A Season of Success | Kickin' It With The Wolverines Ep. 10

The Bentonville West Girls Soccer team's season came to an end at the State Finals game, falling to Mount St. Mary's 4-1. But despite the loss in the championship game, it was a season full of success, growth and relationships. 

Alyssa Orange and Kerry Castillo recap the year in the final episode of Kickin' It With The Wolverines. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_02 0:12

Well, welcome in into our final episode of the season with Cooking It with the Wolverines. I'm Melissa Orange. He is head coach Carrie Castillo and coach, we have made it through a season, which is crazy to think about. But what a season it was ending the year in that championship game in Hot Springs. And despite the fact that you guys fell short to Mount St. Mary's, just an overall successful year that you have to be happy about. But talk about the championship experience overall. We'll start there. I want to I want to kind of hear about how things went from just getting down to Hot Springs, you know, being able to be together as a team, eating together, the hotel, and then obviously just what that game environment was like.

SPEAKER_00 0:53

Yeah, that's probably the most rewarding part, honestly, uh, is being able to have one more week together and what a special week it is, you know. Um there's more media attention, and there are you know the celebrations that the school does and things like that to acknowledge, you know, that you've made the final, and then there's the the preparation itself and just knowing that it's just you and one other team left, right? Uh still playing, and to be able to just feel how special that is and to see the kids acknowledge how special that is. But the day of, I guess the or not day of, the day of we traveled, the day before the game was so special. Uh our school, and I have to give our our athletic director Tony Dillingham and our principal Jonathan Guthrie just a massive shout out because they helped me, they they worked with me to put together a great send-off. Um, our cheerleaders and band were there, and uh the entire school let out of class to come out and line the driveway out of Bentonville West and uh onto the main road. And we had a motorcade, you know, and our school resource officer let us out. And it was just the look on the kids' faces, they were glued to the windows and you know, videoing all with their fellows videoing and just and taking pictures and waving at the friends, and that just made it that much more special, you know, to see them just so excited and so full of joy. The parents, our team parents came out about an hour before we left and decorated the bus and wrote all the girls' names on the windows and everything. And so that that was really special too. Uh, so massive shout out to our team parents, they were great. So, you know, when you get to experience things like that and see what it means to the kids, you know, for them to get the that experience part of it, that piece of it, it's so rewarding. Uh, you know, before you even play the game. Uh and then uh usually, you know, on the bus they'll sleep, but not that day, not that day. They're taking pictures and you know, and listen to music and just they're just so excited and full of joy. And so uh we got down to Hot Springs and we were actually able to meet up with Lifeway um um that evening, and we had dinner at the same place, and they ate before us and came out and took a team picture uh all together, so like because they were in the 380 state championship game, and so that was really cool. That was really cool. I have a good relationship with Coach Bowers over there, and he's a great man, great man, great coach, and and so we got to to talk to each other and you know, two head coaches talking about away from the players, the stresses of the game, you know, and it's nice to to have that camaraderie and to also be able to vent a little bit, someone that is totally in the same place as you and understands that. So that was really cool. Uh they just had a great night. The kids had a great night. We you know, try to put their mind at ease about the game and and just tell them a few of the things that we that we really had to. Um Conway High School let us stop and break up our trip and walk around, use their indoor uh just to be able to walk through some of the main points that we wanted the girls to remember for the game. And so that was huge.

SPEAKER_01 4:21

So that's nice, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 4:23

Yeah, it is Trent Escola, he's a new coach down there this first year at Conway High, and he's doing a great job. And so he's a good man, good friend, and so I really appreciate him. So that you know, I I say all that, and and I think what I hear myself saying is the people, you know, all the people that you get to experience all that with. That's what that's what it's really all about. And the day, the day of the game, uh, you know, had breakfast all together and and just getting to see the kids living that day, you know, and knowing that they're about to go play this game and how yeah, a little nervous, but just so ready, you know, so ready to see what this is really all about. And once we get there, uh the stadium is packed, and there's another game going on before us, and that's when it all became real for them. You could see the I guess the epiphany that they had, like, wow, this is a championship environment. You know, side did a fantastic job of hosting the game, and the stadium was packed for the game before hours and for hours, and there were so many old friends of mine um that I'd coached with or that were officials uh when I was in that part of the state that I got to see. And so seeing all of them and hugging them, and you know, just again, the people uh and getting to getting to experience all of that with the girls at the same time, um, and just seeing how grateful they were. And that's what I that's what I shared with them before they took the field was my cup is overflowing. I am just so grateful for today, regardless of outcome. I'm grateful for you, I'm grateful for all of this experience and that we're sharing it together. So it's really a special day.

SPEAKER_01 6:22

Yeah, it's really a special day.

