By By Thomas Burton / special to The Star
Nov. 19, 2002
Tom Hanks quoted the line, "There's no crying in baseball." Clarkdale's girls soccer head coach Lea Castleberry's motto rings the same tone, "There's no whining in soccer."
The Lady Bulldogs have 18 players coming back after finishing 7-6. Clarkdale made the first round of the playoffs last year. With a strong defensive attack the Bulldogs look to improve on all cylinders.
Despite the injuries Clarkdale will get solid effort from Bethany Spidle and Brandy Wright. Both are very talented, with unlimited amounts of octane to get the team fired up. Coach Castleberry will also call on Emily Howard to provide a spark of inspiration.
Howard will share the keeper responibilities with Sabrina Woodall. Both are very skilled, as they hope to frustrate the opponents' offensive tactics.
The Bulldogs are expecting prime-time play on offense from Tara Smith and Angela Woodall. Also Ashley Peavy and Krystin Walker will get ample time to keep the game in contention.
After a close shootout win versus Newton County last year the Bulldogs are concentrating on conditioning skills. With a lot of running, the legs should be ready late in the contest. Look for both teams to provide some exciting action at Newton on the Dec. 17.
Besides an overall agenda to win district the ladies hope to build up trust in each other's play. This is Castleberry's second year and she's looking for all-around play from each player.