To say that Blayre O’Donald, Gracie McCaslin and Randie Dennison have played a lot of soccer together would be an epic understatement.
The three Wylie seniors have played soccer on the same team continuously since they were 4-years-old.
“It’s crazy,” Randie said. “We’ve learned how to work together. We know how each other plays. It’s pretty cool.”
The three girls were randomly put on a recreational soccer team, the Hurricanes, in Big Country Soccer when they were 4 years old. That was the age when Big Country Soccer started teams at that time, and children were usually placed on teams based on geographic location.
In Big Country Soccer, children can stay with their team if they so choose. The girls ended up staying on the team until they were old enough to play competitive soccer.
The Hurricanes eventually turned into a competitive team, ASC ’00, and once the girls entered high school, they also began playing varsity soccer together.
All three have been contributing members of the varsity team since they were freshmen.
They say the long-time friendship has helped them as players.
“Our team chemistry is just so strong,” Gracie said. “When you play together all those years, you know what they are going to do. It really helps the team as a whole.”
Another member of the Wylie varsity team, Jenna Morris, was put on the Hurricanes several years after it originally began, and she played with Blayre, Gracie and Randie on ASC ’00 and now with Wylie.
Also, Kayleigh Wilson moved to Abilene and became a member of ASC ’00 and has played with the group for many years.
Blayre said it is sad to think that the girls are playing their final season together.
“We try not to think about it,” she said. “After 14 years together, it will be weird. It’s been really cool.”
Gracie said the senior year in general is bittersweat, but especially soccer season, knowing that she will no longer be playing beside the teammates she has had since she was 4.
“It’s really sad,” she said. “But we have all those years of memories together.”