Editor’s note: This begins our series on Santa Rosa County’s student athletes selected for the 2018 Subway High School All-Star Soccer Team.
NAVARRE — Kileigh Whited, Emily Despersio, Brenda Bishop, Abby Morgan, Kylie Lawson, Liam Palmatier, Bobby Holderman, Noach Cruz and Brandon Bartlett of Navarre High School are among the 22 athletes in Santa Rosa County selected to join the 2017 Subway High School All-Star Soccer team.
The Subway High School All-Star Series is a sequence of games between high school senior athletes from Okaloosa, Escambia and Santa Rosa counties. The main soccer game is set 5 p.m. March 1 at Gulf Breeze High School.
Here, we catch up with the Navarre High seniors on making the all-star team, their everyday lives and their aspirations.
How long have you been playing soccer?
KW: Since I was 5.
ED: Since I was 4.
Brenda: I have been playing for 15 years.
AM: Since I was like 3 or 4.
KL: I’ve been playing soccer since I was 6 years old.
LP: Since I was 4 years old.
BH: Since I was 4.
NC: I've been playing soccer for 15 years.
Brandon: For 11 years.
What’s the best part of soccer?
KW: Probably being around my teammates all the time.
ED: Having friends for a long time; even when you switch teams, you still stay friends with your old teammates.
Brenda: The best part of soccer is meeting new people.
AM: I like the competitiveness of it… but I also do like the teammates and having like a family.
KL: The game especially, and then probably just forming relationships with teammates and being on a team sport.
LP: The feeling you get out on the field; all your other responsibilities and stuff just stop.
BH: Definitely the fans.
NC: The best part of soccer is being able to be around my friends.
Brandon: I think playing with my team and winning games.
What’s the worst part of soccer?
KW: Time management; you have to play a lot of soccer and not have as much time as other high schoolers do.
ED: How much time it takes up.
Brenda: The worst part is the amount of time spent in a car to get to tournaments.
AM: Definitely conditioning sometimes can be bad.
KL: That’s a hard one… Maybe because it’s really physically demanding, but if you’re willing to put in the work and you’re dedicated, then it’s not really that hard.
LP: Probably the injuries.
BH: The running.
NC: The training takes a toll and having to watch from the sidelines with an injury is heartbreaking, which is what I did during our district finals.
Brandon: Losing games.
What is your favorite soccer experience?
KW: Going down to Montverde and playing there.
ED: How we’ve always gone so far as a team, and everyone works really well together.
Brenda: My favorite memory playing with Navarre is going to state freshman year.
AM: We had one team bonding where we went out and stayed at somebody’s house in Milton, and we just hung out and it was a good time.
KL: All the friends and the relationships I’ve made with the girls, and all the memories have been so much fun. Freshman year we went to state, that was probably my favorite experience of all.
LP: My favorite experience was this last season, getting to go as far as we did in the tournament.
BH: Just playing with new kids every year, different faces.
NC: My favorite experience would be getting to know these younger guys and screwing around with them in practice.
Brandon: I think this season, we made it to regionals. It was a fun ride with them.
What are your hobbies outside of soccer?
KW: I like to hang out with friends, go to the beach, shop, typical girl stuff.
ED: Reading… I don’t do much other than soccer.
Brenda: Some of my hobbies include paddle boarding, fishing and working out.
AM: Going to the beach and hanging out with friends.
KL: I love to play beach volleyball… that’s pretty much all I do when I’m not playing soccer.
LP: I don’t really have any.
BH: Fishing.
NC: Longboarding and hanging out with friends.
Brandon: I go camping and I hang out with friends.
What are your college plans?
KW: I’m going to the University of South Alabama.
ED: I’m committed to the University of Mary Washington in Fredrickburg, Virginia.
Brenda: I am committed to [the University of Alabama at Birmingham] and my major is molecular biology.
AM: I’m going to Huntington University.
KL: I’m going to be attending Delta State University in the fall to play soccer there.
LP: I plan on attending Illinois [Institute of Technology] and playing soccer there.
BH: I would like to go to [the University of West Florida]
NC: I'll be attending the University of Central Florida in the fall.
Brandon: I plan on going to Arcadia University.
What do you want to do as a career?
KW: I want to do something with athletics. I’m not sure yet.
ED: I’m double majoring in political science and international affairs. I want to be an intelligence analyst or work for the State Department and travel.
Brenda: I want my career to be pediatric surgeon.
AM: I want to major in biochemistry and then go into the medical field.
KL: I want to major in nursing.
LP: I plan on majoring in aerospace engineering.
BH: I want to get my master’s [degree] in finance.
NC: I will be pursuing a degree in mechanical engineering.
Brandon: I want to be a forensic scientist.
What is your favorite television show?
KW: “Friends”
ED: “NCIS”
Brenda: My favorite TV show is “Grey’s Anatomy.”
AM: “The Big Bang Theory”
KL: As of now, “Shameless”
LP: “Parks and Recreation”
BH: “The Goldbergs”
NC: “The Office” is my favorite show.
Brandon: “Grey’s Anatomy”
What is your favorite band or musician?
KW: I like pop.
ED: I listen to everything.
Brenda: My favorite musician is ASAP Rocky.
AM: Maroon 5
KL: I have so many. I like alternative… indie. I also listen to whatever today’s hits are.
LP: the Red Hot Chili Peppers
BH: Bob Dylan
NC: I listen to R&B, rap, Lofi hip hop and trap.
Brandon: Drake
If you could have one superpower, what would it be and why?
KW: To fly, so I can go anywhere I want.
ED: To run really fast.
Brenda: If I had a super power it would be to fly, just because it's cool.
AM: To read people’s minds so I can know what they’re thinking.
KL: Probably to be able to last physically.. that way in soccer games, I can play the whole entire time and never get tired.
LP: Super speed, just because it’s cool.
BH: Definitely to fly, so I can get around faster
NC: I would have the ability to pause time, because it would allow me to solve virtually any of my problems without time being a factor.
Brandon: To be able to fly, so I can fly places and not have to pay for gas.
This article originally appeared on Santa Rosa Press Gazette: Catching up with Navarre's all-star soccer players