South Georgia - In The Game High School Sports Magazine

Lowndes High graduate Brianna Kilgore learned at an early age that not all decisions are easy and sometimes, you have to make serious sacrifices in pursuit of something you truly love. In Brianna’s case, she learned her lesson with regard to athletics. A talented softball and soccer player, Brianna began playing both sports when she was very young and competed almost year-round through middle school. On the softball field, she was a catcher and loved every minute she spent behind the plate. Brianna always thought her future would be in softball. However, when she was around 14 years old, Brianna began noticing something that caught her a little off-guard – her soccer skills were progressing farther than her softball skills. After playing softball at Valdosta High as a freshman, she decided to lay her bat and catcher’s gear aside. “I thought I would have a better chance to go to college on a soccer scholarship,” she says.

During her freshman year, she also joined the Valdosta-Lowndes Soccer Club (now the South Georgia United). While playing club soccer, her game improved even more. She played for Valdosta High as a freshman and sophomore, and then moved to Lowndes High during her junior year. During her tenth grade year, Brianna and her family moved from the city into the county. She remained at Valdosta High for the rest her sophomore year, then made the move to Lowndes. The head soccer coach at Lowndes, Chris Willis, was very familiar with Brianna’s abilities on the pitch. He had watched her for two years when she was a Wildcat, and he had coached her at the Boys’ and Girls’ Club in a three-on-three league. “She used to wear these bright pink shoes before kids wore flashy shoes. I remember that very well,” says Coach Willis.

Coach Willis and the rest of the Vikings’ staff knew exactly what kind of player they were getting when Brianna came over. Despite her obvious talent, a spot on the team wasn’t necessarily a given – for a variety of reasons. Brianna filed hardship papers in October in order to be able to play soccer as a junior at Lowndes. On the day of tryouts, she learned she would be able to go out for the team. Lowndes wasn’t about to turn down the services of an All Region-caliber player, but Coach Willis had concerns. First of all, he was unsure how the rest of the team would accept Brianna. Many of the girls at Lowndes and Valdosta play in the various leagues and club teams together and know each other well. Playing together in club soccer is one thing; a former Wildcat joining her former team’s cross-town rival during the high school season is something else entirely. “Yeah, we were concerned. But Brianna didn’t come in and demand a spot. She worked very hard every day and earned the respect of her teammates,” says Coach Willis.

It had been a while since Lowndes last made the playoffs – 2006, in fact. Getting back to the postseason is always a goal but a playoff berth has proved elusive for Lowndes the last three seasons. Brianna wanted to help her new team return to postseason play. In 2009, Brianna’s first campaign as a Viking, Lowndes just missed the playoffs. This year, the Vikings, who had just three seniors, went 9-6 and earned a spot in the postseason. Lowndes locked horns with Chapel Hill in the first round, a powerful, senior-laden team featuring Kelsey Barr, who is headed to the University of South Carolina. Brianna figured prominently in the game against Chapel Hill. She scored her team’s first goal within the first three minutes. Then, after shifting to defense, she and Barr got tied up. Barr went down and was awarded a penalty kick on the play. Barr found the back of the net and tied the score at one goal apiece. The game ended up going into double overtime before being decided on penalty kicks. Lowndes netted two out of five, while Chapel Hill scored three out of five for the win.

It was disappointing to see the season end the way it did. For Brianna at least, there is a silver lining. She earned First Team All-Region honors, and her decision to step away from softball paid off in a big way. Brianna has signed a scholarship with Georgia Military College to continue her playing career. Brianna has spent most of her time on the pitch playing center midfield or center forward. She’s a very talented player who knows how to play both offense and defense, and she is equally comfortable handling either responsibility. She controls the tempo of the game and does a good job setting up her forwards. Brianna is also very adept at controlling the ball and can take on defenders one-on-one. Brianna knows how to find the net when the opportunity arises; this year, she scored nine goals. Her athletic ability and knowledge of the game should translate well to college.

Throughout her career, Brianna has demonstrated the ability to play well in big games. The game that sticks out the most came last year when she faced her old teammates at Valdosta High for the first time. She knew the Wildcats’ tendencies and they knew hers. “They didn’t want me to do well. They tried to shut me down,” recalls Brianna. Down 1-0, Brianna had the ball and saw an opening. She moved toward the net and fired a shot past the keeper to even the score at one goal each. The game ended up in double overtime, and Lowndes escaped with a 3-1 victory.

Coach Willis has been most impressed with Brianna’s consistency. She shows up to practice every day and goes to work. Brianna puts in the time and effort needed to improve her game. “She’s a blue-collar player. It doesn’t matter if she’s playing forward, midfield or defense. She gives the same thing every day,” he says. Brianna was named captain of the 2010 team, a responsibility that Coach Willis says she assumed long before she was formally recognized as such. “After the season ended in 2009, within a few days she was in my classroom asking me what we needed to do for 2010. She really took the mantle as captain. I believe leadership positions are revealed, not awarded. She is a natural leader, and her teammates follow her,” says Coach Willis.

Brianna’s game developed as her leadership role increased. In the past, she played more with emotion and her heart. This year, Brianna played smarter and handled herself with grace and poise. “She matured a great deal and was a great captain,” says Coach Willis. Together, Brianna and Anna Lee Powell, the Vikings’ other team captain, set the bar very high for future captains. Though Brianna’s game evolved with her leadership role, she retained the physical, relentless style of play that has been her hallmark during her career. “She plays as physical as possible within the bounds of the rules. When you step off the field with her, you’re going to feel it,” says Coach Willis.

Brianna has taken care of business in the classroom as well as on the pitch. She has always known that she had to keep up her grades. If she let her academics slip, she wouldn’t be able to play soccer. She also understood from an early age that getting a soccer scholarship depended as much, if not more, on her grades as on her athletic ability. “My mom is big on grades. I’ve always done well in school,” she says. Brianna also wanted to play soccer at a four-year school. She had some interest from a few small four-year colleges – some as far away as New York and Nevada. She also had some dialog with Georgia Southern. But before she made a decision on college, Brianna learned that Valdosta State University plans to add a women’s soccer team in 2011. She decided to accept the offer from Georgia Military, spend a year in Milledgeville playing junior college soccer, and then return to Valdosta to play for the Lady Blazers in the fall of 2011. “Brianna can do whatever she puts her mind to. She’s a very talented player, but she still has a lot of room to improve. She can get much better over the next two years. I’m excited for her to be able to play in a college system. She has a great chance to come back and join the VSU team,” says Coach Willis.

Brianna would like to stay close to athletics even after her playing days are over. She says she will major in sports medicine and pursue a career in physical therapy or athletic training. “I want to be around sports in my career,” she says. The lessons she’s learned playing soccer will translate well into her future career. “Soccer has really taught me leadership skills. I know how to be a team player and I know I can depend on other people. This year, with such a young team, I’ve definitely learned leadership,” she says. •

---