Published: Dec. 8, 2015
Everett, Washington
Girls Soccer Player of the Year: Drew
Locknane
By Rich Myhre, Herald Writer
The end of the season was, of course, a
disappointment for the Jackson girls soccer
team.
But along the way the Timberwolves
accomplished some special things with the
help of a special player. Jackson won the
2015 Wesco 4A and District 1 titles for the
second straight season, and the team's
success was due in no small part to the
play of senior all-conference forward Drew
Locknane, who led the T-wolves in scoring with 18 goals, including five game-winners.
For her standout season, Locknane is The Herald's 2015 Girls Soccer Player of the
Year.
A year ago, Locknane helped Jackson to the state title game, where the T-wolves lost
to Central Valley 5-2. The team's goal this season was to go one step further, but that
dream was dashed in the opening round of the state playoffs with an 8-2 loss to
Issaquah, the eventual state champ.
“We knew we'd have to beat them anyways if we were going to win state,” Locknane
said, “but losing — and not only losing, but losing the way we did — was real
disappointing.”
Even though it ended painfully, “I really couldn't ask for a better high school career,”
she said. “Looking back on all four years, we were able to make school history as the
best soccer team to ever play at Jackson. We had a great team and a great coach,
and to accomplish the things we did … I can't complain about anything.”
On a team of top players, Locknane “was somebody we always knew we could rely on
to score goals,” Jackson head coach Jesslynn Kellerman said. “She was really difficult
to defend. She can score in so many different ways, and we knew that regardless of
the type of game, we could always count on her to score or assist or to be a key in our
offense.”
The funny thing is, Locknane is rarely “the tallest player or the strongest player or the
fastest player (on the field),” Kellerman said. “She's just great at all of them. And since
she's so multi-dimensional, it was hard (for opponents) to know how to defend her.
She can score in the air, she's really strong, she can beat you on the dribble and she's
fast enough to get behind defenders, so (the other team has) to look out for all those
options.”
She also has a booming kick, which is sort of her signature. Locknane is not, by her
own admission, “the fastest person … but I'm able to kick the ball pretty hard. Half the
time I don't even feel like I'm trying to aim, I just shoot it. But my outside shot has
always been a strength of mine.”
In Kellerman's mind, Locknane contributed in other ways, too. As a senior and a
captain she was expected to be a team leader, and it was a role she filled capably.
“A lot of times with high school girls you have a leader who is either a vocal leader, or
you have one who is a lead-by-example type of leader,” Kellerman explained. “You
rarely get one who kind of does both. But that's what Drew does. She motivates
verbally, she can pick people up and encourage them, and she can even give the
pregame or halftime talk to pump people up.
“But she also leads by example. Everybody knows she's always going to give 100
percent, so she encourages the rest of the team to give their full effort.”
Locknane, who also plays basketball at Jackson, began in soccer when she was 4. As
a high school freshman she started on the junior varsity, but was promoted to varsity
late in the season. The T-wolves missed the playoffs that year, but they were Wesco
4A co-champions the next season and outright champs the last two.
Though Locknane was certainly a star for Jackson, she was hardly alone. Among the
team's other top contributors was fellow senior co-captain and All-Wesco selection
Maddie Cooley, a midfielder, who scored eight goals (four game-winners) this season
along with nine assists (five game-winners).
“It's so nice to be surrounded by so many great players on field that make you look
good,” Locknane said. “I couldn't have scored as many goals as I did without
teammates making it easy for me.”
Locknane will play club soccer for Snohomish United through the spring, but said she
expects that to be the end of her competitive soccer career. She plans to attend
college in the fall, but will likely participate only in intramurals.
Still, Locknane can look back in the future on an outstanding high school soccer
experience. It was, she said, “the best ride ever.”