SPEAKER_00 6:24

Yeah, you know, the score wasn't what we wanted, but after after the game, I expressed to the seniors thanks first, first and foremost. But then for the underclass when I said, Hey, this has got to make you about that much hungry, and about that much upset, about that much upset, you know, like sad, because here we are, and this is this was our goal to be here, and now you know what that feels like and tastes like. We'll be back.

SPEAKER_02 6:57

Yeah, yeah. And I'm sure as as competitors and and as athletes, they there is a a moment to just grieve the loss, uh, because you work so hard all season and you want to end it uh with a championship. Um, but again, like you said, in hindsight, after a few days, you know, what do you think the the the girls that are coming back are gonna take away the most from that experience and feed into next season?

SPEAKER_00 7:21

Oh, uh we had our end of year uh celebration last night, and they're already talking. They're already talking about it. It's you know, we're not even a week today, I guess, away from the game. And they're already talking about we're going back next year and we're getting the championship trophy. And this is coming from our juniors that are gonna be seniors, and even from you know, players like KK Fenton, freshmen this year, you know, that that just had a massive year and that will be a sophomore. And she's already lead helping lead that charge of next year. Next year is our year. And so they've been, you know, they've been speaking with uh some of my staff about hey, when are we training? When are we training this summer? Let's go. Let's get ready right now. Yeah. And so they really uh I I I feel like they took to heart the real lesson, you know, is yeah, okay, this is what this feels like now. We want more. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 8:24

When you look ahead to the summer for them, yeah, for them specifically, uh, a lot of your players are gonna go play some travel ball, I would I would think, um, play a little bit on some summer teams. Uh, so for you as a coach, kind of what's your message to them in the summer? Like what do you talk to your girls individually about maybe some things that they can work on to improve or focus on? What's the overall kind of message? Is everyone disperse uh in their own different directions before they come back again in the summer later on in August?

SPEAKER_00 8:54

A little bit of both. We will we'll meet with with every player and just discuss their growth over the year and where they want to go and what they want to get out of this next year. But then we do, um, you know, one of the wisest things a coach ever said to me, I was probably in my second or third year of coaching, so this was a minute ago. But uh an older coach, um, he was asking me what my plans were for the summer, and I was going through, or we're gonna have this many practices, et cetera, et cetera, et cetera. And he said, When are you gonna let them be kids? And that has stayed with me for more than two decades now, and so we're going to get because they are all their club teams have already started practicing, and so we're gonna give them all of June off. And I told them last night, like, hey, you've earned this, you know, you've earned some time off, and that's only going to absence makes the heart grow fonder, right? So we're going to allow them to get away, get away from it for a minute, you know, from the grind. It's it's it's coming in its own time. Um, but we are going to meet with them and we'll have uh leadership application processes going and do in-person captain uh interviews and things like that. But as far as training goes, we're gonna give them the the whole month of June off, and which the dead weeks are part of that, but uh we want them, we want them to take that time off. They've earned it, and we had tryouts, and so we we have a roster for the next year already, and so and they were so many of the returners, nearly every returner, uh save some of the ones that had already started with um their other varsity sports, were out at tryouts already, spearing on the the new girls that were there. So I was like, Oh yeah, they're ready. So we will, but we're gonna we're gonna we're gonna let them go and just be kids for a little bit before Brian starts again.

SPEAKER_02 11:01

Sure, sure, which is all it's it's good, it's it's good to have a balance. I know even as competitors when you want to just be working all the time at your craft, uh, it is good to take a break for you. And I talk about taking a break. I know reading is a big thing for you, always looking back to seeing where you can grow. Uh, but are you gonna give yourself a break this summer too?

SPEAKER_00 11:22

I guess you know, I'm gonna do some presenting this summer uh for some coaches at the state coaching clinic at a national coaching convention, even. Um got a couple other speaking engagements that I'm going to do. Uh but for me, that's like Christmas time. I I'd I love going and and speaking to other coaches and learning myself. Um time off, uh time off from coaching. Um maybe in one aspect, but never from growth. I've already started a new book. I started it yesterday. There we go. So yeah, and I have I've already purchased all the others that I needed for my summer reading list. So it's already, it's already loaded. Uh time off for me, that is time off, though. You know, that's time to to learn and reflect and without the wheels having to turn, you know what I mean? Um, it's it's time to grow. And so for me, that is time off. That's where I find a lot of peace. So yeah.

SPEAKER_02 12:26

You know, when you look at the season now that it's over and every team is different, and uh, and as we've talked about, every team has an identity um or or something special about it. How would you sum up this 2026 team?

SPEAKER_00 12:42

The team itself. You want me to sum up the team itself?

SPEAKER_01 12:47

Yeah, yeah.

