By Chris Chaney
Sun staff
Every team has to deal with injuries over the course of a season; it’s part of playing varsity sports. However, the Williamsburg Lady Wildcats weren’t just bit by the injury bug, they were decimated by it.
Forced to forego the junior varsity season in order to fill a full squad on the varsity level, head coach Tim Swart and his team have been creative and versatile, all the while keeping themselves in the thick of things in the Southern Buckeye Conference National Division.
“Overall, it’s been a very difficult season with the amount of injuries that we have sustained,” Swart said, referencing the three season-ending injuries that Williamsburg is coping with, among other short-term ailments.
At 2-5-1 overall, the Lady Wildcats wouldn’t seem like a formidable team on paper, however, their 2-2-1 mark in league play has them in solo third place in the National Division and that’s come during a period that the team has been adjusting to new roles on the fly.
“Beginning with our goalkeeper, Miranda Wiedemann, she’s stepped into that role and accepted it,” Swart explained. “She had a little trouble transitioning into it, but she’s done an excellent job.”
Wiedemann was pressed into keeper duty when fellow senior Dana Little went down with a torn ACL and meniscus over the summer. The Lady Wildcats style of play builds from the back, using the Wiedemann as a “sweeper keeper,” encouraging her to come out of her zone and have a part in the offensive buildup.
Along with Wiedemann in the back, a pair of central defenders — sophomore Kaitlyn Hollins and freshman Hailey Beeston — help to create possession to work the ball forward to sophomore Hope Schaljo.
“When we score goals, Hope’s always involved in it,” Swart said, “whether she’s scoring them herself or able to cross it to someone.”
Emily Brown, a midfielder, is Swart’s “Energizer bunny.” The coach praised the freshman for her hustle, saying she goes all out all the time.
Ashley Jermer, a senior, and Mylee Knipper, a junior, are two of the Lady Wildcats who have fought off early injuries to come back and contribute to the team on a more consistent basis over the past few games.
As the new roles become more comfortable for Williamsburg, Swart hopes to gain some experience playing some bigger schools over the next week before getting back into conference play on Sept. 25. In the conference, Burg has beaten Georgetown and Felicity, drawn with second-place Bethel-Tate and lost to Clermont Northeastern and Blanchester.
“There’s no doubt right now in our league CNE is the strongest team,” he said. “They put a whooping on us the first time out (9-0). They have a great style and a lot of speed. Blanchester is right there with them.
“We pulled off great wins over Georgetown (6-2) and Felicity (5-1).”
With six games left on the schedule following a Tuesday, Sept. 16 game against Western Brown (score not available at the time of publication), Swart and his team have set some midseason goals that will hinge largely on the five remaining league games.
“We’d like to get back to .500 overall,” the coach said. “League-wise, we look to have a much better showing against CNE and I think we can compete with everyone else. We hope to pull out at least another two wins within the division to get to .500 or above (in the league).
“We still have a little bit of learning to do and hopefully, we won’t have the injuries down the stretch that we’ve had.”
The Lady Wildcats travel to Norwood on Thursday, Sept. 18 before kicking off the home stretch of the season with their rematch against CNE on Sept. 25.