshears, Sadie McLaughlin and Brynn Murphy, sophomores; Ava Matthews, freshman
What to expect: The Trojans had an uncharacteristic down year last fall, struggling to score due in large part to a rash of injuries. A solid core returns, though, led by a pair of veteran starters in the midfield (Brown) and on defense (Crowe). Several young players who got thrown into the fire last season should be better for the experience now, and the expectation is that Center Grove will again be in the mix for a sectional championship and perhaps more.
Franklin Grizzly Cubs
Coach: Garrett Belden
Last season: 3-11-2; lost to Roncalli in first round of Class 3A sectional
Who’s back? Lily Bridges, Anna Brumley, Hayla Chadwell, Breaunna Lapier, Sophie Taylor and Izzy Traut, seniors; Charlee Cramer, Jazlinn Diaz-Avalos, Sami Frazier, Olivia Gibson, Addi Harris, Addi Mashino and Addy Sever, juniors; Grace Anderson and Lily Harvey, sophomores
New face to watch: Amelia Richter, freshman
What to expect: With a full year now under his belt, Belden is hoping to make forward progress with a healthier and more experienced squad. Traut is one of the county’s top returning talents, and Brumley is also expected to be an impact player once she works all the way back from an offseason knee injury. The Grizzly Cubs aren’t used to languishing near the bottom of the Mid-State Conference; they should be better equipped to compete in a tough league this time around.
Greenwood Woodmen
Coach: Dan Appelbaum
Last season: 8-7-2; lost to Franklin Central in Class 3A sectional opener
Who’s back?: Makena Cruse, Ava Griffin, Kenna Martin, Nataly Quintero, Avah Wallischeck and Joelle Young, seniors; Ava Brawley, Atley Jacks and Lily Rollings, juniors; Lydia Garton, Addison Lipp and Lila Thompson, sophomores
New faces to watch: Katia Loper, freshman
What to expect: Greenwood took some personnel hits this offseason but still has a solid enough returning core that it should be able to hold its own in the Mid-State. Young (14 goals, six assists) is a four-year starter and one of several returning regulars in the senior class, and Quintero, Brawley and Cruse all scored multiple goals a year ago. If the Woodmen can develop some of their younger talent to complement the veterans, they should be able to remain on the right side of .500 for a third consecutive year.
Greenwood Christian Cougars
Coach: Riley Smith
Last season: 4-9-1; lost to Heritage Christian in first round of Class 3A sectional
Who’s back?: Danielle McLaughlin, senior; Christina Munsell, junior; Kylie Clark and Norah Herndon, sophomores
New faces to watch: Molly Hunter and Emma Wolf, freshmen
What to expect: Smith, who last coached at Franklin Central in the early 2000s before helming a coed team at Irvington Prep last fall, takes over a very young group of 15 Cougars. He likes the athleticism on the roster and is working to get all of the players on the same page tactically. Munsell and Herndon will be among the vets leading the way in the field, while Clark will tend the goal. The hope is that the team will be able to compete by season’s end in what is arguably the state’s least forgiving Class A sectional.
Indian Creek Braves
Coach: Haylee Shoaff
Last season: 2-13; lost to Edgewood in Class 2A sectional opener
Who’s back?: Bre Gault, Charlotte Lasiter, Faryn Parr, Lauren Peddycord and Avery Wesner, seniors; Briley Buckler, junior; Avery Johns and Inaya Komorek, sophomores
New faces to watch: Gracie Werden, junior; Lu Oliver, sophomore; Kelsey Campbell, Reagan Ferris and Ella Schaub, freshmen
What to expect: Now in year three, the Braves look to continue building a program that started without any feeder program or foundation to speak of. Gault, the top returning scorer (4 goals, 6 assists), is recovering well after injuring her knee during basketball season, and the senior core is helping to onboard a big but inexperienced freshman class. Shoaff likes the energy her team has this preseason; will it translate into a few more victories on the field?
Whiteland Warriors
Coach: Nick Magdalinos
Last season: 11-6-1, lost to Roncalli in Class 3A sectional semifinal
Who’s back?: Addison Emberton and Alexa LaPorte, seniors; Ashley Cooprider, Ava Fagan, Madison Fleury, Bethany Floyd, Rhianna Hardy and Hailey Hillhouse, juniors; Kaelynn Crawford, Marin Koch and Alexa Lee, sophomores
What to expect: The Warriors graduated county player of the year Emma Gill but return nine starters, including All-County performers Emberton, Fleury and LaPorte. Magdalinos is high on his incoming freshman class, which he expects to contribute in some capacity, and is confident that the group will find ways to fill Gill’s scoring void by committee. Whiteland has gotten better every year under Magdalinos; the next step for the sixth-year coach would be to finish atop the Mid-State or win a sectional. Both are starting to feel attainable.