SPEAKER_00 12:49

Wow. Overcomers, yeah, overcomers. You know, this this group had never seen a championship game, the seniors had only ever been to the semifinals, and so that that was the hump per se, that they just we couldn't quite break through, couldn't quite break over that. And for them, seeing them at the semifinal when the buzzer went off, and they knew you could tell that it was on their mind the whole match. Is this the year? Is this the year we go to the final? And the way they played, and I bring up Brooklyn Williams. She was in goal for us. This she she really captures this idea. She was in goal for us in the semifinal, and it's two to zero. There's probably 10 minutes left, and Rogers are throwing everybody forward because they're two goals down, and one of their all-state players manages to get loose and rips a shot, and it's it's going over Brooklyn's head into the goal, and she just jumps backward and pushes it over the crossbar. And the entire sideline went insane. And that's when I knew, yeah, we're going to the finals. It doesn't matter what happens in the next 10 minutes. She's not letting go, she's not letting one in today. She's just not gonna do it. She's going to overcome this hurdle that we've been trying to break through, and we're going to the state championship game. So, yeah, they you know, that's just a picture of that idea of them overcoming. But yeah.

SPEAKER_02 14:43

Yeah. What do you think you'll remember the most about this season?

SPEAKER_00 14:49

The relationships.

unknown 14:51

Yeah.

SPEAKER_00 14:52

Absolutely. Absolutely. The relationships. The people, yeah, the people. Um, not just the players, but we had a great group of parents this year. Uh really did so supportive, so supportive. And uh also other coaches, you know, the camaraderie that we shared. A lot of coaches, you know, the season goes on and and you focus on wins and losses, and you know, on the other side of all of that, everyone is still human, and so many of them are going through things that are tough. I mean, just hard as a person. And they share those things with you, you know, you get to walk through that with them while at the same time your kids are fighting it out on the field, you know. Um and so yeah, the relationships for sure. This group, their main goal this year was to create a sisterhood. That was their word, not mine, and and their doing, not mine. And we um I did my best to facilitate that every single week uh and to to weave it into our practice plans, even. And they just created it and made an environment that was my assistant came to me last night at the end of our celebration and actually voiced me, he said, I want to say thank you because this was the funnest year of coaching I've ever experienced. Yeah. So, and it's all because of the relationships.

SPEAKER_02 16:27

Yeah, sure, sure. Well, it's been fun, I think, building a relationship with you over this podcast and feeling so connected to this soccer team and watching you guys. And I hope that this podcast and having these conversations with you every week has been exactly what you guys wanted it to be as a program and allowing me to kind of open up that door and invite people in.

SPEAKER_00 16:49

It's been more than that. It's been more than that. I really appreciate your friendship and um the work that you've done with us and being able to get you know what we're really about out, you know, to everyone so that people can see that. Uh, I really appreciate that. Um, you know, there's you see that we went, you know, if you just look at the exterior and that we went to a championship game, that seems nice, right? But then you've, like you said, opened the door for people to get a glimpse at what it's really like inside and what we're really trying to do. And the wins and losses is just um it's the outcome, not the process. It's the outcome, not the process. Yeah. So I appreciate you immensely. I really do. Well, it does.

SPEAKER_02 17:38

And I hope there's the next yeah, I was gonna say it has been a pleasure, and of course, you know, there's season two in 2027 coming up, and we'll have a lot more to talk about. Familiar faces, brand new faces, brand new season. Um, in 2026. Coach, thank you so much again. I appreciate you, and I thank everyone who has listened all season long here to kicking it with the Wolverines. I hope you have learned as much and has gotten as much of it out of it as I have. So, Coach, again, thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00 18:09

Yeah, thank you. Thank you. You want to do a feel-good moment?

SPEAKER_02 18:12

Yeah, let's do it.

SPEAKER_00 18:15

So, I've got a good one. Got a great one.

SPEAKER_02 18:17

Okay.

SPEAKER_00 18:18

Uh, last night, end of year celebration, we I had all of the girls on the team come to the front of the room and uh had the parents give them an ovation, you know, and then we circled up one last time. We we started every single day, every single practice, every single game, we circled together and bound ourselves together. And um we'd have a player um lead the team in prayer, and then we would say our four standards, which are get there first, be your best, be accountable, and then all of the girls would yell, cheer for each other. And so we did that one last time last night. So that was really special.

SPEAKER_02 19:09

Yeah, that's awesome, very cool, very fitting way to uh end the season. So thank you for sharing. Can't believe I forgot about our feel good moment. So sorry.

SPEAKER_00 19:20

I had that one ready to go. I've been thinking about it all morning.

SPEAKER_02 19:23

You were, you were. That's wonderful, that's wonderful, and again, a great exclamation point to a very successful 2026 team. Coach, thank you so much again. Thank you everyone for joining us, and that is gonna do it for kicking it with the Wolverine.